My very best year for veg totals since recording began! The clear winner was the squash at more than 63 lb, with runners up zucchini at just over 53 lb and cucumber just over 40 lb. Honorable mentions include 22.5 lb green tomatoes (I only got 8.5 lb of ripe ones), 16 lb cabbage, and nearly 10 lb of lettuce! I marked the total incomplete as I didn't include the garlic or corn harvest, nor the dozen or so squashes still hanging out in the living room for later eating (these will be counted for 2024's total).
Rather a poor year for fruit; no apples or pears, and hardly any cherries, almonds, strawberries or raspberries. I did pick a good amount of blackcurrants, redcurrants, and several bunches of whitecurrants (all three went into a jug of wine) but didn't record them (maybe two or three pounds--not much).
We got four new rescue chickens in September and our egg collection totals suddenly jumped. These hens would have been 18 months old at the time and closing in on their 2nd birthdays now; they're our youngest chickens but I'm surprised they're still laying so well at their age. 18 months is considered too old for production at the farm, hence the rescue.
Every year I try to break the previous record, but I've come to the realization that a lot of this growing business is just luck. It was a lucky year for a lot of things, including things I've never had much success with like cucumber and zucchini. I've put in the work for years improving the soil which was surely a contributing factor; and I tried out a new method of transplanting seedlings which helped keep my plants alive--though the weather might have helped here too, as it was warm and dry in May. So just the perfect combination of work and good luck. Long may it continue!
No comments:
Post a Comment