I have to begin by saying, I was skeptical at first.
Brian and I would be out and about, driving to and from practices or running errands, and I would see more and more raised gardens in people’s yards.
“Why don’t they just rototill an area and plant in the ground?” I’d ask Brian.
“I don’t know,” he’d respond. “Maybe they like the look of the raised gardens.”
We would both shrug it off as peculiar and move on to a different topic of conversation.
Fast forward a couple of years down the road and some raised gardens went on clearance at Tractor Supply Company. Brian bought me a couple to stick in the yard and grow some vegetables in.
I now I have a better understanding of all the benefits raised gardens can bring.
#1 Benefit – No More Bending Down to Tackle Weeds
I’m getting old. Mostly, I’m okay with that. My increase in age means that I’m closer to retiring from school and being able to stay home and write full time. It means that my kids are older and life has more of a ‘balance’ to it.
It also means that I don’t bend as easily as I used to.
Any gardening whatsoever seems to be getting more and more difficult to do. Now, I know how this sounds. I am 46 years old and I realize there are people out there in their 70’s, 80’s, and probably older, that are very capable of bending down and pulling some weeds.
I’m not one of them, nor do I wish to be.
My knees and back ache constantly. I need to work on that, however it doesn’t help me in the present time with working in the multiple flower gardens I inherited from my mom, let alone thinking about a large vegetable garden.
The new raised gardens have been a dream come true when it comes to being able to grow the vegetables that I love, while still being able to maintain the care of the plants.
When I walk outside to go and weed around my vegetable plants, there’s absolutely no bending involved. My back and knees are so very grateful.
I can not even fully express how much fun weeding has become. I don’t dread the task at all, which I would have done in past years without the raised containers.
Imagine that – weeding can be ‘fun.’
#2 Benefit – Limits the Workload
Whenever I’ve had a garden in the past, which has been most of my adult life, it seems to grow in size because I don’t limit the amount of plants I put in. I’ll have the best of intentions when I first start, thinking that I will definitely be able to maintain the weeds and work that comes with rows and rows of vegetables.
My ‘best of intentions’ never lasts past the 4th of July. I’ll weed and rototill a couple of rows here, a couple of rows there, and then all of a sudden, everything is overgrown and just too overwhelming to tackle anymore.
It adds stress to my life, and who needs that?
With the raised gardens, I’m able to grow the veggies I like the most, and still be able to have the gardens look nice and neat.
I know what you’re thinking.
I’m not growing much at all. A few zucchini plants and cucumber plants will produce quite a bit, however I’m not planting my usual potato plants, corn, beans, etc…
I’m okay with that.
I’d rather have a limited section of plants that can be maintained easily, then have rows and rows of vegetables that require hours of care (and bending down).
There’s an amazing vegetable stand down the road that usually sells excellent potatoes. Likewise, we typically buy some delicious sweet corn from a local market when it’s time for corn to be ready.
I do still plant a few tomato plants in a small area in the backyard. They are easy to till around and provide our family with a few fresh tomatoes for sandwiches and salads in the summer time.
Overall, having the cucumbers and zucchini contained in a specific area means that my weeding can be done, pain free, in 10 minutes or less, a few times a week.
You can’t beat that.
#3 Benefit – Aesthetically Pleasing
I like how they look.
Initially, I worried about how I would feel seeing the gardens in the yard. I thought they would look silly just sitting out in the grass as if they were a forgotten basketball left after a game of Horse, or possibly resemble a discarded bike that should be in the shed.
I was wrong.
When I pull into the driveway after being at work all day and I spot the gardens, it instantly warms my heart and makes me happy.
I’m not sure if it’s simply because I love to watch plants grow, or if it’s the thought of how I don’t have to bend down to weed around my six beautiful veggie plants.
I do know that I love the looks of the raised containers and I wish I would have purchased them sooner.
Goals for Today:
- Attend a Graduation Party
- Work in the Back Flower Gardens
- Weed the Zucchini & Cucumbers (Should Take 10 Minutes – Tops)