Monday, September 17, 2012

Harvest Monday, September 17th, 2012

This week I had two harvest baskets. I think my allergies are keeping me out of the garden more than normal. But the two harvests I had were very nice. They are starting to get more varied. This harvests had a few beets, beans, tiny zucchini, one large Chinese cabbage, a little cilantro, and the only two kohlrabi I'll get this fall. I don't know why only two of the kohlrabi grew. I planted four. And I was going to direct seed some more, but I lost the seed packet. I never lose my seed packets. Did I use up all the seed and not remember? I really don't have much of a memory. If it isn't in writing, it never happened.

I was very excited by this basket. It had the first of the fall peas. In the past fall peas never grew for me. This year they are producing. Not huge amounts, but at least they are producing. Recently I've only gotten tiny zucchini, but this time I got one real sized one. Oh yum I grilled it with the peas and some onions. It was delicious. Not everything could fit into the basket The kale is being thinned. I'll pick two every week until they are all thinned out. I'm not sure what I'll do with so much kale. I need my townhouse mates back home so I can give them food.

In the past I hadn't gotten enough beans, but this time I got more than I can eat. I planted my own saved Kentucky Wonder beans. The ones I planted in the spring came up true. But not one of the ones I planted this fall did. Since they came from the same set of seed I can only think that I choose the largest of the seed for the spring (which is normal when planting beans). Then all I had left were the smaller ones and the smaller seeds were the ones that got crossed. This is the first time I've saved seed and noticed any crossing. It crossed with two different plants since I see two distinct kinds. One is a bush plant with flatter pods. And one is a pole with purple flowers (KW has white). The beans all taste good. Not as good as Kentucky Wonder, but still good. But next year I'll buy new seed.

I had one little record keeping detail that I fixed this week. The corn all year long has been at 0.50 per ear and not 0.75 per ear of previous years. So I changed it. I need to check on a couple more prices this year. I don't usually update the prices often as they really haven't changed over the last couple of years very much, but with the warmer weather, different crops are producing differently and prices change. And since people always ask, I use the prices from my local farmers market. It is where I would shop during the season if I didn't grow my own. I know the tally number is a little artificial anyway. I don't eat everything I grow. I give lots of it away over the course of a year as I produce too much of certain things. I would probably buy a mix of different things than what I'm harvesting if I bought them. Some things in the garden fail. Some do amazingly well.

  • Beans 2.26
  • Broccoli 0.39
  • Cucurbit 53.19 lbs (last week's squash are included)
  • Greens 6.88 lbs
  • Herbs 0.08 lbs
  • Peas 0.31 lbs
  • Beets 1.43 lbs
  • Weekly total 64.54 lbs
  • Yearly total 526.14 lbs
  • Tally $924.07

Harvest Monday is a day to show off your harvests, how you are saving your harvest, or how you are using your harvest. If you have a harvest you want to show off, add your name and link to Mr Linky below.

44 comments:

  1. You have a great variety of goodies there. My Chinese cabbages are about a month from being ready, but I have high hopes for them and kohlrabi.

    Interesting how the beans crossed. I always wonder if big seeds or little seeds of anything make a difference. I guess sometimes they do.

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  2. I just got some fall things planted this past week. It will be a long time before I'm seeing any benefit from that. No peas planted. They never have produced so I skipped this year.

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  3. I just recently learned that beans will cross pollinate and you confirmed that. I am now faced with a problem as my green Chinese long beans (which I interplanted with red noodles) are heirlooms passed down from my mother and no way to replace them.

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    1. Hopefully yours won't cross. I was shocked that I got so much crossing with the Kentucky Wonder beans when my other beans don't cross at all. I'm wondering if their flower is just different enough that the insects we have can get into it. I've also heard that where you live makes a big difference if your beans cross. There are very few insects that can get into a bean flower before it has set, but if they live near you, then you can get a lot of crossed beans. If not you are pretty safe. But since only this bean, out of the multitude that I've grown, has crossed, I suspect Kentucky Wonder's flower has something to do with it.

      Also your Chinese long beans are a different species. I know that runner beans can cross easily unlike normal beans. I haven't a clue as to whether long beans cross easily or not.

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    2. I have some beans in the back of my flower bed out front, where I can see them through my dining room window. I have seen all sorts of things trying to pollinate these flowers, even hummingbirds. I was surprised, because I had never read about hummingbird bothering bean plants at all. Luckily, I didn't have any other variety planted at the time, but it really surprised me.

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    3. Norma, I just checked my 'Seed To Seed' book on seed saving, and it says that with yardlong beans 'crossing rarely occurs even if varieties are grown in close proximity'. Apparently pollination occurs before the blossoms open.

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    4. Thanks Dave, I feel a whole lot better now.

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  4. Great selection. I'm going to try Kohlrabi this winter - I'm qutie looking forward to giving it a go - I love its shape and colour.

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  5. Very healthy mix goodies you have in your basket this week. Oh I did not know that bean cross-pollinate, good to know.

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  6. Your first harvest basket is quite beautiful with all it's colorful variety! Your fall beans are gorgeous as well!

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  7. wonderful harvest, especially the beans. I loooooooveeee beans, even if they are mutant cross pollinated beans.

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  8. Very nice harvest. The top photo with the beets, chinese cabbage, and kohlrabi is very pretty with the contrasting colors. Congratulations on your fall peas!

    Bean seeds are the only seeds I dare save each year only because they are difficult to cross. However, sometimes they do and it can be interesting. Although I usually only have one or two plants that produce unexpectedly.

