Sunday, December 27, 2020

Garden Totals for 2020

 We weren't going to do a garden this year.  We were going to rest the beds instead.

Then the pandemic hit, and I decided that I might as well do a garden.  I figured (correctly!) that even if civilization didn't collapse, I'd have lots of time on my hands.

By the time I decided this, it was too late to order seeds.  Ergo, the most productive garden we've ever had was planted entirely with left-over seeds from our stash.  

This is one day's harvest

 Here are the numbers in pounds, all processed weights, i.e. peeled, tops cut off carrots, etc.  (Drum roll, please.....)

strawberries - 2.7
purple beans - 14.6
potatoes - 2.6
cherry tomatoes - 10.8
tomatoes - 240.8  (And that is processed weight, which is probably, conservatively, half of harvested weight.)
okra - 17.5
garlic - 3.7
broccoli - .6
squash - 9.4
carrots - 17.5
zucchini - 41.5
kohlrabi - 2.3
bell peppers - 1.5
blueberries - .000001 (we harvested two berries....)

How does that compare to previous years?  (Keep in mind that there were some years when I opted for a small garden, which basically just means I prefer to avoid eating store-bought tomatoes.)

2014 ~ 138 pounds
2015 ~ 143 pounds
2016 ~ 140 pounds
2017 ~ 260 pounds
2019 ~ 177 pounds
2020 ~ 365 pounds

This year I'm planning to rest the beds and spend a lot of time incorporating compost (including chicken manure) directly into the beds, plus working on our compost pile.


Friday, December 25, 2020

Merry Christmas!

Whatever is --- or isn't --- happening in our lives right now, we can still kneel in awe at the manger in Bethlehem, welcoming the impossibly beautiful truth into our hearts: God really does love us that much!