Living the Pantry Lifestyle - Small garden but big results

I'm showing photos of my garden as of this morning.  I know I recently showed it but hopefully seeing how fast it gives food for the table will inspire those who are thinking of planting a raised bed garden in your backyard.

Only half gets enough sunlight for tomatoes and green beans, the other half is the "shadow garden".  Which is nothing like a shadow government or "the Shadow knows".  ;)

My blood sugar is still quite wonky as we are tweaking the levels on this different insulin.  But having a raised bed garden makes it possible to still grow veggies even when I'm not feeling well.  Except for last year when I had the vertigo.  One does need to be able to stand up and kneel without keeling over to garden.  I still believe my neighbor thought I was tipsy when I fell over when trying to untie the garden gate last summer.

Before I start my Show and Tell, I want to send out a little reminder that deepening the pantry right now would be a very good idea.   I was quite surprised when a few different Christian TV shows this past week talked about the wisdom of "stocking up" on food and supplies.  I asked God if He was trying to tell us something?!!

This included a show I listened to this morning while doing dishes.  The program was showing a clip from a recent conference where one of the speakers was talking about the dire straight of the world's economy... and he said one way the average citizen could prepare in case of a job loss or civil unrest (which he says is possible if we have another economic collapse)... is to put some of their present income into stocking food, water, supplies we can't do without, etc.

He was more in-depth but it is pretty much what others have stated on links I've given here before.  And his financial advice was mainly to purchase property where one could garden and to put their cash into banks and places outside the United States.  I put most of my cash into Kroger's and BP or Marathon gasoline... in reality and not for stocks.

So here is what the garden looks like in early June.

The garlic chives are glorious this year and you just see the sage tucked behind it.  This is how the apple mint looks after no less than three cuttings.  I'm not going to dry it this year (at least I don't think I am) so I'm using it all spring and summer.

It only receives dappled sunlight starting in June, which helps the mint as it does not like really hot weather.

The tomatoes are beginning to grow nicely now that we've had some heat.  That plant in the bottom photo is one of two Early Girl plants I thought I'd lost in the extremely late frost.  So far the two of them look fine.

I have not thinned out the bush beans I replanted but they are looking pretty good.  I thought they were getting plenty of rain water but they looked a little peeked this morning.  So all the garden received a nice shower from the well water (via the hose) even though rain is in the forecast tonight.

I did thin out the vine beans after taking the photos this morning.  I hate to thin veggies.  But I know I should, especially when I planted extra seeds!

This is the other shaded raised bed and it is perfect for growing greens this time of year.  There are radishes, arugula, and two kinds of lettuce growing on the left side of the raised bed.  Obviously that is kale (eight plants!) on the right side.  All but the radishes can be harvested now for baby greens.

Next year... God willing and the creek don't rise... we will switch the kale to the left side and the greens to the right.  The shade definitely helps these cool weather veggies grow in warmer weather.

The "new" herb bed is really taking off.  That is lovage and bee balm in the back, pineapple sage peeking in on the right, lemon thyme looking all cute and bushy next to it, rosemary in the middle, and Italian parsley off to the left.

I'm thinking the rosemary does not like the shade that has come with the two back herbs growing so high this year.  So it may be transferred to a flowerpot on the deck.  I'm still planning on planting a few other herbs as possible.

I hope you like my Show and Tell and it inspires you to create your own raised bed garden,  Even a small one for greens and perhaps another small one for your favorite herbs is possible?  But don't plant anything in the mint family if you eventually don't want to give it your entire raised bed.  Just saying...   (I did it on purpose for apple mint tea.)

More to come next week.  Should the creek don't rise and all that.