• Post Reply Bookmark Topic Watch Topic
  • New Topic
permaculture forums growies critters building homesteading energy monies kitchen purity ungarbage community wilderness fiber arts art permaculture artisans regional education skip experiences global resources cider press projects digital market permies.com pie forums private forums all forums
this forum made possible by our volunteer staff, including ...
master stewards:
  • Carla Burke
  • John F Dean
  • r ransom
  • Nancy Reading
  • Timothy Norton
  • Jay Angler
stewards:
  • paul wheaton
  • Pearl Sutton
  • Eric Hanson
master gardeners:
  • Christopher Weeks
  • M Ljin
gardeners:
  • thomas rubino
  • Megan Palmer
  • Benjamin Dinkel

Rebekah's GAMCOD 2025

 
Apprentice Rocket Scientist
Posts: 1281
Location: 4a, high mountain dessert
618
4
kids foraging rabbit fiber arts medical herbs bee
  • Likes 5
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
Hello permies!!

I tried another 200 square foot plot this year for GAMCOD. My soil was worse in this location than last year, and I took a gamble by trying to grow spring spelt, which I've never grown before. It didn't do well, which left my calorie count low. Live and learn! My family mostly uses spelt grain, so I hope I figure it out for more future attempts at growing grain.

Anyways, I grew lentils and spelt together, Peas, and a 4-sisters garden of red dent corn, banana squash, Scarlett runner beans and fava beans. I also tried to add a yellow squash where no spelt came up, and it didn't yield any fruit, which I take as a sign that the soil was very poor. Rocky!

Preliminary math is about 16,564.2 calories. But let's go through each crop and pictures of weights to hash it all out:
Screenshot_20251119_085029_Gallery.jpg
Gardener Rebekah
Gardener Rebekah
 
Rebekah Harmon
Apprentice Rocket Scientist
Posts: 1281
Location: 4a, high mountain dessert
618
4
kids foraging rabbit fiber arts medical herbs bee
  • Likes 3
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
First is peas. I grew 61 pea pods, which is 1,586 calories when you count each one as 26 calories.

These are pictures I took of ones that didn't make it into videos.
20250716_074208.jpg
24 peas
24 peas
20250716_074628.jpg
18 more
18 more
20250720_193510.jpg
Even more peas
Even more peas
 
Rebekah Harmon
Apprentice Rocket Scientist
Posts: 1281
Location: 4a, high mountain dessert
618
4
kids foraging rabbit fiber arts medical herbs bee
  • Likes 3
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
The wheat and lentils I tried to grow together. I thought they would be great companions! The lentils produced a small crop. Most of the wheat (spelt variety) didn't form a head. Maybe it competed with the lentils for essential nutrients? Maybe the soil was just too poor.
Unfortunately, I had dedicated a large portion of the garden to spelt, and didnt know it was going to fail until too late in the season to try another crop.
294 calories for half a cup of spelt grains.
Screenshot_20251119_091717_Gallery.jpg
Half a cup of spelt grains
Half a cup of spelt grains
 
Rebekah Harmon
Apprentice Rocket Scientist
Posts: 1281
Location: 4a, high mountain dessert
618
4
kids foraging rabbit fiber arts medical herbs bee
  • Likes 3
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
10.3 Oz. Of lentils seeds is about 1098 calories.
20251021_193520.jpg
[Thumbnail for 20251021_193520.jpg]
 
Rebekah Harmon
Apprentice Rocket Scientist
Posts: 1281
Location: 4a, high mountain dessert
618
4
kids foraging rabbit fiber arts medical herbs bee
  • Likes 3
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
I've grown HUGE banana squashes before. These did okay. I would call them small for banana squashes. 21.1 pounds of them is 4,304calories
About 4 cups of saved seeds is 1,142calories.
20251002_102812.jpg
4 medium banana squashes
4 medium banana squashes
176356927669192066951208418825.jpg
Banana squashe seeds are chunkier than most pumpkinseeds
Banana squashe seeds are chunkier than most pumpkinseeds
 
Rebekah Harmon
Apprentice Rocket Scientist
Posts: 1281
Location: 4a, high mountain dessert
618
4
kids foraging rabbit fiber arts medical herbs bee
  • Likes 3
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
The dent corn I grew was a landrace red/yellow mix. It did pretty well, even with the poor soil and bug problems. But stalls started falling over late in the season when the ears started getting heavy. I've never had this happen before! I'm not sure why, but I lost a few stalks to it every windy storm. The garden wasnt in a sheltered location this year.

Regardless, I still saved a beautiful amount of grain. 4lbs and 3.5oz is: 7,340 calories
20251021_195302.jpg
1 pound 0.1oz
1 pound 0.1oz
20251021_194038.jpg
1 pound, 9.4oz
1 pound, 9.4oz
20251021_204909.jpg
1 pound 10oz
1 pound 10oz
 
Rebekah Harmon
Apprentice Rocket Scientist
Posts: 1281
Location: 4a, high mountain dessert
618
4
kids foraging rabbit fiber arts medical herbs bee
  • Likes 3
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
Here are the beans I grew: Scarlett runner and some fava beans. The colors were fun to open up and discover! I hope the seeds will grow more plants next year.
11oz of dried beans is 979.2 calories
20251021_193716.jpg
[Thumbnail for 20251021_193716.jpg]
 
Rebekah Harmon
Apprentice Rocket Scientist
Posts: 1281
Location: 4a, high mountain dessert
618
4
kids foraging rabbit fiber arts medical herbs bee
  • Likes 3
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
Finally, we found a few more things just before the major frost. Two banana squashes and some new beans. I estimate 50calories for the bigger squash, 25 for the smaller one (which I cut up and cooked like a summer squash) and 35 calories for the beans. That 105calories.
Screenshot_20251119_095102_Gallery.jpg
[Thumbnail for Screenshot_20251119_095102_Gallery.jpg]
 
Rebekah Harmon
Apprentice Rocket Scientist
Posts: 1281
Location: 4a, high mountain dessert
618
4
kids foraging rabbit fiber arts medical herbs bee
  • Likes 2
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
Oh, oops, I forgot that I also ate the weeds. Lambs quarters, purslane, wild mustard, all made good salad greens. I took video of this, but cant seem to find it at the moment. Anyways, I estimate about 75 calories from two salads I ate out of the weeds.
 
Rebekah Harmon
Apprentice Rocket Scientist
Posts: 1281
Location: 4a, high mountain dessert
618
4
kids foraging rabbit fiber arts medical herbs bee
  • Likes 2
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
16,923.2 is what I get after totaling this up. Not too impressive, but considering a crop failure, I'm not disheartened. Thats why we grow polycultures and diversify options in permaculture, right?
 
Rebekah Harmon
Apprentice Rocket Scientist
Posts: 1281
Location: 4a, high mountain dessert
618
4
kids foraging rabbit fiber arts medical herbs bee
  • Likes 3
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
Oh sheesh. I forgot one more thing. I grew one successful sunflower. 3 Oz of in-shell seeds is 570calories.
20251002_133526.jpg
[Thumbnail for 20251002_133526.jpg]
 
pollinator
Posts: 1353
Location: Milwaukie Oregon, USA zone 8b
158
  • Likes 2
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
Thanks for sharing your results with us.
 
I'd appreciate it if you pronounced my name correctly. Pinhead, with a silent "H". Petite ad:
Regionally adapted Midwest Seeds for the rest of US
http://flyoverseeds.com
reply
    Bookmark Topic Watch Topic
  • New Topic