This Year's Garden Yield... And the Homesteadslackers Group

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This year's garden yield left me a little empty, but homesteadslacker members keep me motivated and feeling full.

I absolutely love reading other steemit members' gardening posts and homesteading updates. I see so many wonderful harvest pictures and informational filled posts that give me ideas for my own homestead/garden. It is a great community I belong to with the homesteadslackers group.

I expanded my garden this past season because we had moved and I had a little more area to work with. Up until February 2016, we were living in the city in a condo. No room for a garden. No room for a small greenhouse. No room for nothing. Plus the condo had an HOA (Home Owner Association) and they were sticklers. We lived there for five years and believe me, the HOA Board Members were ruthless. So moving to a rural community and having about 1/4 acre of land was HUGE for me.

I had one tomato while living in the condo and I didn't pull the plant early enough in the season after it stopped producing so the HOA sent me a letter about my 'unruly yard' and 'weed control' issue. Really? It was a tomato plant. NOT a weed. And definitely NOT unruly. Honestly the tomato plant had a better disposition and personality than some of the HOA members

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'Maters and Taters

'Maters

I had seven nice tomato plants growing in the garden this year. Enough to fulfill my yearly canning of salsa, chili sauce and marinara sauce, but... the weather and Mother Nature decided to take control of the situation and I have SOOO many green tomatoes and not enough ripened ones to can my pantry's needs.

Yes, yesterday I bought a 1/2 a peck and made salsa. Today I will be making chili sauce. I'll probably end up buying another 1/2 a peck later this week to do the marinara sauce.

I guess it's not just me though. I have heard many gardeners (local and on steemit) complaining about smaller yields and too many green tomatoes not ripening. So thankfully it's not just me and my beginner gardening skills and not enough know-how.

Taters

I planted my potatoes later in the season than I would have liked but I have started getting some decent results this past week. I dug up enough in two days to have them for dinner Sunday evening. They were delicious!

Next Season

Planting six tomato plants for canning and if the result is the same as this year, I will just buy a full peck and process my sauces. I actually thought about cutting back the tomato plants to two (just so we can eat them daily) and using the saved space for another vegetable. Still debating this possibility.

I will get the potatoes in the ground on time. I had gotten involved in to many other gardening and homestead changes that I had forgotten the date. Plus I think I will be doubling the number planted. This year I only did six. Next year I am aiming for ten total plants.

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