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
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So far so good! As of today we have harvested just over 28 pounds of fresh, wholesome produce from our backyard garden. We still have a long way to get to 2 tons of food by the end of the year, but I’m pretty stinkin’ excited. Sure, it could be the fumes from the compost pile, but hey, whatever keeps me going, right? 😉
This week we harvested quite a few radishes, some basil and chives. The Handsome Husband found a whole sack of potatoes I forgot to plant when he cleaned out the garage this weekend. I’m thinking about harvesting some new potatoes and re-planting the area with the seed potatoes. What do you think? Is it to late to plant taters?
~Mavis
Here is what I have harvested so far this year:
Basil – 7 ounces
We made another batch of pesto the other night and it was delicious. I’ll be posting the recipe soon. Did you know you can also make pesto with spinach? How cool is that?
Beets – 14 ounces
Bok Choy – 4 oz
Check out this Asian Noodle Salad with Bok Choy I made. It’s pretty awesome.
Carrots – 3 ounces
Chives – 9 ounces
Egg Count – 1,243
We collected 72 eggs this past week. The count was a little lower than we are used to and I’m wondering if it has something to do with the weather. It’s basically been raining off and on for the past week and a half. Do chickens get seasonal depression? Hmmm.
Lettuce – 6 pounds 8 ounces
I need to get out there and harvest the rest of the salad. I’m having house guests this weekend… Guess what’s on the dinner menu?
Microgreens 5 ounces
I need to grow some more of these. My favorite way to eat microgreens is with egg salad sandwiches.
Oregano – 2 ounce
Potatoes – 2 pounds 9 ounces
Radish – 12 pound 13 ounces
My neighbor and her family came by yesterday to pull weeds and help harvest radishes. She took a few of them home and now I have a boatload of them sitting on my kitchen counter trying to figure out what the heck I am going to do with them.
Spinach – 3 ounces
Sprouts –1 pound 2 ounces
Here are instructions for growing your own sprouts.
Swiss Chard 12 ounces
Wheatgrass – 7 ounces
Total Food Harvested in 2013: 28 pounds 6 ounces
Total Eggs Collected in 2013: 1,243
If you are new to gardening or just want to learn more on the topic of organic gardening, my #1 favorite book is The Gardener’s A-Z Guide to Growing Organic Food
Jennifer says
How many chickens do you have? We are looking into getting chickens and I am trying to figure out about how many eggs we might get. Your totals amaze me.
Mavis says
Around 15 or so. 🙂
Dawn says
Hey Mavis – what do you do with the swiss chard? I used to saute it in olive oil with onions and garlic, but no one liked it except me. Just wondering. That’s a lot of radishes! Your family must be a bunch of bunnies to eat so many. 🙂
Kathy says
Mavis, why not make that wonderful radish coleslaw you posted?
Tanya says
You should roast some of those radishes. A little EVOO and coarse salt… Mmmmmmm The would be delish on a salad or as a side dish. You could pickle them too 🙂
Vicki says
I had to smile a little (ok, a lot – and I may have just laughed out loud … ) when I read about all your radishes. When I lived in Indiana, radishes were typically the first thing I planted in the spring, and I’d plant a bunch of them, just to see their happy little green leaves and pink/red bulbs peeking out of the soil. The thing was, though, I hate radishes. To me, they taste just like hot dirt. Luckily, I had a friend who loved them, and she and her family were the happy recipients of all my radishes – white, red, pink, purple. I think they spread butter and sprinkled salt on them and at them that way. Or maybe they put them on a slice of buttered bread and had some sort of sandwich. We all looked forward to spring and the first radish harvest!
Gayle says
I noticed in the background in your photos you have used pallets somehow to garden. Can you give me details, please? Or has this already been posted and I missed it? Thanks.
Mavis says
Here is the link to the latest pallet garden posts.
Mindy says
So happy to have found your site through Nesting Place. I will definitely be back!
Mavis says
Thanks Mindy!
Jeanie says
For those of you contemplating raising chickens, please let me emphasize the importance of keeping them in an enclosed (including the top) coop. My neighbors have had chickens that have flown into my back yard. I have three dogs. Equals not a happy ending for the chickens. And by the way, I live in a residential neighborhood.