I thought that instead of quoting amounts harvested on the plot last year - after all Martyn is really the numbers man - that I would give you a picture book version. For those of you who like details, dates and totals, I have linked each month to Martyn's harvesting pages on our website
Obviously I haven't photographed everything but this will give you a flavour of 2015 - see what I did there? Take a deep breath as it's going to be a long ride.
February 2015
Total harvest
Total harvest
January and February harvests were very similar. This year we will miss the red cabbage that failed - luckily we have some ready braised in the freezer from last year. This year leeks will be smaller and carrots less plentiful - late planting of leeks and partiality of slugs to carrot seedlings.
March 2015
Total harvest
Total harvest
Picked the first daffodils from the plot - they are not producing as many flowers as in the past so I guess they are either becoming overcrowded or aging badly - I empathise!
May tends to be our hungry month, mainly as we don't really like chard or spinach which tend to be the staples for this month.
June 2015
Total harvest
Total harvest
The fruit starts to produce and we are kept busy picking for a few months. We picked our first apricot and are hoping for more blossom this year - my paintbrush and I will be ready.
July 2015
Total harvest
August 2015
Total harvest
In July we are really kept busy picking and freezing soft fruit. The tomatoes also started to ripen and we started digging our potatoes. Peas, broad beans and cauliflowers also were cropping well. We had our first ripe figs from the garden greenhouse. The winter onions and garlic were all gathered in.
The soft fruit just kept on coming and we also picked the first peach from the garden greenhouse - it wasn't as sweet and juicy as I remember other fruit being - maybe lack of sunshine when ripening. We also started harvesting our garden greenhouse grapes. We started to pick apples and at last the runner beans and climbing French beans started producing. There was a regular supply of mini cucumbers and we started to pick the aubergines.
September 2015
Total harvest
We didn't expect any plums and greengages this year as the trees flowered very late but we did harvest quite a few late fruits. We also harvested the first pears.
The summer onions were lifted and dried off and the beans just kept on coming. We also picked our first cobs of corn.
October 2015
Total harvest
All the squash were gathered up and all the quince harvested. We had a good crop of kiwi berries from the vine in the garden and we picked off all the sweet peppers that seemed so slow to turn red.
Total harvest
Harvesting slowed down along with less frequent visits to the plot. We dug the first of the carrots, beetroot and parsnips. The chrysanthemums provided long lasting cut flowers.
December 2015
Total harvest
We have now come full circle and picked the first of the Brussels sprouts. The ground is wet and soggy and so plot visits are confined to gathering fresh vegetables.
Posts
Wow - the difference between June & July was incredible! I really like how you've done this post - actually "seeing" your harvests each month and how they differed. What a great idea!
ReplyDeleteIt was quite a surprise to me when I set it all out, Margaret
DeleteFabulous harvests over last year Sue x
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jo
DeleteHmmmm. That puts my meagre harvests to shame! With little space available I have to focus on quality at the expense of quantity! Another difference is that you have harvested flowers and I haven't.
ReplyDeleteYou do yourself an injustice, Mark. I bet if you gathered together your photos you would be amazed and we do have at least six times as much land to grow on as you do.
DeleteOH MY.....when you see it all like that! The range, quality and sheer volume have me humbled! Another fantastic year!xxx
ReplyDeleteYou don't need to be humbled, Dina - our gardening space and time we can give it is very different to yours,
DeleteWow... so various, so bountiful! Great!
ReplyDeleteThanks Endah
DeleteYou had my mouth watering from start to finish Sue! Good luck with the paintbrush.
ReplyDeletePaintbrush is at the ready, Angie, The peaches and nectarines set quite a bit of fruit but spider mite and weather conditions meant much didn't reach maturity. As for the apricot we hadn't many flowers so are hoping for more this year.
DeleteAmazing seeing it all displayed like that, fabulous! And such colours.
ReplyDeleteThe range of colours is what hit me too, Anna
DeleteImpressive!
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful look back at a very "fruitful" season of gardening.
Here's hoping we all have a fruitful 2016, Sue
DeleteThat really is amazing sue!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Lou
DeleteLast year was very lucky for you Sue. Bright colors, tasty berries and fruit, ripe veggies. Wonderful!
ReplyDeleteIt was Nadezda especially taking into account the poor summer!
DeleteFabulous! I'm really jealous of some of your fruit harvests. Nothing tastes as good as freshly picked fruit.
ReplyDeleteYou are right, Patsy. Slso growing fruit is very cost effective considering the price of some soft fruit in the shops.
DeleteJuly and Aug have been a great months! full of harvest! It's really good that you keep record of your harvest!
ReplyDeleteWe end up freezing lots when our harvests are most productive, Malar which makes up for the months when we have a small harvest
Delete