I don't think you're different Dragonwriter. I have only a small area in which to garden and my aim is to produce as much as is humanly possible in this small area......that requires thinking outside the square and planning, then more planning and experimenting, changing things that don't work, researching and just plain hanging in there.

No, you are not alone in doing this, I have what I call the Farm Book, I track pretty much everything each year, wind patterns, rain patterns, plant growth, what manure mixes work better in what area's, which plants work better in box's, which ones under mulch, which ones in the food forest, which ones in the hugelcultures, when animals are breed, birthing rates and weights, mother ability, milk production and the list goes on and on and on.. all the while watching, reading, and having a open mind on how things can be done.

Wow Farmgal, that's a lot of work. I've got a small notebook that I use to jot down what works and what doesn't just so that i don't repeat a mistake, but I don't keep records of how much I produce. Because I've only got a small area to work with I know when my produce is up and when it's down...I'm working on getting the amount up but sometimes it feels like an up-hill slog 😆

Planning and gardening go hand in hand because garden are always evolving as we learn what does and doesn't work...so altimately half of the planning is a waste but you still learning is never a waste.
It is worth watching the movie 'Back to Eden' as was suggested in another post as it turns garden theory on its head...never be afraid to try something strange in the garden...it might just work 😀

I keep records of what I produce that gets sold and I am meant to keep records of the livestock but have been too slack to do so aggggh that must change and you have inspired me to do so farmgal.
I would love to see pictures of your gardens 'Farmgal' and 'Susannah' please please please grovel beg 😀

I keep a journal throughout the garden season that tracks temperature, rainfall, amounts planted, amounts harvested, planting & harvesting dates etc. The idea is to know how much to plant of what and when, so as to maximize harvests without having too much produce to go into the compost or overwhelm me at harvest time, but to still have enough to eat fresh throughout the season and put up enough to last the winter.

This is an area where I could use some improvement! I know I need to start several new garden areas next year so I will use those snowy days that are coming to plot it all out. I'm already looking forard to it 🙂

Garden Counts for 2011 to date

Hard Fruits

Apples-77 pds $77
Crabapples-44 pds $35
Wild Crabapples-61 pds $60
Cherries Sour-16 pds $28
Cherries Sweet-3 pds $4
Pears- 12 pds $24
Mulberries- 4 pds (this one is hard, try and price out local organic mulberries, so priced it like gooseberries?) $12
Plums-14 pds $28
Wild Plums-8pds $16
Peaches-22 pds $33

Total Hard Fruit $317

Soft Fruits

Gooseberries-13 pds $39
Elderberries-59 pds $177 ( I went with the local health store price for frozen per pd)
Chokeberries-26 pds $52 ( Went one dollar less per pd then elderberries)
Cranberries- 2 pds $8
High Bush Cranberries- 5 pds $20
Strawberries-88 pds $176 (went with the local organic price I had down from spring time)
Raspberries-48 pds $96 (went with the current price in store)
Blueberries (both wild and farm)- 13 pds $39
Rhubarb-65 pds $195
Red Currents-11 pds $33
Black Currents-None
BlackBerries- 9 pds $27
Grapes- 91 pds -$94

Total Soft Fruits $956

Garden

Beans=46 pds $33
Cucumbers-58 pds $ 53
Zucchini- 22 pds $ 22 (the price of Zucchini locally is crazy!)
Acorn Squash-22 pds $22
Butternut Squash- 68 pds $137
Potatoes-268 pds so far. $536 pds(local organic potota are running 2 per pds)
Basil- one quart jar dried $30
Tomatoes-311 pds $172(if I was buying them buy the bushel locally for roma’s)
Storing Onions- 36 pds $22
Green onions- 22 pds $22
horseradish-8 pds $32
Kale-12 pds $12
Collard Greens- 17 pds $17
Kohlrabi- 8 pds $16
Green’s salad mix- 26 pds $26
Romane-11 pds $11
Broccoli- 33 pds $33
Asparagus- 24 pds $48
Peppers-98 pds $81
Pea’s- 5 pds $4
Pumpkin- 60 pds $35
Muskmelon-10 pds $30
Watermelons- 18 pds $14
Carrots- 44pds $29
Beets-61 pds $61
Radishes-11 pds $11
Corn- 52 pds on the cob $18
Cabbage 38 pds $78
Turnips -37 pds $74

Total veggies $ 1635

Total count for 2011 to date oct 2011 = Total Pds Harvested 2095 equals $2908

All basic prices are based on the average prices used at our Local Farm Boy for local produce, which was then compared to the local farmers market prices and if not the same averaged. I am aware that the prices will be higher or lower compared to different area’s but the goal is to figure out what it would cost me to replace them if I had to buy them at local prices.

