A Kentucky Garden

I know, I know, I'm supposed to be talking about gardening in Florida. But I want to show you around my parents' garden. This is the garden that I helped plant every year when I was a kid. It's where I picked corn, blackeyed peas, crowder peas (YUM!), green beans, butter beans (Yuck!) and oodles and gobs of other wonderfully fresh, healthy veggies. In the picture above, you can see that there are 3 main sections. The middle section... the one right in front of the barn (the red & white bldg)... is the oldest section. Mom & Dad have had that one full of veggies every year of my life. Here's a closer look.

The rebar teepees are for the green beans. These are Kentucky Wonders, I think. Dad didn't always use rebar for the beans, he used to go in the woods and cut down saplings and he would whittle the ends down to a point that he would stick in the ground and then tie the tops together. I don't know when he switched to rebar... but I'm sure it's easier than going out and making his own stakes every year. They also grow a bush green bean in this section. And corn. Lots of sweet yellow corn. And sometimes Silver Queen, a delicious white corn. We even grew peanuts and popcorn in this section years ago.

Looking back at the first picture I showed you, the section closest to you, also seen from a different angle in this picture:

came next. It came gradually. Each year, more grass would go away and more beds would appear. On the back part of this section is the compost pile. Actually compost pileS. The compost pile has 3 divisions. One is for leaves that they rake in the fall to use as mulch in the summer. Another is for compost that is ready to use. The final is for the stuff that's being piled on 'now' like coffee grounds, egg shells, corn husks, and anything else that will... well, compost. In front of the compost pile are the blackberry vines. The cold frame is back there too, though you can't see it. Dad grows radishes and lettuce in the cold frame in the Spring. We got to eat the last of the lettuce while we were there. There's nothing like fresh, just-picked lettuce!

The white arches that you see at the end of the beds are for the Purple Hyacinth Beans. By now, the white part is covered in vines (all these pics were taken in early June). These beds are where they grow the tomatoes, yellow squash, bell peppers, carrots, cucumbers, potatoes, sweet potatoes, onions (OH THE ONIONS!!)

Man, I wanted to stash some of these onions in my suitcase and bring them home. But I figured that 1. All my stuff would stink and 2. Customs (or whoever it is) wouldn't like it and they would go through my stuff and take all my onions for themselves. Party poopers.

And finally, the newest section of the garden. Looking back at the top pic again (last time, I promise!) this section is the one that's way out there, barely visible. Dad decided he needed a pea patch this year so he broke up some of the ground in the field and created his pea patch. He's growing some heirloom peas out there, hoping to have enough seed for next year's planting. This is the best picture of the pea patch that I could find. 'Scuse the burn pile...

The peas had just started growing when we were visiting. The deer had gotten into the patch so I helped dad put up an electric fence around the patch.

The deer, while they are beautiful creatures, are pests because they just won't leave the garden alone. They have a regular path through mom & dad's field and we saw up to 6 at a time. But they just aren't allowed in the garden. Once they get a tingle from the fence, they usually leave it alone. The main part of the garden has been fenced for years. The beds though, since they are in the yard, really close to the garage, aren't fenced. They haven't had many problems with the deer there.

And finally, the herb bed. It's nestled in between the yellow daylilies and the greenhouse, there by the flagpole.

Mom isn't growing too much this year. Mostly sage. She pulled out most of her herbs and planted daisies and tiger lilies.


Good choice, huh?