Overabundance

I planted pole beans instead of bush beans. not sure how that happened. they are running over the tomato cages, tangling in the beds- neat!So thick I have been hacking them back so the tomatoes ( which have many many tomatoes setting) get enough sun.

the turnips were so enthusiastic, I learned to make turnip pickles. Mind you, I've never gotten an edible sized root from the things; just used them as ground cover. now I have a bunch to give away..I pull them and let the leaves stay as mulch....

Every few days we pull enough carrots, lettuce and onions for salad or other meals. I never grew carrots before.Herbs are off the charts. We have anything we want to cook with.I might start drying dill weed and things.

the parsnips are thigh high. that;s new too.

We have one type of basil with leaves so large, you could do small wraps with them. I've grown a lot of basil, but this year, the stuff is incredible.

the back flower garden,started in soil so bad, white chalky stuff no topsoil at all, I threw in mint as a ground cover and only bothered with compost where I dug holes to plant things- most died during the first years....is so thick, with the fig tree, hibiscus, lilies obedient plant phlox tomatoes and mint, you cannot see the ground at all.

Not all of this is due to an early spring ( I took a lot of chances planting early..it paid off) or compost or  manure, or guineas working the ground. some of it just seems to be- everything coming together.No pesticides, herbicides, or fungicides. lots of good mineral supplements and lime. Lots of compost ( cuttings trimmings coffee and coffee filters, egg shells... you name it)I've whacked the nettles for compost-twice and the comfrey-once.

And I found honey bees working the pumpkins yesterday. the first in two years

We have more songbirds, new types ( like Baltimore orioles) and more grass growing where the goat's persistence in eating shrubs is finally paying off.

All I'm saying is, with more intelligent planning, you could have garden beds thriving in far less time than six years. and that- polyculture with your veggies, mixing up flowers in the veggie beds and veggies in the flower beds- it does work!