Now, you can't do the garden amounts without also looking at what that meant in the cellar so here is the canning for the same year..
Current 2011 Canning Season
■Strawberry fruit -3 Quarts-2011
Strawberry Fruit -12 Pints-2011
Cranberry Marrow Fruit-1 Quart-2011
Danilion Honey- 3 pints-2011
Sweet Relish- 5 pints-2011
Blueberry Fruit-6 pints-2011
Blueberry Jam-12 pints-2011
Blueberry/strawberry/rhubarb fruit- 12 pints-2011
Strawberry Jam-3 pints-2011
Apple Jelly 15 pints-2011
■Apple Syrup-7 pints-2011
■Apple Juice-6 pints-2011
Maple Syrup -7 pints-2011
Rhubarb Jam -4 pints-2011
Rhubarb Fruit-12 Pints-2011
■Plum BBQ Sauce-8 pints-2011
■Canned Turkey-8 Pints -2011
■Plum syrup-8 Pints- 2011
■Plum Pie Filling-8 Pints-2011
■Plum Fruit-16 pints-2011
■Strawberry Syrup-4 pints- 2011
■Mixed Herb Jelly-4 pints-2011
Strawberry Rhubarb Pie Filling -4 pints-2011 ■Spicy Carrot Salsa – 6 Pint Jars- 2011
■Pinapple (tidbits)-10 8oz Jars, 4 Pint Jars, 12 Quart Jar-2011
■Pickled Purple Cabbage-3 Pint Jars-2011

■ Lamb Bone Broth -6 Qts-2011
■Canned Lamb Stew Meat- 6 Qts-2011
■Rabbit-2 Qts-2011
■Apple-Sumac Jelly-8 pints-2011
■12 pints of sweet pickle relish-2011
■9 Pints of Chow-Chow-2011
■6 qaurts of Zesty Tomato Sauce-2011
■9 Pints of mutton Stew Meat-2011
■9 Pints of Mutton hamburger Meat -2011
■36 pints grandma’s pickled beets
■36 pints of spicy pickled beets
■18 pints of canned beets
■24 pints of regular bread and butter pickles
■36 pints of English style Bread and butter Pickles
■24 pints of baby dill pickles
■48 pints of canned corn
■12 pints of plain tomato sauce
■12 pints of sour cabbage
■4 pints of canned grape leaf’s
■36 pints of aprcot fruit
■37 pints of Peach Fruit-Halfs
■12 8 oz jars of Brandy Peach Melon Jam
■9 pints of Peach butter
■28 pints of Grape Juice
■5 pints of Chokeberry Juice
■24 pints of Elderberry Juice
■24 Quarts of Baby Garlic Dill Pickles
■40 Quarts of Apple Sauce
■48 Pints of sliced Peach Fruit
■10 Pints of Red Pepper Pasta Sauce
■10 Pints of Green Pepper Pasta Sauce
■10 Pints of Green an Red Peppers.
■9 Pints of Peach Pie Filling
■9 Pints of Spicy peach fruit- with whole cloves
■10 Pints of Peach/Elderberry Fruit
■Gallon of Crabapple Vodika
■10 8oz of Crabapple homemade pectin
■12 Pints of Grape Jelly-Dh’s Ma’s favorite of all time
■12 pints of Lamb stew
■14 pints of italian stewed tomatos
■14 pints of Tomato/Onion stewed
■14 pints of diced tomatos-Roma’s
■9 pints of Beef Veggie Barley Soup
■13 Quarts of lamb veggie soup
■14 Quarts of Spicy Lamb Stew
■18 pints of Lamb Chili
■5 8 oz jars of Wild Plum Jelly
■6 pints of Chokeberry Juice
■5 pints of rasberry Fruit
■4 Pints of Spiced Pear Juice
■14 pints of Pear Fruit
■14 pints of Spiced Pear Fruit
■14 Pints of Bandy Honey Pear Fruit
■7 pints of Chili Sauce
■4 pints of Spicy Pear Grape Jelly
■14 pints of Lamb tomato pasta sauce with veggies
■14 Quarts of stewed soup tomato’s
■4 8 oz jars of Spicy Pear Marmalade
■24 pints of stewed tomato’s
■12 pints of spicy tomato sauce
■12 pints of autumn fruit
■12 pints of Pumpkin marmalade
■12 pints of sweet pickled pumpkin
■12 pints of sweet/spicy pickled kolorabi
■12 pints of Kolorabit relish
■12 quarts of canned pumpkin cubes
■24 quarts of Mixed Pumpkin Fruit
■13 pints of French Onion Soup
■14 pints of cooked mixed Beans for soup
■7 pints of lamb sauage patty’s
■7 Quarts of Split Pea an Ham Soup
■7 Quarts of Canned bone in Chicken
■12 Pints of Canned Deboned Chicken Breasts
■7 Pints of Canned Duck Breasts
■11 Pints of Canned Duck Legs/Thighs bone in.
■6 Quarts of Canned Whole Rabbit -Bone in
■4 Qaurts of Lamb Broth
■3 quarts of Chicken Broth
■5 Quarts of Duck Broth

