I planted a vegetable garden for the first time in 15 years. In February when the weather was dreary, I watched the PBS “This Old House” guys build a raised bed vegetable garden. It was the construction and creating part that intrigued me and I thought, “I want to make one”.

The first thing I did, while I was excited about the project, was buy some organic seeds and starter mix. I was very ambitious and started tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, broccoli, watermelon, cantalope, cucumber, zucchini, and some lavender inside. This made me follow through with the hard labor of clearing space and building this garden when the weather broke.

I thought the raised bed could be a first step toward solving the deer problem I have, too. The challenge was fun. I bought 6 ten foot 2 x 10 treated lumber and a bunch of 2 x 4’s and built a 10′ x 20′ box with the 2 x 4’s extending the full length vertically. The guys in the show cut these corner braces flush but I figured if I used a whole piece and left it, I could use that to attach deer netting. It was really fun and rewarding to resolve the challenges that came along. I enlisted the help of my very patient boyfriend in digging out all that grass, screwing the wood together and then filling the box with 5 yards of organic garden soil. There isn’t certification for organic landscape material, but this was a mix of top soil and peat, taken from clean land that had not been farmed or leached upon, and manure.

Then came the planting. It filled up fast with all the seedlings I had grown, along with the seeds I wanted to plant directly in the bed: carrots, lettuce, beets, beans, peas, and spinach! I bought a few heirloom tomato plants and put those in too. I planted marigolds along the border to deter the rabbits and the deer too, and I looked up what plants like to grow next to each other. This helps in their optimal growth, nutrition and resisting pests. The watermelon and cantalope didn’t make it in and are taking their chances along side my driveway, but I have some of all the rest and we’ll see what does well this year and then make adjustments for next year!

Its so satisfying and calming to have a garden, and especially an organic garden. Learning about the plants and how to grow them without spraying them down with chemicals is very connecting to the life force. It feels so clean and pure. My yard and home have come alive again. I love just looking at it. And the deer netting is working! A fawn, with its mother a few feet away, was right next to the garden the other day and just ate the grass outside it! This project has led to more plants growing in pots on my deck too! I rooted the larger suckers I break off my tomatoes and started some herbs…basil, dill, parsley, sage, stevia, lavender. I’m looking forward to lots of fresh tomatoes this year! Oh my. There will be a lot share with family and friends, which is another great benefit to growing your own garden. It feels great!

- Judy (Mother and Co-Founder)