How Does Your Garden Grow

So, not a recteq grilling thread, but since much of the end product of this post eventually ends up on a recteq, I thought y’all might enjoy it. As background, I’m a farm boy at heart. Born and raised on a farm on the edge of Southern Appalachia, growing stuff has long been a part of my life. God willing, my mother will turn 95 later this month and she still lives on the 450 acres of our family farm. Most of my career involved agriculture in one form or another. All true, but that’s the end of my attempt to story-tell like Wendell Berry (a Kentucky legend), on the the post! I have been so blessed this year with how my garden is looking that I thought I’d post some pictures. The garden is mostly contained in 8, 4 by 8 raised beds, with two additional beds that will go in service next year. This is a fairly new move for me-the garden space was 3x as large just a couple of years ago, but none of it was in raised beds. The main beds, from front to back include two tomato beds-one for canning tomatoes and one for heirloom tomatoes. And BTW, all the beds are connected with 4x16 fence panels so that some plants can climb. The tomato beds have 4 varieties of cherry tomatoes for that task. The next two beds on the left contain 12 different varieties of peppers, from the mild Cubanelle to the fierce hot Carolina Reaper. One of these two beds had sugar snap peas in the spring, the next bed has a black bean (red flowers) that also has matching black beans on the opposing bed. These beans have completely covered the walk space and I’ve grown these more for their beauty and ability to attract pollinators than for the beans themselves. It’s so strange how I can walk and work in these beans while they are loaded with bees and butterflies, and they don’t attempt to fly away or fight. It’s almost like they know I must belong there. Beside these two beds are yellow/orange flowers, not in a raised bed, that I have grown in this spot for many years now for their beauty and also to attract pollinators. I never have to seed them-they are annuals but come back every year from dropped seed. The last bed on the left contains various squashes as well as 5 Okra plants. Gotta have Okra in Southern Appalachia! Green beans on the fence of this bed, and a small greenhouse on the left that has peppers and tomatoes in it now, but will be seeded with greens and lettuce for the winter. The remaining beds on the right side contain an assortment of items-parsley, tomatillos, chives, onions, radishes, Mexican cucumbers, more of the black beans, space that will be planted to collard greens next month, pickling cucumbers, salad cucumbers, zucchini, summary squash, acorn squash, and spaghetti squash. I also have a small herb garden beside my outdoor kitchen, with oregano, two types of thyme, rosemary, lavender, sage, and cilantro. I also have a large patch of Kentucky mint that I don’t cook with much, but I love walking beside it dragging a hand through it, and letting the smell fill the air. Also, my wife doesn’t cook but she is an outstanding mixologist, so I benefit from the drinks she makes utilizing the mint! Cheers.