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  9. What a great harvest! Your beets look especially beautiful! I have never been able to grow late beets. Everything else looks beautiful too, especially those squashes.

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  10. You grow really beautiful chinese cabbage. Do those grow under a row cover to keep them that pristine looking? The butternuts are beautiful too. My squash are all growing well but it will be quite a while yet before I have any ready to bring in.

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    1. Yes they have been growing under a row cover. Also the massive earwig infestation has died down a lot so they are eating it anymore. And with the hot dry summer, we don't have a lot of slugs. So everything has come together to make my fall brassicas pretty spotless.

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  11. Nice variety this week. I am surprised that the beans crossed. That is extremely unusual. From what I read don't usually cross. Not sure I am going to get any green beans for seed unless they hurry up as frost could be any night now.

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  12. I was going to comment about the cabbage too - mine are always slug bait. Fall peas are really impressive - I've never thought to try them at that time of year.

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  13. I'm not usually disciplined enough to take part in your harvest Monday but this week I seem to have an appropriate post today

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  14. Crossed or not, the beans are still beautiful. I am such a fan of fresh beans it wouldn't bother me. LOL. Nice harvest. I'm jealous now that the weather is 'cooler' and I havne't gotteninto gear. I need to get MOTIVATED!

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  15. Great variety, what are the pumpkin/squash in the photo, did I miss that?

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  16. What a nice harvest! All my kale has been eaten up by the slugs, will have to try and sow som new asians now, I think! Love the Butternuts! Interesting also to se how you think with the prices on produce! I almost thought You were standing on a market every week! I must try to look up my local prices aswell, haven´t thought that way before - that You earn beceuse You don´t have to buy! Good one! Have a nice week! :) Mia

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  17. Your harvest looks great! I've never tried saving bean seeds. I have a hard time remembering which ones I should not pick :)

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  18. Very nice harvest! Butternuts look great, and very nice beans and greens.

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  19. Nice to hear how you calculate the value of your harvests. As I shared much of my harvests this week, I was reminded that my garden is a "community garden." I share what I have and sometimes receive back what I don't grow or am not harvesting at the time.

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  20. glad you got some peas. I got a couple this week too. Still jealous of your squash!

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  21. You are still harvesting a very nice and beautiful amount of produce! Sorry about your allergys. Mine seem to be bad right now too as came down with a sore throat and cold. Glad you were able to get some fall peas. My sugar peas are really growing but I don't see a lot of flowers on them. Still hoping before the frost! Interesting about the bean seed. I planted some old yellow bean seed and see there is a plant amount them with green big flat beans. I tasted one and it tasted like a bean! thanks for your info. Nancy

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  22. I'm so envious of your butternut squash! It seems we covet what we don't have :) All of your produce looks so healthy, not a bug-eaten green in sight!

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  23. I'm amazed that you've harvested 526 pounds of produce so far, basically without tomatoes! It looks like you will probably pass your harvest total for last year. Great job. I've thought about starting to tally the value of some of my harvests but never think of jotting down prices at the farmer's market. I'm like you in a way, no memory, if I don't write myself a reminder note it doesn't happen.

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  24. Every thing looks great again this week. We also harvested the first of our fall peas this week. Just a hand full but they were a nice change from the cucumbers and tomatoes we have been getting for weeks and weeks now!!

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  25. Delicious variety, perfectly aligned with this cooling weather. Can't believe the lack of flea beetle damage to your cabbage, well done! We've been keeping the fall planting under row cover, but those pesky cabbage worms are still running (crawling?) rampant!

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  26. Beautiful harvest! I have not been able to grow beets successfully. Those look so sweet and delicious!

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  27. Very nice diverse harvest. 50 pounds of cucurbits! I'm dreaming of butternut squash soup right now.

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  28. Beautiful butternut! I can't wait to get some at the farmers' market!

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  29. I darned near forgot to sign in!

    What a lovely, varied harvest you had. Even without tomatoes and peppers, your garden has produced really well this year. I need to get the last of my beets pulled, even though the ones I pulled two weeks ago are still in my refrigerator. The weather has been just hot enough that I haven't been cooking very big meals. I guess I need to make some pickled beets.

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  30. What lovely harvest; really love the color and texture of the first one! For pricing I usually go by the nearest equivalent thing at the grocery store/farmer's market, the market follows the store prices pretty closely tho. I do sometimes adjust a bit; for instance my artichokes were smaller so I did 2 for 1. Except for some overgrown squash that goes to the poultry, and the small amount I sell at the farmer's market, I do eat almost everything I grow. I have not bought hardly any veggies from the grocery this year, other than garlic and onions. I do buy a fair amount of fruit since I don't grow much yet.

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  31. I missed not doing butternut squash this year. Hope they taste yummy this fall and winter!

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  32. Sorry about the allergies. Using kale takes persistence -- I have to try to fit it in every meal, so with eggs, sauteed with onions, with chick peas on pasta, etc. Yum.

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  33. Your beets looks great, did you eat the leaves too? I like the leaves even more than beets!

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    1. I don't eat beets at all. I'm not a fan. I eat chard which has a tiny bit of the beet taste in it, but not much. Usually I cut all the leaves off, but these looked so good I left them on before giving them away.

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  34. Isn't interesting how each season one particular fruit or veg surprises you with super growth or none? Lovely harvest this week Daphne those fall peas and beans will be so tasty.

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  35. Beautiful harvest, I'm envious of your Chinese cabbage, I don't have any Asian vegetable for the fall garden.

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