Productive plants and marketable vegetable weight
Gross and marketable harvest are separate so plant losses and produce rejection are not hidden in one rate. If the per-plant figure is already a marketable yield, use 100% marketable share to avoid applying the same loss twice.
Before estimating harvest, the Plant Spacing Calculator can help count planting positions for an area and spacing.
The formula
Yield is an entered planning assumption for a crop and growing method. Survival removes plants that do not reach production; marketable share removes rejected harvest. Expected productive plants can be fractional because it is a forecast, not a physical count.
Worked example
Starting with 100 plants, 90% reaching harvest, and 5 lb per productive plant gives 450 lb of gross harvest. At an 80% marketable share, the estimate is 360 lb, or 163.293 kg.
How to use this calculator
- Enter planted crop count, gross yield per productive plant using the units shown.
- Set plants reaching harvest, marketable share of harvest.
- Calculate and review estimated marketable harvest alongside the supporting quantities.
Choose a yield appropriate to the crop
Variety, location, planting density, weather, pest pressure, and growing method can change vegetable production. Trial averages are not guarantees for an individual garden. Use your own harvest records where possible and compare a low, central, and high per-plant assumption. Different crops should be calculated separately rather than combined under one yield rate.
Define what the per-plant figure includes
A yield may describe total harvest, marketable harvest, a single picking, or the whole season. Enter a gross yield per plant that reaches harvest, then apply the marketable share once. If records average over all originally planted positions, plant failure may already be included; use full survival or adjust the source rate to avoid counting losses twice.
Assumptions & limitations
What this calculation assumes
- Per-plant yield describes gross harvest from surviving productive plants.
What to keep in mind
- Does not model weather, variety response, harvest timing, or prices.
Common questions
Can productive plants be a decimal?
Yes. It is an expected count for planning. Actual plants and the eventual harvest are discrete and variable.
Can I estimate several vegetables together?
Run each crop separately with its own yield and losses, then add the resulting weights if that total is useful.
What if my yield figure is already marketable?
Set marketable share to 100% so rejection losses are not applied twice. Review whether plant survival is already included as well.
Sources & further reading
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