52 Weeks of Harvest (Almost): A Delicious Reflection
Harvest Journal: December 29, 2025. 21 Brussels sprouts.
And with that, I have a harvest for the last week of the year-- from a plant I put in the ground last March. Cue the fireworks!
At the end of 2024, I set a goal for this year: 52 weeks of harvest. Any harvest. One leaf of kale, a handful of sprouts, a bunch of herbs—if it came from my garden, it counted. I’m a checklist junkie, and I love the satisfaction of filling in every bubble on a habit tracker. After falling short the year before, I wanted to see how close I could get. Drumroll, please!….. I didn’t hit 52. But in 48 of the Monday-Sunday segments of 2025, I harvested fresh food from my garden. That's still pretty freaking cool.
What Counted (and What Didn’t)
For this challenge, I had very few rules:
Any fresh harvest from the garden counted, no matter how small
It didn't matter when ate it, just when it was picked -- so using a winter squash I harvested back in October or herbs I dried in the summer doesn't count when I make soup in December
Some weeks it was laughably small: a jar of sprouts, a single bunch of kale. Other weeks felt super-abundant—like the early November pepper harvest when I realized I had somehow, gradually, over the season, planted 17 varieties (because of course I had). That week turned me into a hot sauce production facility, and it was glorious.
The weeks I missed? Real life was happening.
When the garden was ripped out and rebuilt
When I was out of town
When I simply forgot
No shame. Just data.
What This Goal Changed for Me
Now that the year is over, I'm reflecting on how (almost) accomplishing this goal affected my life and habits. The biggest shift really wasn’t in the garden, it was in my kitchen.
Instead of asking myself, “What do I feel like eating?” I was asking, “What do I have fresh and ready in the garden, and how can I use it?” That often looked like adding herbs or kale to eggs, adding a simple side salad to dinner, or declaring blistered shishito peppers a Friday night appetizer ritual.
The mindset change led to more creativity in everyday meals, less food waste, and a deeper connection to the season I was in.
It also pushed me to do things differently in my garden planning:
Succession planting, especially with lettuce (huge win)
Starting crops earlier indoors get my harvests earlier
Letting long-haul plants do their thing (hello, January Brussels sprouts)
Committing to covering one bed with frost cloth to keep the cool season veggies going into winter
And I'm reminded of how powerful routines are. I visit my garden daily. I write down every harvest. These little things add up when I zoom out and look at the year as a whole.
The Crops That Saved My Butt
It's not like I had overflowing harvests baskets every week. If I’m being honest, a few crops carried me through the slower weeks:
Sprouts (ready in 5 days!) and indoor growing
Herbs (especially thyme, rosemary, and parsley)
Kale, lettuce, and winter greens
But these superheroes didn’t just help me “check the box,” they got me eating more fresh food year-round and made winter feel a little less gray.
If You Want to Try a 52-Week Harvest (or Even 40)
I may be a glutton for punishment or a competitive perfectionist, but I can't help it. I'm going for it again. Maybe next year I’ll hit 52. Want to join me?
This challenge isn’t for everyone and it isn't for total beginners. It is for gardeners who love having a goal, feel motivated by tracking and reflection, and genuinely enjoy the process as much as the result.
If you’re curious, here’s what I’d do (and will do again):
Plant lettuce and peas very early
Designate one fall bed to baby through winter with hoops and frost cloth
Lean into sprouts and indoor greens during slow weeks
Focus on succession planting to give me extended access to my favorites
Decide ahead of time what “counts” for you
I know I'm a professional gardener, but I'm not that out of touch. I have to acknowledge that 40 weeks would be a major win. So is harvesting for 9 months of the year, aiming for something different each week, or simply adding any new harvests to your calendar. What goal would push you?
Shoot for the moon. Land in the stars.
Either way, if this idea sparks your excitement, it might help to make it a little more communal—an accountability group of shared harvests on Instagram to remind us to keep it fresh, keep it simple, and keep going, even when life (or the weather) gets in the way.
You'll see me in Stories this week with the hashtag #52harvestsin2026. Let me see you there, too! Because standing in the cold in January, harvesting Brussels sprouts and herbs you planted nine months ago? That feels like something worth sharing.
