{Pulling Carrots – August 2012}
This year I’m on a mission to grow 4,000 pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables in my suburban backyard. In 2012 I was able to grow 2,028 pounds, and in 2013 I’m going double or nothing. I have absolutely no idea if I’ll be able to achieve my goal. But, as with any adventure, half the fun is getting there. ~Mavis
Sadly there was nothing to harvest in the garden this past week, but I did notice the oregano I transplanted last fall is coming back to life again. If you have never grown oregano before, you should really consider it. I’m not sure if it’s a perennial everywhere, but I’ve had this same oregano plant for as long as I can remember. It seems like it’s another one of those herbs you just can’t kill, no matter how much you neglect it.
Here is what I have harvested so far this year:
Beets – 14 ounces
I think this year I am going to try and grow at least 100 pounds of beets. Last year I was able to grow 58+ pounds with out even really trying. This time around though I’m going to show some restraint and let them get nice and fat before I harvest them
Egg Count – 81 {2.7 per day average}
I’m patiently waiting for all of the baby chicks we brought home last October to start laying. There have been some tiny eggs in the nesting boxes, but from what I can tell only 2 of them are layers so far. Black Fatty only lays occasionally so it’s pretty much up to Martha, and Coo Koo to deliver the eggs until the wee ones start.
Potatoes – 2 pounds 9 ounces
Does anyone know of a good place to order seed potatoes online? Every place I have looked is pretty darn expensive, so I may just have to wait until Wilco gets them in this spring and hope the selection is decent.
Sprouts – 8 ounces – I’m trying a new sprout this week. I’ll let you know how it goes.
Wheatgrass – 2 ounces
Not only is growing wheatgrass cool, it’s good for you too. I started a boat load of wheatgrass about 10 days ago and need to harvest it today and make some smoothies. I’m not exactly sure what else I’m suppose to do with it, but it sure is fun to grow.
Total Food Harvested in 2013: 4 pounds 1 ounces
Total Eggs Collected in 2013: 81
Have YOU been able to harvest anything yet this year? If so, what?
~Mavis
The Week-by-Week Vegetable Gardener’s Handbook – Amazon
michelle g-b says
I’m assuming you’ve already looking at Irish Eyes– WA company. Ace for potatoes…
http://irisheyesgardenseeds.com
The local hardware stow (McClendons) carries their potato “seed” starting in about March.
Mavis says
Thanks Michelle, I’ll take a look.
michelle g-b says
Oh wow! I just went to place an order with them & they wanted to charge me $17 for shipping! Never mind!
Lisa says
Potatoes will be into our shop early to mid-March. We’re waiting until the farm calls us to pick them up. We sell them by the bag and not the weight. They usually are about 4.99 for a lunch sack sized bag. We’ll get onion starts in around the same time. Onions are $5.99 a bundle and there will 4-6 dozen starts in a bundle. Don’t order potatoes online. It’s a waste of money since you have to pay the shipping on them.
Evonne says
Lisa – What’s your store and where is it?
Madam Chow says
For potatoes, I would try woodprairie.com
Lisa N says
Just a few ounces of lettuce, and a few leaves of chard. I didn’t really try. My winter gardens are always a bust.
Herdog says
Home Depot here in Northern Cali has potatoes/onion sets/asparagus in already. Maybe its time for a run to your favorite store again. I’ve been trying to find/order/whatever, sweet potatoes (or yams) but California living has a lot of downfalls (that’s putting it mildly) Neither I nor the garden shops can’t order them from out of state. I guess its a blight thing. I might just have to try sticking a few from the grocery store in the ground and give it a try. Any ideas ? Anyone?
Mary says
You can make your own slips using an organic sweet potato from the store. Go to Utube and search “how to make sweet potato slips” and you will be in business.
Herdog says
Thanks Mary, I did just that! I now have 3 sweet taters in jars by the window. Can’t wait!
