It ’s time again for the yearly “ Year in Review ” post . We get this tradition in 2012 , and by golly , we ai n’t about to bar now .
2023 was the first year we spent on our new homestead and it was quite fertile . We ’ll get to the production numbers shortly , but first , allow ’s see how we did on meetingthe goals set at the beginning of the year .
2023 Goals
PLANT AN APPLE ORCHARDDone ! We set 10 Tree in a small orchard where we run our ducks , and implant another 5 or so orchard apple tree trees elsewhere . We also got six trees begin from seed . ( 1 )
BUILD A BIG CHICKEN COOPYes . We now have a nice bamboo coop . ( 1 )
HIT 500,000 reader ON YOUTUBENope . Youtube numbers were down this year . We did hit 300k , though . ( 0 )
WRITE A mail service FOR EVERY WEEKDAY IN 2023Made it ! ( 1 )
FINISH WRITING MINIMALIST GARDENINGDone . Just waiting on final photographic print layout . ( 1 )
wind up WRITING ALABAMA SURVIVAL GARDENINGDid not manage this . Did manage to editSurvival Chickensfor Florida Bullfrog , though , and we ’re place that out before long . ( 0 )
LAUNCH THE TACTICAL GARDENING KICKSTARTERNo . Decided not to for now . ( 0 )
GROW 1,000 POUNDS OF FOODWe more than hit double on this destination ! ( 1 )
LANDRACE EVERYTHINGWe did this , crossing corn , Raphanus sativus , watermelons and cucumbers in 2023 and will be planting our cross in the bounce . The crossed daikons are already on their 2nd contemporaries , as we planted the first ones in spring , then embed the f1 multiplication this fall . ( 1 )
GRAFT ALL THE BRADFORD PEARSWe graft quite a few , though not all . However , frosts and the Bos taurus damaged many of the bribery . We ’ll have to essay again on the ones that go bad . ( 1/2 )
HARVEST A MASSIVE AMOUNT OF FIREWOODIt see like we harvest enough for winter . Not monolithic , but decorous . ( 1/2 )
MAKE THE COTTAGE A GUEST HOUSEWe did it ! Fixed the plumbing , patch the wall , painted the ceiling , floor and walls , and made it beautiful . ( 1 )
industrial plant A DEATH HEDGEWe still did n’t manage to figure out our front place line – plus , we wanted to plant a hedge later in the yr , but the drought stopped us . ( 0 )
FINISH READING THE DECLINE AND FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIREDone ! ( 1 )
establish A GIANT WALL OF BOOKSHELVESDid it ! ( 1 )
Goals achieved : 10 out of 15.I could matter “ 11 ” , if we counted hitting double the “ 1000lbs of food ” goal , but we wo n’t get cocky .
Total Garden Yields
Now let ’s take a look at how our food production went . The soil here is much better than at our former rented localisation , which help immensely .
We did have a bad drought from July into November , however , which keep our vegetable production much small than it should have been . We hardly planted anything for crepuscule , other then a few beds of Japanese radish and other brassicas . commonly , the Grocery Row Gardens would be loaded with cool - season green goods but the ground was hard and dusty even under the mulch so we did n’t plant anything .
That said , we still had a record book year , even beatingour premature dependable of 2008lbs in 2017when we rented a work farm in the Torrid Zone .
Produce Total: 2573 lbs
Breakdown :
Broccoli 1lbCabbages 10lbCarrots 8lbCassava 21lbCollards 10lbCorn ( Dry ) 10lbCucumbers 163lbJerusalem Artichokes 18lbLemons 5lbLimes 5lbOkra 10lbPotatoes ( Unclassified ) 12lbPotatoes ( Adirondack Blue ) 65lbPotatoes ( Kennebec ) 33lbPotatoes ( Red La Soda ) 37lbPotatoes ( Red Pontiac ) 48lbPotatoes ( Yukon Gold ) 37lbPumpkins ( Compost Pile ) 483lbPumpkins ( in Food Forest ) 110lbRadishes 122lbSugarcane 150lbSweet Potatoes 232lbTomatoes 15lbWatermelons 760 pound ( 49 melons)Yam ( Air Yam ) 13 pound
Yam ( Greater Yam ) 177lbYam ( Ube Yam ) 18 lb
Meat Total:
cock ( 5 ) 14lbsPigs ( 2 ) 449lbsEggs : 2,467 ( as of Dec. 26th)Milk : 434 gallons
Final Tally:
3036lbsof core and vegetables2,467 eggs ( as of Dec. 26th)434 gallons of milk .
