2012 Vegetable Garden Yield
Posted by olemike on 12/24/2012
2012 was a pretty good year for our garden. It was the most successful one yet. Here is a summary of what we yielded:
- Tomatoes – 541 (we canned about 45 pints of stewed tomatoes)
- Patty Pan Squash – 270
- Zucchini - 86 ( we canned about 12 pints of Zucchini relish)
- Romaine Lettuce – 40 servings
- Cucumbers – 71
- Strawberries – 22
- Beets – 21
- Meyer Lemons – 21
- Garlic – 16
- Potatoes – 15 (Grown in a box tower)
- Broccoli – 14
- Green Peppers – 14
- Clementines – 12
- Onions – 7
- Cauliflower – 1
Total weight of all this came to 300.08 lbs. I calculate that we saved about $685 on veggies (at Whole Foods prices) for the year. Obviously, we had to absorb the cost of seed, starter plants, fertilizers, watering supplies, lumber for raised beds, etc. I’m sure, bottom line, we didn’t really save any money but it sure felt good to eat home-grown food. That is priceless!
Here are a few of my favorite pictures.
In a few days, I will determine our goals for the coming year. I want to increase the total yield weight, focus on foods of which we eat the most, grow more items to can, etc. I’m still developing these so will post the goals at a later time.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Phyllis said
I am just amazed by all those gorgeous vegetables. Food at Whole Foods is really expensive so you have great incentive and everything will taste so much better when you grow it. I would love the canning! Great job, you two!!
olemike said
Thanks, Phyllis.
Wanda Orick said
Not to mention how much healthier your produce is than that in stores- no matter which store it is. Pictures are worth framing (no, really, they are very nice). Good luck (not that you need it) on your future endeavors.
olemike said
Thanks, Wanda!
Stacys Mail said
I love that you kept track of your totals for the year! I’d like to know what you’d do differently next year!
Sent from my iPad
olemike said
Thanks, Stacy. I’ll be posting about that soon. Stay tuned!
Anne Lawson said
There is a real satisfaction in eating your own produce, straight from the garden. i am very impressed by your yields.
olemike said
I appreciate your feedback. We did have good success with a number of items. However, I still have not had good results with everything. I struggle with radishes, carrots, and even some tomatoes. I’m going to work on those this coming year.
pennystewartgarden said
Looks amazing!
Shannon said
Your gardens are beautiful! I look forward to seeing more!
olemike said
Thanks for the feedback. I’m looking forward to this coming season.
thesalemgarden said
what a beautiful garden! Congratulations of the great year!!
olemike said
Thanks for the feedback. I appreciate it.
Mollie Walker Freeman said
I’m so inspired by your photos! Gardening has not been easy for me. I finally got a few raised beds put in over the last couple of years, & still struggling with a lot of pests eating away seedlings before they’re off to a good start. Also extreme dry conditions in Colorado have been a continual challenge. We really enjoy what we do get. Now I’m motivated to do it all over again this spring after seeing what you do! Thanks for posting
olemike said
Thanks for the feedback. Every season is a new challenge. My hope is to just improve a little bit each year.
gardensunshine said
your garden looks amazing! I love your raised beds. I had ZERO luck with cauliflower this year. I have no idea why at all.
olemike said
I didn’t plant any Cauliflower this past fall. I didn’t have good luck with it the previous year. I think I might try it again next fall. I would really like to have better success this year. I’ll need to research and see what I’ve done wrong.
seedtogarden said
It must have taken dedication to count and weigh all of what your garden produced. It’s an idea I want to try as we go through our own cost analysis. Of course, the benefits of delicious, healthy food are the most important, but it’s interesting to understand if we’re saving money.