Follow a family on a journey towards self sufficiency. Is it possible for a suburban family with no gardening background to produce 80% of their own fruit and veg?
Friday, May 16, 2014
Feb, Mar, Apr 2014 Summary
Over the last three month we averaged over 50% vegetable self sufficiency. Not the goal of 80%... yet. But still a figure I am proud of - I can honestly make the claim that we produced majority of our own vegetables. Laying all the food out to take the above photo was uplifting to say the least. It felt like I could have opened up my own market stall. And you should have seen me trying to get in the fridge ;-)
Putting these harvest figures together can be rather monotonous, thus is a task I have increasingly come to procrastinate over. Despite it being a less then enjoyable task I do find measuring the gardens performance very useful. I source motivation through goal setting and one of the key tricks to successful goal setting is to make the goal measurable. As three months have slipped past and the task is only getting bigger I thought it time to take my procrastination by the horns and just get on with it. So here are the results for the last three months.
February 2014
Grown (g) Purchased (g) Grown %
Avocado 450 0%
Beans 90 100%
Beetroot 1,000 100%
Broccoli 770 100%
Basil 140 100%
Cabbage 750 0%
Capsicum 540 590 48%
Carrot 790 0%
Cauliflower 300 0%
Celery 500 0%
Cucumber 3,040 100%
Coriander 15 100%
Eggplant 390 100%
Garlic 40 0%
Kale 1,350 100%
Lettuce 1710 100%
Onion 2,440 0%
Pea 400 0%
Potato 1,110 0%
Pumpkin 6,150 0%
Spring Onion 310 100%
Sweetcorn 400 0%
Sweet Potato 780 0%
Silverbeet 410 100%
Tomato 4,765 100%
Zucchini 2,600 100%
Total 17,130 14,700 54%
Average 50%
Money Spent on Garden $126
March 2014
Grown (g) Purchased (g) Grown %
Avocado 900 0%
Beans 1,370 570 71%
Beetroot 80 100%
Broccoli 1,460 1,010 59%
Basil 195 100%
Capsicum 570 970 37%
Carrot 1,560 0%
Cucumber 2,580 100%
Coriander 40 100%
Eggplant 960 100%
Garlic 60 0%
Kale 1,120 100%
Lettuce 840 100%
Lentil 900 0%
Onion 130 0%
Parsley 85 100%
Pea 150 0%
Pumpkin 3,050 900 77%
Radish 730 100%
Rocket 220 100%
Spring Onion 200 100%
Sweetcorn 940 500 65%
Sweet Potato 1,030 0%
Silverbeet 500 100%
Tomato 4,345 100%
Zucchini 700 100%
Total 19,985 8,680 70%
Average 63%
Money Spent on Garden $32
April 2014
Grown (g) Purchased (g) Grown %
Beans 900 0%
Beetroot 390 250 61%
Broccoli 60 535 10%
Basil 75 100%
Cabbage 400 0%
Capsicum 550 1,165 32%
Carrot 615 0%
Celery 500 0%
Cucumber 860 0%
Coriander 40 100%
Eggplant 400 100%
Garlic 55 0%
Kale 225 500 31%
Lettuce 765 100 88%
Leek 845 0%
Mustard 195 100%
Onion 1,985 0%
Parsley 20 100%
Pea 100 0%
Potato 1,955 0%
Pumpkin 2,380 100%
Radish 230 100%
Spring Onion 25 100%
Sweetcorn 875 150 85%
Sweet Potato 840 0%
Spinach 200 0%
Silverbeet 570 100%
Tomato 745 600 55%
Zucchini 875 100%
Total 8,420 12,555 40%
Average 50%
Money Spent on Garden $107
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Excellent work! I like how you've also documented how much money you spent on the garden too. Does that include feed/anything for the chickens?
ReplyDeleteI too have found documenting annoying, and did it for two years. I have pretty much given up now, though who knows, maybe one day it will worth doing again.
Yes that includes everything! Seeds, seedlings, tools, chicken feed, and even the chickens themselves. I should probably show the breakdown of that too.
DeleteCongratulations on the great figures Jason. Hope they make all the effort tallying it up worthwhile.
ReplyDeleteIt does feel worthwhile, especially getting feedback. And it really doesn't take the much effort either.
DeleteI used to keep a tally of what I spent on the garden until I realised that input far exceeded output. Now I look at gardening as a hobby and food production is a bonus!
DeleteI have a feeling our output is above the expenses when compared to organic food prices. But I agree the motivation behind growing our own is not financial. For me there is an instinctive joy that comes from nurturing the very thing that sustains our lives.
DeleteThese vegetables look fresh and vibrant. Have you ever tried a detox drink made of cucumbers, beetroots and carrots etc. It’s a super healthy drink.
ReplyDeleteI Personally Like Your Post, You Have Shared Good Article. It Will Help Me In Great Deal.
ReplyDelete