We test multiple varieties of potato in the garden and found Red Pontiac and Adirondack Blue yield us the best yields , with Kennebec giving us the worst .
We had a misfortunate class for sugarcane due to the drought , and the cassava was also much less productive than it should have been . I simply cut the manioc canes to the ground before the first frost and mulched over the roots so they can keep get in the spring . Most of them were still too small to harvest .
Our tomato did dreadfully , as common , with the exception of Everglades tomatoes and some small-scale sensationalistic pear love apple .
One nice winner was Ezekiel ’s mixed - up landrace Citrullus vulgaris , which officiate as a earth cover in the Grocery Row Gardens and gave us a singular provision of fresh melons through the summertime . They were a vast portion of our yields this yr , with 760lbs of watermelons produced .
The cows would have made more Milk River except that we dry out them off at the remainder of July before heading to the Homesteading Life Conference . This was fine , as they were both fraught and safely deliver two distaff calves in the fall . Now they are being milk again , so we ’ll have passel of butter and cheese and cream and yoghourt and Milk River through the coming yr .
Books Read: 56
The Orthodox Church : An Introduction to Eastern Christianityby Timothy WareLysistrataby AristophanesCatholicism and Fundamentalism : The Attack on “ Romanism ” by “ Bible Christians”by Karl KeatingThe Mini - Forest Revolutionby Hannah LewisWeekend Makeoverby Don AslettSurprised by Truthby Patrick Madrid ( editor)Rome Sweet Homeby Scott and Kimberly HahnThe Life and Opinions of Tristam Shandy , Gentlemanby Laurence SterneThe Youtube Formulaby Derral EvesAn Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrineby Blessed John Henry NewmanThe Case for Catholicismby Trent HornEvangelical is not Enoughby Thomas HowardOrthodoxyby G. K. ChestertonEdible Cities : Urban Permaculture for Gardens , Balconies , Rooftops , and Beyondby Judith Anger , Dr. Immo Fiebrig and Martin SchnyderTriumph : The Power and the Glory of the Catholic Churchby H.W. Crocker IIIThe Lost Art of Potato Breedingby Rebsie FairholmInfiltrationby Taylor MarshallPasture Perfectby Jo RobinsonThe Voyage of the Beagleby Charles DarwinThe Apostasy that Wasn’tby Rod BennettFour viewer : The Early Church in Her Own Wordsby Rod BennettBearing False Witnessby Rodney StarkThe Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire , Vol VIby Edward GibbonHail , Holy Queenby Scott HahnThe Early Church was the Catholic Churchby Joe HeschmeyerCrossing the Tiberby Steven RayBorn Fundamentalist , Born Again Catholicby David CurrieThe Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire , Vol VIIby Edward GibbonThe Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire , Vol VIIIby Edward GibbonBiological Transmutationby C. Lewis KervanThe Catholic Controversyby James R. WhiteMemoirsby Edward GibbonOrganic Gardening : The rude no - dig wayby Charles DowdingThe Basic Laws of Human Stupidityby Carlo M. CipollaThe Bed of Procrustesby Nassim TalebReformation Mythsby Rodney StarkThe Sacrament of Confessionby Very Reverend Canon Héctor R G PérezForest Gardening : Rediscovering Nature and Community in a Post - industrial Ageby Robert HartThe Catholic Controversyby St. Francis de SalesSustainable Agriculture in the Tropicsby Keith O. MikkelsonThe Dead Came Knockingby Ib MeyerRestoring the Soilby Roland BunchStunned by Scriptureby Dr. John S. BergsmaLeaf for Life Handbookby David KennedyHow to Make a Forest Gardenby Patrick WhitfieldTimelineby Michael CrichtonHuman Evolution : The Astonishing Recordby John M. WynneA Canticle for Leibowitzby Walter M. Miller21st Century Greensby David KennedyEdible Forest Gardens Vol . Iby Jacke and ToensmeierCottage Economyby William CobbettMore Food From Soil Scienceby V. A. TiedjensThe Autobiography of George MüllerThe Catechism Explained : An Exhaustive Explanation of the Christian Religionby Spirago / ClarkeYams : Botany , Production and Usesby Anthony Keith Thompson and Ibok OduroThe Bible(Douay - Rheims translation ) by God .