Erika says
I’ve grown sweet potatoes for a couple years now and have never used starts. Just buy a couple of organic sweet potatoes and let them get sprouty in your pantry. Then, cut them into chunks and plant 6″ or so deep. It takes them a while (a few weeks or so) to come up, but they produce a TON of foliage. I got 56 lbs out of a 6′ x 2′ raised bed last year. All out of two chunks of sprouty sweet potatoes that I planted at the beginning of March!
Carol says
Erika, that is really good information……thanks!
jubob says
what state are you from? we would like to try sweet potatoes this year as our children and grandchildren like them but are new at those. our red potatoes did marvelous last season and we wanted to try the sweet potatoes. thanks!
Joy V. says
I don’t know if you have tried this yet, but we make our sprouts out of Lentils. They are so good and nutty/crispy – great on a turkey sandwich! Our sprout thingy looks similar to yours too, so it should be pretty easy to try.
Susie says
Joy V., all I can find are dried lentils. Do you soak those & then sprout them? If not, how do you get yours? Thanks!
Joy V. says
Yes, just regular dried brown lentils! Cheap too! We just toss the dried lentils onto the tray and then run the water through it a few times over a few days and they sprout. 🙂
Beth says
Mavis, your hens should be laying better than that assuming they are all 6mo old now. New pullets need to be trained if you will to lay their eggs in a specific spot or mother nature kicks in and they will find their own special place. My suggestion is to not let them out to free range until early afternoon. Hens lay primarily in the morning and if you let them out first thing, they will find their own little hidey hole for egg laying. Once they are well accustomed to laying in their nest boxes, you can open the door for them to free range early and they will go back in the coop to lay most of the time. You have NO idea how many hidden little nests I have found under the hay in the fall when it’s time to build it back up for winter feed!! I think last year, my hidden egg count was well over 50 eggs! I have 2 coops, one with standard size birds and one with little banties. Hope that helps you. =)
Mary says
Hi Mavis,
I ordered my potatoes from GrowOrganic.com. They were much cheaper than most of the other catalogs. They were $2.89 lb and had a deal on shipping too.
Mavis says
Thank you I am going to take a look! 🙂
Nichole says
I just go to the nicest organic store in town and just buy grocery store potatoes and sprout and plant those. never had a problem.
Nichole says
I shop at Metropolitan Market and buy the organic potatoes. I buy the most exotic and nice ones. You can also use trader joes potatoes (purple red and white) that work really well to. On big potatoes you can sprout them, cut them in to many pieces (2 eyes per cut) and leave them out over night to cure a bit and plant those. you get lots more potatoes if you cut them up.
Angie Lawrence says
My only “harvest” so far this year (excluding eggs) is a couple of sprigs of rosemary and some bay leaves. The tiny bay in it’s pot seems to be doing uncommonly well – considering the number of times I have had to reunite root ball with the pot as the wind whisks it off down the track!
Incidentally, did you know that there is an Old Wive’s Tale which says that Rosemary flourishes best in households where the woman wears the trousers?
I am saying nothing …
michelle g-b says
Oh, and if you’ve never tried “desiree” potatoes— omg. The best!!!
You don’t have any problems with wire worms in your spuds? I’ve kind of given up growing them. Doesn’t seem to matter what I do, they show up!
Mary says
Michelle,
Try beneficial nematodes in your garden. They work real well in controlling soil pests. In the Portland, Oregon area we have wireworm problems sometimes in carrots and radishes.
Heather T. says
Does snow ice-cream count? We just got about a foot of snow here in Mid-Wisconsin I was just out the other day looking at our back yard dreaming about the garden, thinking about making it bigger and I still can’t talk my husband into chickens, ugh.
Kerrie says
I just got my potato seed delivered yesterday. I ordered them from peaceful valley farm and garden supply at groworganic.com. I got bare root strawberries, blue berries, raspberries, and a couple other things from them and it was all very healthy.