{My goal has been met for 2012} This year my goal is to grow 2,000 pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables. I think I can do it. With 16 raised garden beds, a greenhouse, a raspberry patch and a few more planting beds sprinkled throughout our property, I believe growing 2,000 pounds of food is an attainable goal. Even if I do live right in the middle of high maintenance suburbia, and my neighbors think I’m nuts. ~Mavis
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I was so busy planting bulbs, pulling brush, and planning next years garden this past week, I didn’t get a chance to harvest any kale. I know, how tragic right?
But as I sat down to figure out what seeds I needed to order for my 2013 garden, I took a look back at what I grew in my 2012 garden, and was surprised at what I saw.
Even though there was a ton of work done behind the scenes, the pictures showed my garden didn’t really take off until the end of May. I don’t know why it surprised me, I mean it’s just the normal flow of things. But still, I was stunned.
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Here is what I have harvested so far this year:
Apples 6 lbs {how to make applesauce}
Banana Squash 6lb 2 oz
Basil 1 lb 9 oz {how to make pesto}
Beans 21 lbs 3 {green bean salad, how to can green beans, dilly beans}
Beets 58 lb 20z {how to can beets}
Blueberries 4 lb 9 oz {mixed berry pie recipe}
Bok Choy 9 lb 14 oz
Broccoli 11 lb 10 oz {pasta salad with broccoli, carrots, and sun dried tomatoes}
Broccoli Rabb 1lb 6 oz {chickpeas with broccoli raab and bacon}
Brussels Sprouts 8 oz {Brussels Sprouts with Balsamic Vinegar}
Cabbage 58 lb 4 oz {how to make sauerkraut}
Carrots 117 lbs 6 oz {carrot cake jam recipe}
Cauliflower 7 lbs 3 oz {cauliflower hummus rocks!}
Chives 1lb 3 oz {chalkboard painted herb pots}
Cucumbers 55 lbs 5 oz {cucumber salad}
Anna Swartz Hubbard Squash 184 lbs 1 ounces {Hubbard Squash Pie}
Butternut Squash41lbs 6 oz {Butternut Squash with Spinach and Pasta}
Golden Hubbard Squash 22 lbs 5 oz {Hubbard Squash Soup}
Sweet Meat Squash 15 lbs 1 oz
Kale 16 lb 5 oz {how to make kale chips}
Lettuce 15 lb 11 oz {bbq chicken salad}
Mint 4 lbs 12 oz {Fresh Pea Salad with Spinach, Feta and Mint}
Onions 41 lbs 11 oz {Kentucky Fried Chicken Cole Slaw}
Oregano 4 lbs 15 oz
Mushrooms 9.25 oz {read more about how I grew mushrooms}
Peas 38 lb 13 oz {fresh peas and bacon recipe}
Pears 8 lbs 15 oz {how to make pear jam}
Peppers 5 lb 8 oz {Homemade Salsa}
Potatoes 129lb 11 oz {potato soup recipe}
Howden Pumpkins 59 lbs 11 oz
Cinderella Pumpkins 45 lbs 4 oz {roasted pumpkin seeds}
French Pumpkin 13 lbs 4 oz
Jarrahdale Pumpkin 39 pounds 7 oz
Spaghetti Squash 36 lb 10 oz
Sugar Pie Pumpkins 3 lb 10 oz {how to make pumpkin puree}
Misc. Pumpkins 352 lbs 11 oz.
Acorn Squash 12 lb 14 oz {stuffed acorn squash}
Radish 16 lb 6 oz {how I bartered radishes for avocados}
Raspberries 2 lb 10 oz {how to make a raspberry buckle}
Spinach 2lb 7 oz {garlic spinach dip recipe}
Sprouts 10 oz {how to grow sprouts}
Strawberries 18 lbs 9 oz {strawberry basil jam}
Swiss Chard 32 lb 2 oz {rainbow Swiss chard recipe}
Tomatoes 186 lb 11oz {roasted corn salad with tomatoes and feta}
Zucchini 257 lb 11 oz {how to make zucchini relish, zucchini salad, zucchini brownies}
Miscellaneous 50lbs 9 oz {This means we let someone come and pick vegetables, or did not get a chance to weigh them individually, and this was the total weight of all the vegetables combined}
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Total Food Harvested in 2012: 2028 pounds 9.25 ounces
I have spent a total of $524.20 on seeds, soil, plants and supplies for this year.
If I could only have one gardening book on my bookshelf this would be the one. The Gardener’s A-Z Guide to Growing Organic Food By Tanya L.K. Denckla. This book is loaded with growing methods of practically every vegetable the backyard gardener is going to grow in their garden. I received this book several years ago and it’s still the one I use when I have questions. Amazon currently has this in stock and ready to ship.
Kari A. says
I thought of you the other day as I was buying kale. I had to pay $2.99 for a bunch of kale that looked like it should be chicken scraps!