That was a pretty good amount of indication this year , particularly considering the denseness and length of some of the books involved . This was also my first metre reading a Bible translation with all 73 script alternatively of the expurgate 66 - book adaptation I had always read in the past .
Blog Posts
This year I made a goal of writing at least one post for every weekday of the year . It was meet .
January : 34February : 21March : 23April : 25May : 24June : 26July : 24August : 28September : 24October : 25November : 26December : 29
309 posts total !
We managed 225 posts in 2022 , so this is a big improvement . And despite the remainder ofthe busted internet‘s approach , we still are n’t hiring third - worlders or using AI to compose ’em .
YouTube:
70 videos post ( up through Dec. 20th ) .
As of this morning ( right before channelize to church ) , we have 300,045 ratifier .
Other Successes
This year , we finagle to start a new works nursery .
We also build a gigantic greenhouse , thanks in big part to our friends James and Holly .
We also receive a new son into the world , which was the big succeeder of the year !
We pull in two young heifer calves , Sandy and Coffee .
We raised Sus scrofa and butcher them .
We added ducks to the homestead .
We grease one’s palms a used Bobcat skid confidential information .
We planted a Modern intellectual nourishment woods .
We work up gargantuan compost pile system .
Scrubfest II was a great success .
And finally , my wife and I researched the history of the Church and come to the finish that we could no longer remain Protestant . Instead , we convert to Catholicism and were received under the traditional Latin Rite into the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church on the Feast of the Assumption . We now assist a Latin Mass and have been growing in our faith by leaps and limit . So many pieces came together once we canvas Catholicism and Church history ( especially the writing of the early Church Fathers ) with an open intellect , instead of just learn mainstream and Protestant attacks against the original faith . Deo Gratias !
Failures
The drought was really tough this class . We had to buy hay for the cows and did not get to over - plant our pastures in declension . We also got pitiful proceeds on cassava starch and sugarcane , as well as some other crops .
The pond almost dry out up due to the drought and is still quite low .
Our goat did n’t trash out so we sold them .
Our chickens have not been super productive .
We did not negociate to plant our end hedge .
Youtube was only so - so on ratifier and views .
Book sale were less than half of last class .
We have not been able to figure out how to lawfully sell our baby’s room plants in the state of Florida .
We had a mass of hospital bill due to our son arriving betimes when our accoucheuse was out of Ithiel Town .
I did n’t finagle to end up many book projects .
We did ill on live - streaming . We also produced less than half the YouTube videos I would have liked to have done .
We lost my dear sweet niece Julie .
We also lost my long - time friend Ray , Eric and Ian , as well as Rachel ’s grandmother .
Rest in peace .
Final Thoughts
2023 was a good yr overall , with some challenge and some terrible expiration . We are grateful for our Modern baby , our fresh church building , our own homestead , great garden payoff , in force Quaker , God ’s protection and proviso , and all of you cling with us .
Tomorrow , we ’ll make some goals for 2024 .
Happy New Year , everyone .
