So many times I wait to share a project around the house because it's not quite yet finished. But there is often an exciting moment to be shared at each project milestone. We recently finished building the foundation for our edibles garden and even in its half-done state, it gives me a little thrill each evening when I round the corner to see what we've accomplished.
We have our share of nightly crawlers - raccoons, possums and skunks among them. To keep our future bounty from being picked over each night, we built a screening system for the redwood raised beds we built last year, that would allow us to batten down the hatches so to speak at the end of the day and preserve the day's growth. Each side screen can be lifted and propped up with a 2x4 during the day by the pretty brass handles my husband installed. An eye hook secures them to the bed once reclined again each night. The beds themselves also got a bit of a reboot. I sanded and then weatherproofed them with a soy-based sealer to help keep the wood from drying out under the hot California sun this summer.
Our herb table serves as a backdrop to the rest of the garden. Before planting, I painted various pots - some new and some old - black for a uniform palette. I love how the deep hue of the pots brings out the colors in the foliage. A wall fountain once handed down to us many years ago got a fresh coat of paint and new motor and now presides happily over our flock of herbs and cacti sitting on the table below. I'll be sure to get a few more shots of the table itself at some point, built from a pile of old cinderblock and spare lumber we had stacked up out back. The cinderblocks were painted black as well and blend discreetly into the adjacent fence line.
The view of the garden on approach gets me every time. You can glimpse a peek through the lemon tree from our pool. We had that in mind when we hung the string lighting along the fence. The Mister wanted a bocce court. I wanted vegetables. In the end, we came together and made this little piece of heaven for ourselves. Even though the beds still lay bare, it's become one of our favorite little corners in our yard.
photos by holtwood hipster
Oh I love it! I risk the chance of critters each year. I might have to steal that idea! Looks great. I just finished my last bit of lettuce and started tomatoes, zucchini, squash, eggplant, and artichokes. Not to mention all the herbs and citrus. I love growing food! Keep us posted as your garden grows.
ReplyDeleteSharon
Your yard is perfection! Those screens would have come in handy for me when I had chickens :)
ReplyDeleteThat is really stylish and functional! What a great idea!
ReplyDeleteI love this! We are redoing our yard very soon and this might come in handy! Great work!
ReplyDeleteHi! Where did you find the large burlap planters?
ReplyDeleteDo you happen to have any plans or instructions for how you crafted the covers?
ReplyDeleteFell in love with these raised bed covers the moment I laid eyes on them. I also have a black pallet in my large garden with 15 raised beds. I was wondering if your Mister would share his plans or offer them for sale. I would purchase them in an instant. Looking forward to your reply.
ReplyDeleteI had the same reaction as Wendy - please share the plans for the covers. They’re exactly what I need to keep out the critters!
ReplyDeleteI had the same reaction as Wendy - please share the plans for the covers. They’re exactly what I need to keep out the critters!
ReplyDeleteLove this!! Will definitely be incorporating these into our garden.
ReplyDeleteLove this!! Will definitely be incorporating these into our garden.
ReplyDeleteWhat materials did you use?
ReplyDelete