Gardening is one of Deb and I’s greatest passions these days. We not only love creating and maintaining a beautiful garden space, but we also love reaping the benefits of our hard work – enjoying fresh and healthy fruits and vegetables. It is so rewarding to walk to our garden in the evening and pop a juicy, sun-warmed strawberry into our mouth! So good! I decided to share everything we figured out over the last several years, so here is gardening 101 with Deb and Danelle.

Gardening 101 

Last year was our second year gardening at our property in the woods. We put in so much work to not only build our garden space from the ground up but to plant and maintain our garden. If you are looking to start a garden or revamp your current garden, I hope I can provide some inspiration! 

Creating our English-Inspired Garden Space 

This was the start of our garden in 2022. We added a trellis to our garden, a garden that was relatively basic but got the job done. That same year, we added our large concrete urn to the garden. But, it wasn’t until the following year that we started laying the foundation for the garden we have in place today. You can see the beginning of those plans forming here. 

Once the foundation was laid, we added our Vego Raised Garden Beds for our vegetable garden. We added a picket fence all the way around the garden, leaving space for two separate entrances. The front entrance has large concrete pieces that step up into the garden area. We then carried this same look to the rear entrance with a gate that can be opened and closed. 

The focal point of the garden, though, is definitely the grand entrance. It is extra! We framed the entrance with large pillars and a pergola top, built by Deb, of course. We then hung an old antique light fixture that we found at a flea market in the center. It all came together exactly as we had imagined. It became a beautiful enclosed outdoor space. We added landscaping all the way around, and we can’t wait for those plants to get fuller and more overgrown this year to give it a true English-garden look. 

Filling Our Raised Garden Beds

Our raised beds are by no means small. It would have taken a lot of dirt to fill them to the top and dirt can be expensive. So, we added things that were free to us, and everything we added will decompose throughout the years and make wonderful soil. Here is what we added: 

Wood, Twigs, and Sticks

Cardboard and Newspaper 

Plant Waste or Compost

Organic Soil 

You can read the full process of filling our raised garden beds here. 

Back to Eden Gardening Method 

We have been using the Back to Eden Gardening Method for years. We described the full method back in 2020 in a previous garden. Everyone does it slightly different and I am by no means an expert, but here is what I do. The main science behind the method has to do with layers. We first lay down newspaper. We choose newspaper to help kill any grass left below and it composts into the garden. Then we add a layer of wood chips on top of the soil. 

When it is time to plant, we scoot the wood chips to the side to dig a hole for each plant. Plant them, give them a drink of water, and put the wood chips back in place around the plant. 

Why do we use Back to Eden Gardening, you ask? It eliminates weeds as well as non-stop watering throughout the Summer months. If you want a lower-maintenance garden, you may want to give this technique a try! We love it. 

Find Your Plant Zone

It is important to know your plant zone when it comes to planting your garden to find the right time to plants.  You can check the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map.  Enter your zip code, it will tell you what zone you are and when you should plant. In our zone, it is best to plant around Mother’s Day. 

Traditional Trellis Alternative 

Traditional trellises just don’t fit our style. We created a trellis for one of our raised garden beds using an antique iron fence panel. We reinforced the fence panel with a few bamboo stakes and some zip ties. This worked perfect for our pole beans. We also made tomato cages with the same bamboo stakes. They were super easy to make and held together all season. 

Deterring Pests

We had so many people ask how we kept the deer and rabbits out of our garden. We live in a wooded area so that is definitely a concern, especially considering there is no front gate to the garden. It is open for anyone or anything to enter at any time. Luckily, we didn’t have any issues this past year with animals destroying our garden. 

To start, the picket fence creates a boundary around most of the garden. There is a front entrance, but the added decor leading into the entrance must spook the larger animals, such as the deer. The raised garden beds automatically deter any smaller animals, such as the rabbits, because they can’t reach the vegetables far above their heads.

What We Plant 

It is a little early but we already started planting! This past weekend, we planted red onions and cabbage. We will also be planting tomatoes, cucumbers, green beans, beets, carrots, an assortment of peppers, eggplant, zucchini, and strawberries. 

Electroculture Gardening Technique 

Another garden technique that we decided to try last year was Electroculture Gardening. The idea is to add an atmospheric antenna to your soil to harness the energy from the atmosphere to not only help your garden prosper but to also reduce pests. You can read a previous post about it here. 

We used copper pipes from the hardware store for our antennas.  A lot of people swear by this technique. This is our first time experimenting with it, and while we didn’t notice a huge difference we are going to keep trying it. As we fine tune our garden and technique, we are hoping the technique will bring us more abundance and a healthier garden.