Total to date for 2011-1296 Jars canned.

Awesome, I had a goal of at least 1200 jars this year and now, the rest is gravy!

As near as I can figure for 2011 we produced/grew or processed these percents
■Eggs- 100% of our needs are meet by our Chickens/Ducks/Turkeys
■Meat-100% of the meat we eat comes from animals we have raised ourselves, with a few cans of salmon bought this year.
■Veggies-85% of the veggies we consumed this was grown on our gardens
■Milk Products-70% of our yearly needs are meet by my sheep/goats
■Fruit -Soft and Hard- 90% of our yearly needs are grown on the farm or wild foraged
■Critter Needs- 100 percent of our pasture needs are being meet during spring/summer/fall, currently only 20 percent of our hay needs are being meet for winter.
■Grain Needs- 0 Percent being meet on the grains this year

Same year's figuring out how much I produced but didn't use for human but used for critter use or compost..

Having said that I decided to try and get a grip on just how much percent of food do I “throw out” for the critters, I can only do rough amounts, I did things like peel the head of cabbage, cut the core and weight one, and then x it to how many I have or did, so its a rough guess folks, I just don’t have time to do each and every single one.. but what I have figured out is that I believc I lose about 10 percent as direct throwout from the garden on most things, on others more.

These are things I pick, that go directly into the slop pail for critter use, that includes things like perfect fine tomato’s that have one slug hole in them, I figured I threw out at least a hundred pds of tomato’s alone, so at least 25% of my tomato harvest when to the waste bucket, or perhaps a better way to state it on my home, is that 25% of the harvest went to the critters, with only 3/4 of the harvest meeting my personal requirements for peaple use..

Now on most other things, it was between 5 to 10 percent that went, So figure 15% crop loss to pests, now given that we harvested and brought in just over a ton of food, that means I lost around 314 pds of possable food harvested directly in the garden.

Then comes the food into the house, now my DH works off the farm about 12 hours a day four to five days a week, and he helps alot! but most of the time when it comes to peserving food it comes down to me, I have been tracking, I figure I am cut off and throwing away at least a min of 10% once the food itself is in the house.. so that would be around another 210 pds of wasted food that if I had gotten to in time or taken the time to save it that could be processed into peaple food.

So that means that this harvest year we moved around 25% of food produced from the human plates to the critter feed pails, which means that we “lost 524 pds” worth of food into what would be considered Food waste, having said that, because we are small mixed farm, all that food was in fact eaten, and will come back to us by animal protein

Ok I know that was a very! long post but its a good overview of how tracking really can show you alot, now I would like to say that I was able to figure out how many calories produced, and I have a general tracking on that, eggs, milk and meat/fat are the huge calorie producers.

