Urban Agroecology

This is a list of crops I am growing or have grown, by year. I keep it updated as I go through the current year. Each year’s crops are different and each crop’s productivity in a given year is different. Often I have multiple varieties of the listed items, such as tomatoes, lettuce, kale, peas and squash. Sometimes I’m just experimenting with a particular crop and may only get enough volume to sample. Other times I have so much volume I’m giving food away to friends, family and co-workers. Sometimes the quality is phenomenal, sometimes it is pretty bad. But, all this provides a learning experience that helps me improve my efforts. The one rule for making the list is that the crop has to have been both harvested and eaten in the year listed. (Rule modification for 2010 and later: Since I’m now growing year-round, some crops keep for long periods  and I’m also preserving some of my food–so far, just by freezing–I’ll list all homegrown food eaten in a year, with a note whether it was harvested or a primary crop in a previous year.)

2013 (as of June 18)

1. chard
2. kale
3. brocollini
4. beet
5. cabbage
6. blackberry (frozen from last year’s harvest; fresh from this year’s harvest)
7. raspberry (frozen from last year’s harvest; fresh from this year’s harvest)
8. blueberry (frozen from last year’s harvest; fresh from this year’s harvest)
9. aprium (frozen from last year’s harvest; fresh from this year’s harvest)
10. apricot
11. pepino dulce
12. lemon
13. mandarin orange
14. tree collard
15. leek
16. summer squash (frozen from last year’s harvest)
17. winter squash blackberry (from last year’s harvest; fresh from this year’s harvest)
18. arugula
19. chives
20. garlic (from last year’s harvest)
21. apples (dried from last year’s harvest; fresh from this year’s harvest)
22. tomatoes blackberry (dried from last year’s harvest)
23. string beans (frozen from last year’s harvest; fresh from this year’s harvest)
24. dry beans (dried from last year’s harvest)
25. celery
26. beet greens

2012 (as of December 31)

1. Blackberries (frozen from last year & fresh from this year)
2. Blue berries (frozen from last year & fresh from this year)
3. Raspberries (frozen and dried from last year & fresh from this year)
4. Summer squash (frozen from last year & fresh from this year)
5. String beans (frozen from last year & fresh from this year)
6. Tomatoes (dried from last year’s harvest & fresh from this year)
7. Dry beans (from last year’s harvest)
8. Leeks
9. Chard
10. Tree collards
11. Kale
12. Lettuce
13. Garlic
14. Orach
15. Apples (fresh & dried from last year’s harvest & fresh from this year)
16. Mandarin orange
17. Cauliflower (head and leaves)
18. Celery
19. Chives
20. Cabbage
21. Onion
22. Radish
23. Lemon
24. Carrot
25. Parsley
26. Cucumber
27. Grapes (new crop this year!)
28. Plum
29. Apricot
30. Aprium
31. Collard greens
32. Sorrel
33. Purslane
34. Brocollini

2011 (as of December 31 )

1. Celery
2. Brussels sprouts
3. Blueberries
4. Raspberries
5. Mandarin orange
6. Meyer lemon
7. Winter squash (last year’s harvest)
8. Summer squash (frozen, from last year’s harvest; fresh from this year’s harvest)
9. Blackberries (frozen, from last year’s harvest; fresh from this year’s harvest)
10. String beans (frozen, from last year’s harvest; fresh from this year’s harvest)
11. Tomatoes (dried, from last year’s harvest; fresh from this year’s harvest)
12. Basil (in frozen pesto, from last year’s harvest; fresh from this year’s harvest)
13. Brocolli
14. Purslane
15. Leek
16. Orach (Mountain spinach)
17. Chard (volunteers everywhere!)
18. Plums
19. Apples
20. Tree collards
21. Figs
22. Garlic
23. Broccolini or rapini (Not sure which! Planted both, one went to seed early and I’m eating the other.)
24. Cucumbers (even made some good dill pickles the old fashioned way, by fermenting them)
25. Beets
26. Beet greens
27. Pepino dulce
28. Tomatillos
29. Eggplant
30. Peppers
31. Potatoes
32. Grapes
33. Chives
34. Persimmon

2010 (as of December 31)

1. Kale
2. Lettuce
3. Tomato (last year’s plants; this year: 10 varieties)
4. Peppers (last year’s plants; this year: 3 varieties)
5. Garlic (last year’s and this year’s plants)
6. Tree collards
7. Peas
8. Brocolli
9. Blackberries (last year’s and this year’s harvests)
10. Butternut squash (last year’s harvest)
11. Leeks
12. Cabbage
13. Beet greens
14. Sorrel
15. Lemon
16. Mandarin orange
17. Swiss chard
18. Blueberries
19. Raspberries
20. Apricots (A new crop this year!)
21. Strawberries
22. Zucchini squash
23. Yellow crook-neck squash
24. Plums (A new crop this year; two varieties)
25. Apples (three varieties)
26. Mustard greens
27. Cucumbers (four varieties)
28. String beans (three varieties)
29. Figs
30. Trombetta squash
31. Purslane
32. Eggplant
33. Brussels sprouts
34. Celery
35. Okra

2009 (as of December 31)

1. Tomatoes (6 varieties)
2. Mandarin orange
3. Lettuce (about 6 varieties)
4. Kale (2 varieties)
5. Leeks
6. Spinach
7. Peas (2 varieties)
8. Turnip (root & greens)
9. Beet greens
10. Strawberries
11. Cabbage (2 varieties)
12. Tree collards
13. Black raspberries (May 2010 correction: blackberries, not black raspberries)
14. Arugula
15. Raspberries
16. Blueberries
17. Chard
18. Broccoli
19. Winter squash
20. Garlic
21. String beans
22. Cape gooseberry
23. Summer squash (two varieties)
24. Basil
25. Cucumber (two varieties)
26. Lemon
27. Eggplant
28. Sorrel
29. Melon
30. Fig
31. Bell pepper
32. Purslane

2008

1. Black raspberries (May 2010 correction: blackberries, not black raspberries)
2. String beans
3. Peas
4. Kale
5. Apples
6. Figs
7. Leeks
8. Brocolli
9. Lettuce
10. Cape gooseberry/ground cherries
11. Winter squash
12. Cucumbers
13. Beet greens
14. Raspberries
15. Plums
16. Peach
17. Summer squash
18. Mandarin orange
19. Basil
20. Eggplant
21. Purslane
22. Chard

2007

1. Black raspberries (May 2010 correction: blackberries, not black raspberries)
2. String beans
3. Peas
4. Fava beans
5. Corn
6. Kale
7. Tomatoes
8. Apples
9. Figs
10. Leeks
11. Brocolli
12. Lettuce
13. Spinach
14. Cape gooseberry
15. Turnip
16. Okra
17. Winter squash
18. Cucumbers
19. Chard
20. Purslane