Ahhhh thank you for this!! Beginner gardener here (I’m in my second year!) and I did the thing you see promoted on Instagram so often when I started out— I had raised beds built. They cost a fortune. Not really the bed part, but the amount of soil, sand and compost!! About two months after I installed my raised beds, I learned about in ground planting and felt silly for investing in the “wrong” thing. But I course corrected.
I live in an urban area and my long term goal for my yard/garden is to do just what youve described above. I want to nurture and invest in rebuilding and fortifying my small plot of land in the city as best I can.
This year I started my first in ground garden bed. I currently have cover crops growing in it. Hoping to add a bed every year and see how we go!
Loved your post, Ellen! Your passion for gardening as a wildlife sanctuary shines through. Watching birdhouses with binoculars is such a vivid image. Your take on the Corten steel raised bed question was spot-on, especially about soil. The way you describe soil, sweet like chocolate cake, makes it feel alive. Great tie-in with birds and spring patience.
I dream of a garden in the ground like my grandparents had. Unfortunately, when you build on bedrock that is not an option. I totally agree about soil health though. As a Garden Club member on our little Island we often learn about the value of soil health, getting the “weeds you need“ and how much your soil benefits from compost. We are big composers. I know it will be harder to be creative with garden boxes but as this is our first year gardening here, we will do our best as we love gardening so much.
Thank you for your this! I Share exactly the same opinion and it's so difficult to explain this to people when everyone has been brainwashed with the raised bed gardening.
It’s nice to see someone else bucking the raised-bed trend. I’ve been building my soil and gardening without raised beds for years. As I’m now looking at elderhood, though, I started reconsidering raised beds because they are easier on the back and knees. I also gardened for wildlife just fine until rabbits tunneled under a fence around my carrot patch last year, so I’ve been thinking about raised bed to keep them out as well. Do you think raised beds are appropriate in light of those two reasons?
Dear Lisa, I have been thinking the same about rabbits -- the higher beds would deter them. My experience, however, is that they nosh in the early spring, and while it is annoying, they will find better things to eat later in the season. (One of my greatest joys is finding baby bunnies tucked under cabbage leaves, so I have a soft spot for them.) As for the strain on back and knees -- I am not convinced that leaning over into a raised bed is better for the body than the up-and-down movement of stepping into the garden. Gardening builds flexibility, the healthiest (older) people I know are gardeners. Thanks for writing. - E.
This is such a beautifully written and important reflection. That sentence about soil being "like magic" deeply resonated with me. I couldn’t agree more soil is not just a passive medium, but a living, breathing ecosystem that sustains all life. I come from a background of reconnecting with the land after years of distance, and I’ve come to see soil as a sacred partner in the cycle of healing both for nature and for the soul. Thank you for giving it the reverence it deserves. 🌿
Ahhhh thank you for this!! Beginner gardener here (I’m in my second year!) and I did the thing you see promoted on Instagram so often when I started out— I had raised beds built. They cost a fortune. Not really the bed part, but the amount of soil, sand and compost!! About two months after I installed my raised beds, I learned about in ground planting and felt silly for investing in the “wrong” thing. But I course corrected.
I live in an urban area and my long term goal for my yard/garden is to do just what youve described above. I want to nurture and invest in rebuilding and fortifying my small plot of land in the city as best I can.
This year I started my first in ground garden bed. I currently have cover crops growing in it. Hoping to add a bed every year and see how we go!
Thanks for this post!!!!
Bravo! Thank you for your note.
Loved your post, Ellen! Your passion for gardening as a wildlife sanctuary shines through. Watching birdhouses with binoculars is such a vivid image. Your take on the Corten steel raised bed question was spot-on, especially about soil. The way you describe soil, sweet like chocolate cake, makes it feel alive. Great tie-in with birds and spring patience.
I dream of a garden in the ground like my grandparents had. Unfortunately, when you build on bedrock that is not an option. I totally agree about soil health though. As a Garden Club member on our little Island we often learn about the value of soil health, getting the “weeds you need“ and how much your soil benefits from compost. We are big composers. I know it will be harder to be creative with garden boxes but as this is our first year gardening here, we will do our best as we love gardening so much.
Thank you for sharing!
❤️beautiful like the author. Looking forward to spring
Thank you for your this! I Share exactly the same opinion and it's so difficult to explain this to people when everyone has been brainwashed with the raised bed gardening.
Thank you for your note! I appreciate hearing that you agree.
It’s nice to see someone else bucking the raised-bed trend. I’ve been building my soil and gardening without raised beds for years. As I’m now looking at elderhood, though, I started reconsidering raised beds because they are easier on the back and knees. I also gardened for wildlife just fine until rabbits tunneled under a fence around my carrot patch last year, so I’ve been thinking about raised bed to keep them out as well. Do you think raised beds are appropriate in light of those two reasons?
Dear Lisa, I have been thinking the same about rabbits -- the higher beds would deter them. My experience, however, is that they nosh in the early spring, and while it is annoying, they will find better things to eat later in the season. (One of my greatest joys is finding baby bunnies tucked under cabbage leaves, so I have a soft spot for them.) As for the strain on back and knees -- I am not convinced that leaning over into a raised bed is better for the body than the up-and-down movement of stepping into the garden. Gardening builds flexibility, the healthiest (older) people I know are gardeners. Thanks for writing. - E.
This is such a beautifully written and important reflection. That sentence about soil being "like magic" deeply resonated with me. I couldn’t agree more soil is not just a passive medium, but a living, breathing ecosystem that sustains all life. I come from a background of reconnecting with the land after years of distance, and I’ve come to see soil as a sacred partner in the cycle of healing both for nature and for the soul. Thank you for giving it the reverence it deserves. 🌿
Love this so much!
This made me smile and giggle a little. Thank you :)