A Look Back At 2014

This has truly been a banner year for our garden.  We started the year with a lot of uncertainty about our future but have ended on a high note, thanks to all of you and others that have supported our efforts. 

This year we expanded our focus into new areas.  Thanks to Liz for starting the children’s program and to Bill for introducing us to bee keeping.  We now have our very own beehive that will help pollination in the garden. 

We held more work days and other events at the garden this year than before.  Thanks to all the gardeners who participated and made these days really useful and fun.

We set several new records this year.  A key highlight is that we increased our membership to 55.  Most importantly gardeners and gardening families from the Dupont community make up 70 percent of our membership – a new high.  We have 81 plots in cultivation this year and harvested 5951 pounds of produce – also a new record.  4800 pounds was donated to the two food banks we support (Lakes FISH: 1900 pounds and Thurston County FB: 2900 pounds).

 

Here are some of the other facts and figures for this year.   We grew over 1000 pounds of tomatoes – our highest grossing crop.  This is followed by zucchini, cucumbers and lettuce.  I have included a table with detailed breakdown by crop types.

The six top producing gardeners grew 1875 pounds of produce between them, making up 32% of the output of the garden.  The harvest output for the year from each bed in the garden is presented at the end of the article.

While thinking about our beehive and vegetables I am reminded of Ogden Nash’s words:

I eat my peas with honey

I’ve done it all my life

It makes the peas taste funny

But it keeps them on the knife

Happy New Year everyone.  Here is to 2015 - an even better year!!! 

Harvest (lbs.) by crops:

Crop	Harvest		Crop	Harvest
Arugula	2.3		Parsnips	12.3
Basil	66.6		Peas	140.5
Beets	146.7		Peppers	158.9
Bokchoi	26.1		Potato	163.7
Broccoli	65.3		Pumpkin	81.7
Cabbage	108.5		Radish	126.8
Carrots	320.4		Raspberries	1.2
Cauliflower	17.6		Rhubarb	14.1
Chive	10.8		Rutabaga	1
Collards	62.1		Salad greens	52.5
Corn	10.4		Spinach	51.6
Cucumber	421.1		Squash	587
Garlic	38.5		Strawberries	47.5
Grapes	0.3		Swiss chard	67.5
Green beans	329.3		Tomato	1083.6
Herbs	41.9		Turnip	41.7
Kale	326.3		Various	88.6
Kohlrabi	65.9		Zucchini	447.1
Leeks	11.1		Okra	0.7
Lettuce	399.6		Plums	125
Melon	25.4		Eggplant	3
Onion	110.4		Pears	24
Parsley	3.3		Tomatillo	1.7

 

Harvest (lbs.) from outdoor beds, by bed numbers:

Bed	Harvest		Bed	Harvest		Bed	Harvest		Bed	Harvest
A00	157.5		B01	190.9		C01	48.3		D01e	32.5
A01	159.2		B02			C02	24		D01w	22.8
A02	44.7		B03	15.9		C03	65.6		D02	5.7
A03c	144.5		B04	16.9		C04	9.9		D03	50.1
A03e	14.3		B05	145.2		C05	10.5		D04	42
A04	113		B06	20.8		C06	100		D05	49.8
A05	60.9		B07	5.3		C07	109.7		D06	87.4
A06	100		B08	22.2		C08	91.3		D07	15.7
A07	69.3		B09	74.4		C09	336.3		D08	15
A08	58.8		B10	5.2		C10	144.3		D09	9.8
A09	72		B11	176.1		C11	53		D10	50
A10	60.1								D11	57.4
A11	91.1								D12	160
A12	2
A13	37
A14	23.3
A15	92.8
A16	91.9
A17	166.9
A-gate	154.7

Harvest (lbs.) from greenhouse beds and other sources:

Bed	Harvest		Bed	Harvest		Source	Harvest
G101	41		G201	157.1		Home	43.7
G102	106.3		G202	94.7		Planter	31.5
G103	68.5		G203	125.4		Tires	11.5
G104	32.5		G204	40		Untagged	375
G105	30.1		G205	63.7
G106	58.3		G211	75
G107	35.8		G212	84.3
G108	4.4		G213	51.3
G109	62.2		G215	33.4
G110	18.9		G216	67
G111	14.9		G217	63.5
G112	1.9		G218	10.8
G113	5.7		G219	99.7
G114	4.5
G115	13.7
G116	3.2
G117	30.5
G118	13.4