Seed choice

The garden is doing pretty well this year. I have about 200 lbs. of veggies. I spent about $40 for supplies this year. That puts the cost per pound at $0.20. Not too bad. I still have a  lot to pick. I have a volunteer pumpkin that is slowly taking over the yard! With the addition of Kaya, I've been too busy to be putzing outside much.

Also some good news: the chickens are laying eggs. Well, one chicken lays eggs, one has yet to produce. But 9 chickens, 4 years, and 2 states later we had an egg! Per cost on that first egg would be astronomical, maybe around $150. But each eggs brings that number down. We are up to 12 eggs. We also found out we had a rooster and two hens.

We released the rooster in a rooster-friendly part of town. It was pretty entertaining to watch all the roosters intimidate the new guy.

What do I want to eat next year? I plan on using all seeds for cost reasons. I also want to use natural, organic, and non-genetically modified seed. Based on this year's crop and what time of year we will move into the new house, I want to grow the following:

• Tomatoes - no cherry tomatoes, I've saved some seed from two big mutants this year. One was doing something like a Fibonacci helix.
• bell peppers - not much came from these this year so I'll try to have more next year.
• hot peppers - jalapeno, serrano, poblano
• summer squash - zuch, crookneck maybe - I lost track of these this year and too many got BIG
• cucumber - pickling kind - I made 1 jar of good pickles this year
• beans - string,  black, or pinto beans 
• melon - water, and maybe a John Bidwell Casaba that my great great grandfather developed!
• basil - hard to have too much basil
• rosemary
• oregano
• mint
• corn - I saved the only three ears I got and plan on replanting those
• rice - my family has a rice farm outside of town. I'd like to try doing the Fukuoka method where you don't have standing water.
• strawberries

And depending on space:

• apple
• blueberry
• peach
• apricot
• plum
• onion
• potato

Baker Creek Heirloom Seed has a seed variety pack with many of these seeds in there.

That should cover summer pretty well.

Things I've learned from gardening this year:

• Move the garden and chickens as close to the kitchen as possible
• Soaker hoses are not perfect.
• Chickens need a better watering system that the trough-resevoir bucket
• Chickens need a more reliable feeder than me
• Check to see where the sewer access is before planting
• Use more mulch
• Roosters are ornery 
• Chicken poop is great
• Chickens are great fun to watch and be around but they are (comically) stupid and messy