Wow Farmgal, that's a lot of work. I've got a small notebook that I use to jot down what works and what doesn't just so that i don't repeat a mistake, but I don't keep records of how much I produce. Because I've only got a small area to work with I know when my produce is up and when it's down...I'm working on getting the amount up but sometimes it feels like an up-hill slog 😆

Hi Susannah,

I have some things I always track and others that I track softly or hard each year depending, but it is a fair amount of work, I will agree but tracking is the only way to figure out if some things are working and how much of a return you are getting, a good example of that is we frost seed and put out small layers of compost into our pastures and have now for a number of years, this has increased what our pastures can yield and careful tracking has shown us how much of a gain that means for our lambs, which in turn means how much meat is coming in at butcher time as well as increaseing milk yields in the ewes and very much improving the flavour of the milk itself.

I keep records of what I produce that gets sold and I am meant to keep records of the livestock but have been too slack to do so aggggh that must change and you have inspired me to do so farmgal.
I would love to see pictures of your gardens 'Farmgal' and 'Susannah' please please please grovel beg 😀

I will see what I can track down, I take lots of plant photos, overall garden photos not so much, sometimes I take sections of the garden, but I will warn right now, my garden never looks like the ones in the books, its not neat or tidy, it filled with green covers, mulched places, and wierd mounds, and homemade climbers or odd finds from farm sales, example I have a horse trought manure powered hot box..

Very impressive Farmgal!

Holy Cow, FarmGal!!!!

You are indeed an inspiration, and I know those kinds of yields are normal for your farm, since I've been following your blog for over a year I think. I always admired your outlook that the animals on your farm were always intended to be food. I think I've admired your records system for long enough to know that it's not easy, and while you've been doing it for years, you do set a great example for the rest of us.
You are inspiration to more than just me, I'm sure.

Right now i have just under an acre to work with, and mossy gravel at that! But I am thankful for the opportunity to make this land into a fertile mini-farm one day. Next spring(2013) I hope to have enough chickens that we'll not have to worry about buying eggs again (until they go into molt). This year I know what kinds of veggies and fruits I'd like to have, from what is already here.
Fruit:
Golden and Red raspberries
Strawberries

Fruit I'll have to plant:
*more golden raspberries
*more strawberries
*rhubarb

Veggies:
*collards
*cabbage
*broccoli
*4 different types of tomatoes
*ell peppers
*hot peppers
*carrots
*salad greens
* zucchini
*cucumbers
*radishes
*pumpkins
*peas
*red celery
*beans
*potatoes

There's more I'd like to have, but the above list is probably more realistic.

Farmgal, can you tell us how you started record-keeping like you do?

Farmgal, can you tell us how you started record=keeping like you do?

Interesting question, well I have always been a list person, I have today lists, week lists and to do lists etc, but to be honest it was when I started taking Static classes in collage that I got pretty hooked on stats and tracking things.

My folks tracked things to, like wind directions, slopes in land, wind breaks, where the drifts would lay etc etc, but then I started with breeding programs with some of the critters and I love genetics so started tracking hard that way, and then the rest of the farm just followed in many ways.

But the garden/fruit/canning etc that really kinda came about, a) so I knew what I had b) so that both my Hubby and myself could see trangable amounts which can sort of be put into figures, but Dh and I don't see that the same way always, he wants to compare my organic fresh food to the cheapest you can at the store, and I want it compared to organic farmer's market prices

The year of 2011 was very hard tracking year as I wanted get a rock solid base line to compare the coming years to, and it was a average year in many ways and I finally felt that we had pretty much as garden going as I wanted, so it was a good base year in that way as well, while I will find ways to continue to improve yeilds, I don't instead to put more land into garden, so that was part of it..

Thanks for the kind words about the blog, and your list is looking good, given the ground you have to work with, I hope you can find someone local to you that has a good old compost pile that they would be happy to send a ton your way 🙂

That's a great answer, thanks!
A friend that has pigs, goats, ducks and chickens has offered all the manure I can rake. That same friend and I are talking about getting together and starting a very small CSA style garden this summer, between her land and mine. I know how to that she doesn't. She has manure I don't, as well as land, and one day, we want to own and operate a CSA farm, so we're thinking a small scale operation would be a good foundation.