No Time To Garden? No Problem!

At GFG, we love client referrals. That’s why when we were working in Jen’s garden - one of our longest-served clients - we were excited to hear about her friend Mark.

 “If he reaches out to you, it’s because I sent him! I told him he needs to hire you guys!” Jen is a powerful force in our gardening community, so we weren’t surprised to get an inquiry from Mark a few days later. 

When asked, he said his main concern was that he had four large raised beds, but hardly any time to manage them. Many of us know the feeling. With demanding jobs, kids in sports, and numerous social engagements, it’s hard to imagine adding a garden to the list. That’s where we come in.

A few years ago, the Miller family installed four beautiful steel beds with a commanding view at their home in the Boise Foothills. These beds had the perfect amount of sunlight, structural soundness and a family that was hoping to eat more home-grown vegetables. All they needed were a few updates and some time and attention. 

Before: The Garden Beds were full of rooty/dry soil and water that didn’t work.

Our first order of business was soil. Although the beds were in excellent shape, they included an unknown mix of soil that didn’t come close to filling them. Filling garden beds to the brim with good soil is a must-have component of our garden installations. When you’re growing in raised beds, every inch counts. If we give plants the maximum height of soil, roots can grow down, not out. This gives us the ability to plant intensively, which leads to a higher yield in a smaller area. Because we were unsure of the soil origins, we removed and replaced it with our favorite organic blend. The original soil did not go to waste - we redistributed it around the trees in the yard.

Next, we did a full  evaluation of the existing watering system with our irrigation specialist. We determined that beds this size needed larger drip lines that covered more area. Many of the existing lines were clogged with soil, so we completely replaced them and used our tried-and-trusted configuration for maximum efficiency.

Once we addressed the problems with soil and irrigation, it was time to plant! With his busy schedule, Mark wanted us to take full control of the garden. We had free reign over the planting plan, so we packed in a range of organic vegetables and flowers. We also added in plants specifically to draw pollinators in so that the surrounding grape vines would flourish alongside the new kitchen garden.

After: New soil, water and a crew of gardeners added the TLC this garden needed to thrive!

After the installation, Mark enrolled in our bi-weekly maintenance program, where our experienced team members took care of everything in the garden for the remainder of the year. This included planting, pruning, harvesting, adding soil and amendments, addressing issues with pests/disease, and preparing the beds for transitions between seasons. At the end of every visit, we harvested baskets of veggies for Mark and his family to simply enjoy.

Does that sound like a dream or what?!

Whether or not you want to get your hands in the dirt with some help and assistance from our team, or if you’d just like to walk out your door to a basket of fresh veggies, we’re here to help. If life feels way too busy for a garden project, remember, you don’t have to do this alone. We’re happy to customize a plan that works for you and your family.