2008 Garden update - strawberries and greens
I thought a little garden update was in order in case you all thought maybe I had stopped growing things and just talked about it now. As many of you have noticed this is the season of the berry, and for now that means strawberries! And what strawberries they have been!
The picture above is one that I pulled from last week. It's of the first small harvest that I brought in. It was modest to be sure, I believe it was a little over 8 oz. (I've been weighing everything that I bring in this year. Totals aren't huge, yet, but their picking up now.)
By the end of the week, I started getting bigger harvests everyday. The last couple of days I have brought in a full pound of strawberries every day. As of tonight, I have harvested almost 9.5 lbs. Pretty good I'd say for a patch that's only 10' x 3'. And it hasn't slowed yet! I should pass at least 12 lbs. Now granted, in the bigger picture 12 lbs isn't a massive haul, but I'm pretty pleased about it. We eat some, have smoothies, but freeze much of them for later. We like to have strawberries in the winter too you know.
The other biggie that's been coming in very well this year has been the greens. The picture above is a little selection of Kale and Collards that I remembered to take a picture of. This is the first year that I've grown either of them, but I've been really enjoying them. I've also had a good bit of beet greens that I planted early this year. I've never been able to get a good harvest of any of the greens (other than chard that is) but this year I seemed to be a bit more organized and got them in the ground at the right time of year. Just another bit of the learning curve coming around.
Another green that I've been really pleased with this year has been my spinach. I've tried to get it to grow for the last couple of years and although I managed to get a little, it always seemed to bolt before I really enjoyed it. This year I was able to take advantage of a bit of a cooler micro climate in our yard and have had a boom year for it. It is bolting now, but I think I'll try another planting there and see if I can get another harvest before planting for a fall crop. So far so good I'd say. Now I'll be focusing on bringing in peas, and some onions, while my zucchini's finish growing up, those will be in before we know it.
How's things in your neck of the woods?
P~
Labels:
100 ft Diet,
2008 Garden,
gardening,
harvest,
organic gardening
4 comments:
What marvelous bounty! I love seeing what your garden is producing!
If you're so inclined, I'm handing off a meme to you on the topic of "What I'd be Willing to do without"...passed on to me from Phelan. I tagged you last week, but it may have gotten lost in the comments. Just giving you a heads up in case you're interested in the topic :)
Do you have bird netting or anything on your strawberries? I've only been able to get a few ounces out of all my strawberries while the birds are making off with the lion's share. Any tips?
Lovely strawberries! I'm still harvesting just salad greens and chard. I'm thinking my onions are getting closer to "done" and the carrots may be ready in a little while too. But what I'm really waiting for are the tomatoes!
Rachel, I do! I also have a very small plot of berries in the opposite corner of the yard from my big patch. It was some shoots from last year that I planted around the base of our bird bath. The robins will show up, bathe, and have a little snack on those sometimes, but no problems with my big patch other than the occasional slug. I've been robbed blind in years passed by birds, the netting is a worth while purchase that can be reused if cared for.
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