First Harvest of the Season

How to Grow Your Own Food: Weigh In Wednesday

May 16, 2012 8 Comments

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 think growing 2,000 pounds of food is an attainable goal. Even if I do live right in the middle of high maintenance suburbia.

Sweet potato slips were planted this week. This is our first year growing them. If you have any advise about growing sweet potatoes I should know about, please leave a comment below. ♥ Mavis

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I have spent a total of $$414.90 on seeds, soil, plants and supplies for this year.

Here is what I have harvested so far:

Basil 5 oz

Broccoli Rabb 1lb 6 oz

Chives 4 oz

Kale 9 oz

Lettuce 2 lbs 15 oz

Butter Crunch 12 oz
Mixed Greens 7 oz
Romaine 1 lb 4 oz

Mint 1 oz

Oregano 1 oz

Mushrooms 9.25 oz

Shiitake 9.25 oz

Radish 11 lbs

Easter Egg Radish 2 lb 3 oz
Crimson Radish 1 lb 5 oz
French Breakfast 7 lb 8 oz

Sprouts 10 oz

Mung Bean Sprouts 7 oz
Sandwich Sprouts 3 oz

Total Food Harvested in 2012: 17 lbs 12 oz

Have you seen the documentary Ingredients? The Girl and I plan on watching it this weekend. It looks good. I’m especially excited to hear what the “flip flops” lady has to say.

Ingredients on Amazon Instant Video $3.99

Netflix $ Free if you have a subscription.

Go HERE to find the Bormioli Rocco Fido Canning Jar the radishes are in.

Filed Under: 2000 Pounds or Bust, Gardening Tagged With: 2000 Pounds or Bust, Gardening, Weigh In Wednesday

How to Grow Your Own Food: Weigh In Wednesday

May 9, 2012 9 Comments

I believe people have lost touch with what the term “fresh produce” really means. Fresh produce is not something that has been flown in from 1,500 miles away and has been sitting on a grocers shelf for five days. The true meaning of “fresh produce” in my opinion, is walking out your back door and harvesting your own food.

Real food does not come in a box nor does it need an ad campaign. Real Food does not come with a rebate, or an incentive to buy. One bite of an heirloom tomato on a warm summers day is all the convincing you’ll need to keep coming back for more.

Real food will sell itself, hands down, any day of the week.

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I have spent a total of $412.40 on seeds, soil, plants and supplies for this year.

Here is what I have harvested so far:

Basil 2 oz

Broccoli Rabb 15 oz

Chives 3 oz

Lettuce 2 lbs

Butter Crunch 12 oz
Romaine 1 lb 4 oz

Mint 1 oz

Oregano 1 oz

Mushrooms 9.25 oz

Shiitake 9.25 oz

Radish 8 lb 7 0z

Easter Egg Radish 2 lb 3 oz
Crimson Radish 1 lb 1 oz
French Breakfast 5 lb 3 oz

Sprouts

Mung Bean Sprouts 7 oz
Sandwich Sprouts 3 oz

Total Food Harvested in 2012: 13 lbs 1.25 oz

Do you keep telling yourself, “Mavis, I would love to have a garden, but I just don’t have the space?” Well check out what these two urban farmers did:

Photo Credit

Go HERE to find out more about Truck Farm.

Go HERE to find the Bormioli Rocco Fido Canning Jar the radishes are in.

Filed Under: 2000 Pounds or Bust, Gardening Tagged With: 2000 Pounds or Bust, Gardening, Weigh In Wednesday

I Think I Can, I Think I Can

June 20, 2009 Leave a Comment

Today was the first day since I began my little adventure/wish of trying to grow 2,000lbs of garden produce that I thought I might actually be able to do this, like for real. Sure I’ve had a garden before, but were talking a few tomato, cucumber, pumpkin and maybe bean plants. Nothing like what I’ve got going on this year. Not even close.

I started the day by harvesting 6lb 10 oz. of shelling peas, checked in on the chickens, then went down to my neighbor’s yard (who’s moving tomorrow) and planted her 4 garden boxes with beans, carrots, squash, radish, and 18 cabbage. I’ll be going back in a few more days to plant the parsnips. I know I’m taking a bit of a gamble with planting in her backyard boxes because if her house sells before I can harvest…. well let’s just say the new homeowners will be picking their own dinner.

I was able to harvest 1lb 4 oz of sage and 12oz of oregano from her herb box {she was going to pull them out if I wasn’t going to use it} and then came home and washed and bundled up the herbs for drying. I was also able to pick a few strawberries and 1lb 6 oz of wild salmon berries as well. All in all, a good day.

Next on the list is harvesting some beets. Life is good.

How to Grow More Vegetables and Fruits (and Fruits, Nuts, Berries, Grains, and Other Crops) Than You Ever Thought Possible on Less Land Than You Can Imagine

Filed Under: 2000 Pounds or Bust, Amazon.com, Gardening Tagged With: 2000 Pounds or Bust, Books, Gardening, how to garden, peas

The Great Broccoli Harvest

May 30, 2009 Leave a Comment

I’m beginning to think that if I had to grow all our food we would starve to death. Today’s harvest? 2 oz radish, 2 oz lettuce and 1 oz broccoli. Maybe growing 2,000lbs of garden produce is going to be harder that I thought.

Filed Under: 2000 Pounds or Bust, Gardening Tagged With: broccoli, Gardening, growing broccoli

How to Plant Seed Potatoes

April 7, 2009 Leave a Comment

Yippee! Something else for me to plant! The seed potatoes arrived today from Seed Savers. I like surprises so I ordered the 20lb sampler. I don’t know if I’m more excited about the potatoes or the cute little muslin bags they came in. I can’t wait to re-use them. I received 2.5lbs of each of the following varieties: All Blue, Yukon Gold, La Ratte, Purple Viking, Kerr’s Pink, Red Gold, All Red & Austrian Crescent. I’ll keep you posted on how they grow!

Filed Under: 2000 Pounds or Bust, Gardening Tagged With: Gardening, how to plant seed potatoes, potatoes, seed potatoes

First Harvest of the Season

March 27, 2009 Leave a Comment

My first harvest of the season! After being cleaned, the green onions weighed in at a whopping 4oz. To meet my goal of growing 2000lbs of food this year, I only need 1999lbs 12oz. more to go!