The Community Garden Project - The Easy Garden Community WEIGHS In!

[DawnSuiter]

That was last week and yesterday's pickings. It seems that most of the local gardeners have picked their plants, tilled their gardens and given up for the year. I'm glad I haven't. It's frosted lightly twice here and my plants are so big & overgrown they offer their own protection!

Actually, I want to apologize for not keeping up. As I said before, it's been crazy and it was A LOT harder to keep track of harvests than I thought it would be. In July & August it was SO DARN HOT, I could barely keep myself sane as our air conditioning was out this season. It was next to impossible to sit behind the computer, and even MORE impossible to work out in the sun. I don't do much as far as mid summer plants... just keeping the people, poultry, pets, peppers & tomatoes alive through 100 degree days of no rain was hard enough. THEN ontop of that.. my daughter decided to turn into a raging rebellious teenager this summer too.. of course!

I wasn't able to keep proper track.. but I know now that I saved a FORTUNE growing my own kitchen garden. I mean.. I haven't had to buy much at the market all summer except broccoli, carrots, onions & garlic. Occasionally cucumbers too because I really like those english cukes. Oh, and during the summer, lots of lettuce & spinach. Otherwise, we grew it ourselves for almost the whole year. It was my most successful year yet and I'm thrilled!!!

Well.. onto now, where, most of my back gardens have been picked over by the fall crop of chicken, I still have all of my front garden producing and my herb garden, which is threatening to give up if the trees don't drop their leaves soon!!! The herb garden is shaded most all summer, dappled in the fall but full sun in winter/spring.

I'm tenting/cold framing several garden spaces.. they are small spaces but big enough to enjoy a weekly salad harvest or herb harvest all winter long if I play my cards right. I'm organizing seeds & garden plans for next year already because honestly, there isn't much time left! I have to start seedlings in 3 months, and I need time to get organized, get my grow room together and keep the outside gardens & poultry producing.

I hope you all had a successful finish to your season, or that you are still producing as much as you can!

 

[vfem]

You have no need to apologize! you did wonderfully keeping up... much better then even me!

I have note pads with scribbles of weights and harvests since July I am yet to plug in. I'm sure I even forgot a good amount of stuff myself. I'm quite disappointed with me... but my business and garden took priority.

I'm going to have to make 1 day to sit down and catch up....

You get a gold star for kicking me in the butt Dawn!!!!

 

[wifezilla]

Work got busy and I totally lost track. I do know I will not have to buy hot sauce for at least a year thanks to my garden and a few farmer's market purchases

I made a lot of apple sauce from our trees, sold concord grapes and froze some from my vines, made spaghetti sauce from my tomatoes (not a lot, but boy is it nummy!!!), and froze a lot of shredded zucchini.

I am also good to go on kimchi and kraut thanks to the red acre cabbage I grew and a giant $2 head of cabbage from the market.

 

[dragonlaurel]

I don't have a scale, so I've just been counting things or bundles (handfuls) of them where more appropriate. It's just hubby and me, and a little garden (2 raised beds 4 x 8 and 5 x 14 ) so I just planted my favorite stuff and trellised stuff up for more room.
Okra- cut up it would probably be about 3 gallon sized freezer bags full, which is plenty for us. Still producing . . .
Armenian cucumbers- probably got 20-30 of them and they were really good. The earliest ones grew long. The others grew shorter and thick.
Wisconsin SMR 58 Cukes were a major success. They ignored the bugs and kept on coming, but did not look anything like the picture on the packet. I wonder if it was really a different variety? They were normally about 5-6 inches long and thick while still green. They turned sunny yellow fast after that but were still nice and firm. They reminded me of little delicious blimps. 1 was a good size for a filling snack. I got at least 50 of them and have 1 and a 1/2 gallons of them as sliced pickles for later. Yumm
Asparagus/Yard Long Beans - 13 bundles, and resisted the bugs well.
Kentucky Wonder pole beans - 3 bundles, bugs were too much for them.
Rosa ( plum) tomatoes- 30 tomatoes, which was plenty for us. Some were probably snitched by other people too.
Cayenne peppers - 15 and still coming. PLENTY for us.
other hot peppers- 6 they got too much shade from the tomatoes and basil.
Watermelon - 0
Squash family - 0 borers and other bugs killed them. I still have more seed, so try again next year and protect them more.
Stevia- bought 1 pot that had a few growing and divided it to grow in the garden. Got my year supply and it dries well for $ 3.00.
Lemon Basil - got huge ! Harvested 2 basketfuls and 2 more of the flowers/seed stalks.
Sweet Basil - 10 bundles, still growing but I'll have to pull it soon before we get frost.
Broccoli- growing and little heads starting.
Turnip Greens- 3 bundles, so far. . .
Beets - 0 from spring planting, trying again.
Collards- 1 bundle, still growing . . .

I didn't get everything I wanted, but I only spent about 50 dollars, and made quite a profit from a little garden. Trying to grow some winter veggies and got the planting dates from the extension service for this area. I will be growing some stuff next year that I cant usually buy here.