After digging up a few vegetables for our Thanksgiving dinner this past week, I did a little bartering with my neighbor Hulda. Being able to share/trade our extra vegetables with our neighbors is pretty RAD. She had meat, I have veggies, so it was a win-win deal. Now, if we could just get a few of our other neighbors to grow wheat and get a dairy cow I think we’d all be set.
Scroll down to see how many eggs were collected this past week. It’s shocking!
~ Mavis
Here is what I have harvested so far this year:
Basil – 1 pound 3 ounces
We’ve got basil growing under the grow lights. In the past we’ve enjoyed making fresh pesto and strawberry basil jam with it.
Beets – 138 pounds 6 ounces
We’ve got plenty of beets to we still need to dig up, and I don’t know about you, but I think winter beets are the best!
Bok Choy – 7 pounds
We didn’t end up growing too much bok choy this year, but it’s on the list for 2014.
Broccoli – 2 pounds
Finally! I can’t wait to harvest some more.
Cabbage – 43 pounds 8 ounce
We harvested out first purple cabbage of the season!
Carrots – 47 pounds 5 ounces
I’m looking forward to pulling up carrots all winter long.
Chives – 2 pound 8 ounces
We regular chives and garlic chives growing right now.
Cucumbers 9 pound 6 ounces
I’ll be buying hothouse cucumbers at Costco until next summer.
Egg Count – 2,257
You are not going to believe this. Last week there were only 2 eggs to collect. Yup. How that’s possible, I have no idea. Well, actually, I do. The temperatures have been so low here in Western Washington, that the chickens decided to go on a mini holiday. Maybe 12 eggs would be enough for the average family, but were used to getting {and using} about 3-5 dozen eggs a week. So to to only get 1 dozen, it a big deal.
Garlic 9 pounds 2 ounces
We planted our garlic a few weeks ago and we have tiny shoots popping up now.
Garlic Scapes 11 ounces
We use them to make Garlic Scape Pesto.
Green Beans 17 pounds 11 ounces
Kale – 42 pounds 14 ounces
I have it growing alongside the chicken coop and I grow it mostly for the chickens. Because I think it tastes gross.
Kohlrabi 5 pounds 10 ounces
Lettuce – 37 pounds 13 ounces
Note to self – Harvest lettuce in greenhouse.
Microgreens 5 ounces
Mint 13 oz
I made some blueberry mint jam this summer.
Oregano – 1 pound 12 ounces
I used fresh oregano in my heirloom tomato sauce this summer.
Onion – 37 pounds 8 ounces
Leeks – 7 ounces
I wonder if we have anymore onions hidden in the garden beds? Note to self: look in the raspberry bed.
Pears 47 pounds 7 ounces
Pear butter is AWESOME!
Peas – 42 pounds 9 ounces
Potatoes – 328 pounds 6 ounces
How to Harvest and Store Potatoes for Winter.
Radish – 22 pounds 2 ounces
We have some seedlings popping up. I’ll try and take some pictures.
Raspberries – 21 pounds 7 ounces
Rhubarb – 39 pounds 9 ounces
Sage – 14 ounces
Squash 230 pounds 10 ounces
After all was said and done we ended up with 230 pounds of pumpkins. Not what I was hoping for. My pumpkin crop totally failed this year due to poor crop rotation.
Spinach – 15 ounces
I planted more in the greenhouse for a winter harvest.
Sprouts –2 pounds 15 ounces
Here are instructions for growing your own sprouts.
Strawberries 23 pounds 14 ounces
Swiss Chard 52 pounds 8 ounces
Our backyard chickens love it and it’s great for trading. 🙂
Tomatoes 234 pounds 15 ounces
Turnips 1 pound 4 ounces
Wheatgrass – 7 ounces
Zucchini – 72 pounds 13 ounces
Total Food Harvested in 2013: 1480 pounds 2 ounces
Total Eggs Collected in 2013: 2,257 {+more that we forgot to count}
If you are new to gardening or just want to learn more about organic gardening, my #1 favorite garden book is The Gardener’s A-Z Guide to Growing Organic Food
Sarah G. says
We haven’t seen a single egg in weeks!
Cecily says
If you put a light in the coop to give them at least 14 hours a day they will start to lay again. I have a light on a timer that comes on at 2:30 a.m. and goes off at 8 a.m. and as a result I’m getting 8 eggs a day.
Mavis Butterfield says
Maybe I need to try that. What kind of lightbulb are you using?
Cecily says
I use a chick heat lamp with a compact fluorescent bulb.
kathleen says
i actually found your blog trying to figure out if i can grow all the vegetables i eat and not purchase vegetables at the store… at least during summer. anyway, i am more curious, have you found that you save money? i am not so interested in saving money on food per se but say, as a percentage on take-home pay. have you been able to save more overall? maybe i should calculate next year. all the money i soend on seed, dirt, tools, etc. vs. retail value of what i grow.
Mavis Butterfield says
Yes, growing your own food totally saves money. 🙂 And tastes better too.
kathleen says
so off the cuff calculation… after some $919 + $576/4 for raised beds over useful life + $2800/20 for greenhouse over useful life. using usda ERS average prices for common food data. you more than doubled your costs. i am at $2800 retail value of food grown mind you that doesn’t include herbs (except basil) and non-common foods like rhubarb/wheatgrass/sprouts/garlic scapes… you know your money makers =) interesting, i thought raspberries would be your money maker. nope retail value of winter squash @ 230lb = $615 and tomatoes 234lb @ 2.94= $690. those 2 alone covered all your costs for the year.
tom says
roughly how many sq feet is this over? This post made me hungry.
Sam says
Hey Mavis – how do you keep track of everything you’ve grown? Any handy excel charts you’d like to share with us? :o) I’m looking to make one for myself and I’d love some inspiration! :o)
Cecilia says
Just found your blog through Pinterest. Love the format and all your tips and hard-learned lessons that you have passed onto us, your readers. Your gardening efforts are impressive! WOW! How do you preserve your harvest?
Darlene S. says
I am so IN LOVE with your blog. I have sat here reading through about 20 posts (and pinning several too!), and I cannot believe all that I’ve learned in just a few posts! Thank you so much for posting!
Today I decided I would make a raised square foot garden, I would like for it to be tiered (they get more even sunlight, bigger plants can spread more roots (that’s good right?), and they are prettier, no?), so I’m trying to find out which plants to try for my first year. I have no food plant experience except a single tomato I grew in a container last year (only gave me about 8 tiny tomatoes 🙁 ), so I am just trying to soak up as much as I can before I build the beds.
My total bed size would have 30 sq ft (5×6), so I’m not sure how many squares to use for each plant (I understand you can plant several smaller plants in the same square, and only 1 or 2 or medium and large varieties). What has lots of yield to feed a family of four? I have no idea which plants would thrive on full morning sun in the Mid Atlantic region, and which plants need to climb or should be in a container instead of in a bed, or which grow tall (I can put them at the top of the tiers). Any input would be amazing.
Thanks so so so much for all your insight in your posts!
Amanda says
I am really wondering how many of each plant you had to go with your lb totals.BTW I love it all. I’m trying to plant for a family of 3 (one hungry teenager!) and just trying to draw up this years garden plans. Thanks for all the photos and hard work you’ve been an inspiration for me to get out in the garden and work off the 40lbs of christmas goodies I went a little over board with this year. Thanks for