Before + After: The Joy of Summer in Sunset Park

My friend Amy grew up in Northern Idaho, where her dad grows a legendary garden. Over the years, he’s taught her a lot about the fundamentals of growing a kitchen garden. She’s an accomplished gardener in her own right, but her backyard in Boise has presented a different set of challenges over the years.

Last summer, she battled weeds, bugs and water issues. While she had a healthy crop of garlic, onions, raspberries and even tomatoes, she felt worn out. Rather than spending time enjoying her garden, she spent hours weeding, just to start over again when she was finished.

Amy’s In-Ground Garden in the Spring of 2020

When I suggested we transform Amy’s in-ground garden into a kitchen garden with four raised beds, she was skeptical but agreed to hear me out. We spent a few weekends in the fall leveling her garden area with a rake, spraying it down with horticultural vinegar, laying weed barrier and shoveling wheelbarrows full of gravel into the space.

Fall 2020: Fern Wanted to Fight the Rake

Over the winter, the raised beds were installed and filled, and in the spring, she added a DIY arched trellis and drip lines. Amy planted according to the plan I gave her, and her space began to grow into what I knew it could be.

Fern and the Garden Growing in Spring 2021

This summer, her garden continues to grow and thrive. Instead of spending her weekends weeding, she’s been camping, backpacking, up north visiting her family and raising her fiesty puppy, Fern (who definitely would have dug up an in-ground garden).

When I asked Amy what she’s felt the biggest difference raised beds have meant for her, she said, “There’s for sure less weeding in raised beds. That took up most of my garden time before and didn’t bring me any joy. Raised beds also keep the soil wetter for longer, so my plants seem to be happier, and I worry less when leaving town for vacation. Finally, I love the look of the boxes and walking my melons and squash crawl up the trellis!”

Amy’s Garden Thriving in the Summer of 2021

Amy’s goal for her garden was similar to many folks I meet. She wanted a productive space, first and foremost, but what she got is so much more than that. When you look beyond the productivity of her garden, you can see that there are so many other goals being accomplished..

Amy’s garden is a beautiful focal point in her backyard, it’s a space where she can work and feel rejuvenated, and it not only feeds her, but her community. This summer, Amy’s garden is thriving, spilling out over the raised beds she filled one wheelbarrow at a time. Her squash and melons are climbing that trellis, and she can share the abundance with her friends. She even cut some flowers from her garden for a friend’s wedding in the Sawtooths!

Amy planted intensively and grew these peppers and flowers from seed!

The bottom line here is that raised beds can do a lot for your garden space. I truly hope your gardens are growing well this season, and if you’re gardening in ground, I’d love to walk through your space and see if raised beds would improve your gardening experience. I’ve seen it work for so many gardeners in Boise, and I’m confident it can work for everyone.

If you’d like to learn even more about why I believe in raised bed gardening, I’m teaching a workshop at the North End Organic Nursery on Saturday, August 14.at 2 p.m. The workshop is free, but seats are limited, so click the button below to sign up.