Homesteading In The Pacific Northwest

Sunday, February 27, 2011

No Harvest Monday and a Present for My Readers.....

I have no harvest to report for "Daphne's Dandelions" Monday Harvest this week.  I used the last of the edible storage potatoes in my Oyster Stew...all the rest have sprouted now.  We have had more snow this week, so except for a little seedling maintenance I haven't done any gardening for several days now...


The seed babies are all still nestled snug in their beds.  I've checked them every day and the added row covers inside the mini hoop houses are keeping everything at a nice, toasty 33 degrees.  The peas are still growing like weeds and the just planted carrots are showing some greenery (more about them in an upcoming post).

On the home front; FitzGyver was busy last weekend....


I love the new fireplace insert...what a difference it makes in heating the room! 
And hopefully in the heating bill!!


So...what does an avid gardener do when she's snowbound; sitting next to a cozy fire?  She works on spreadsheets, of course!  After I posted my  "Five Season" Planting Guides on Google Docs Julie suggested that I might need a harvest spreadsheet...and I decided that she is right!  So here it is...click on the photo to go to the spreadsheet on Google....
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And as long as I was making spreadsheets I thought it might be nice to have one for keeping track of my preserving inventory, too....


My readers are welcome to copy the spreadsheets and modify them as they choose for their own use.  If you don't have a spreadsheet program on your PC you can download one for free at "Open Office".

Enjoy!

6 comments:

  1. Deb, Irv and I LOVE our wood stove insert. It doesn't do as well as our Milton house one did because we have a 25' ceiling in the living room, and two bedrooms have 20' cathedral ceilings as well. Even fans don't help a lot. BUT, we save about $70/month in electricity using the stove and the furnace as backup. We like the bedrooms cooler anyway.

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  2. I am sure the fireplace insert will be a real asset to you in coming years. We have a wood stove that we use in large part to heat our house in the winter and we love the cheery warm heat it provides. This has been such a cold winter that we have been going through our wood pile fairly fast. I will be glad when winter decides to take a hike and let spring join us.

    The hoop grow tunnels look like they are doing great for you. It is amazing what just a little protection will do in keeping plants safe in foul weather.

    I seem to have a spreadsheet for everything - so I can totally relate to the spreadsheet projects. I guess I am just a garden geek. :D

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  3. Brrr looks cold. Love the look of the new insert!

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  4. Penny: I love having a fire going and the old fireplace smoked up the house...so I REALLY LOVE my new insert...

    Laura: That would be one "Garden Geek" to another :)

    Barbie: Thanks!

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  5. I've got my own calculator for my harvests, but I really need to keep track of my preserved goods. I ought to add a page to the spreadsheet.

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  6. I'll bet you will love the new insert. We have a wood stove, and save so much using that instead of the heater. Besides, I really like wood heat better than any other heat. Great idea to use a preserved goods spreadsheet. I should get a little more organized to use one. Last year was the first year I used a spreadsheet for my harvests, this year should be my year to use a spreadsheet for my pantry and freezer.
    ~~Lori

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