How I Built My Raised Garden Beds (and What I Planted!)
I’ve officially entered my Martha Steward gardening era! This summer, I decided to build three raised beds in our backyard — with the help of my mom and dad, who were in town and kindly got roped into the project. I had no clue what I was doing, but it ended up being surprisingly easy, fun, and so rewarding.
If you’ve been thinking about starting a garden, here’s exactly how I set mine up — from choosing the beds and filling them with soil, to picking what vegetables and herbs to plant.
The Garden Beds I Chose
I ordered these cedar raised garden beds from Eartheasy, and I love them. I went with the 2’W x 4’L x 22”H size to fit our backyard space — and the height has been perfect for keeping little hands (and wildlife) out of the soil. Although I have had to put a deer fence around the beds after a very cute baby deer ate my cucumber plant!
The beds came flat-packed, and my parents and I assembled them in under an hour. No power tools needed!
What I Planted
Since I was getting a bit of a late start, I went to my local garden center and asked for advice on what grows well mid-summer. They helped me put together a mix of herbs, leafy greens, and veggies for each bed:
Bed 1: Basil, rosemary, onions, romaine
Bed 2: Peppers, Brussels sprouts, cabbage
Bed 3: Spaghetti squash, tomatoes, asparagus, cucumbers
To make sure everything would grow well together, I asked ChatGPT for companion planting advice — honestly, a game-changer.
Soil & Hay Hack
To save money on soil (you need a lot), I used hay as a filler in the bottom of each bed. I grabbed three bales from the garden center, and it was more than enough. Then we topped the beds with this organic raised bed mix that’s been working great so far.
Gardening Tools I Used
I picked most of these up at our local garden center, but here are similar ones online if you're building your own setup:
This has been such a fun summer project — the kids love checking on the plants every morning, and its been such a peaceful way for me to keep my hands busy and get off my phone.
Let me know if you’ve started a garden this year — or if you have any tips for a total beginner like me!
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