Our Grandparents grew food. They knew that they could grow what they couldn’t buy in the store. During the World War fresh food was scarce so they cultivated the ground and grew there own.
The need for growing food kind of skipped a generation because our parents had plenty: plenty of money and plenty of places to purchase food. I didn’t know you could eat mushrooms unless they came out of a can. The first time I saw them in a grocery store I was amazed at how different they looked. The luxury of having money to purchase food was a status symbol. Now, just like many new things we have pushed them aside to pursue the old methods. But of course we do it with a modern twist. We like to grow vegetable and fruits but in our own way.
Now we elevate them, contain them and cultivate them in a designed garden. No more long rows of veg and fruit with cultivators and stakes. It is partially because we have less land to grow and partially our desire to condense the growing medium and effort involved to get more for our expense of time and water.
Galvanized Vegetable Beds, Raised Bed Gardening
galvanized tubs
These galvanized tubs create a great space for tomatoes. It condensed the water so it stays where the plants can get to them. They are watered with a drip system at the soil level so the leaves stay dry except for rain showers. The galvanized metal warms the soil earlier in the year so the seed germinate faster and seedlings grow better.
When we have a little more space and more mouths to feed we do a little bit bigger garden. We still want it to be easy to get to (close to the house), easy to care for (raised contained soil) and easy to water and pick. We also like the ability to keep it clean and easy to weed. This garden with raised beds, and paving stones surrounding is so easy to manage.
raised Vegetable Beds
raised beds and place to rest, the circles in the pavers now contain columnar apple trees
raised beds and pavers
We also may need to keep them from predators. Deer fencing can be used to keep the food available and not make a snack bar for deer and rabbits.
deer fencing surrounding raised Vegetable Beds
Gardens can be beautiful with Vegetables and herbs integrated. This last example shows a lovely beach style border ending in an herb bed. The raised bed on the right side of the picture contains squash and beans. Beautiful in their own right and in context with the whole of the back garden.
integrated Veg and Herb Garden
