Last spring, one of the best things my daughters and I did together was designate an area of our yard for a raised garden bed, and started a flower and vegetable garden. We started small and planted sunflowers, peas, tomatoes and sunflowers.
My daughters loved watching the sunflowers grow, and especially liked eating the peas straight out of the garden.
This year, we decided to expand our garden, and bought the same raised garden kit that we purchased last spring from Eartheasy.com, the Farmstead Raised Garden Bed.
Made from Vermont White Cedar, the wood in the raised garden beds don’t have any harmful chemicals that could affect our veggies. Plus, the beds’ slot and peg construction are so easy to put together — I was able to slide and secure the pieces in about 15 minutes top. The assembly is sturdy — my bed from last year is still holding up fine and is weathering the winter well.
I decided to go with a raised garden bed because the soil in my yard is hard clay — so constructing a raised bed and then adding rich soil was a lot easier than amending the existing soil. Plus, having the raised bed should help with drainage and keep the weeds down — last year, there were very few weeds in my family’s veggie plot. Saving time during harvest is also important, which a raised garden bed can also help with because it negates having to squat or bend over to pick your veggies.
My daughters are looking forward to gardening this spring. We hope to plant some peas around St. Patrick’s Day, as a good friend of mine tells me that’s when she usually plants hers, with much success.
Check out this YouTube video from Eartheasy.com on how to install their Farmstead Raised Garden Beds.
