The result looks great and offers all of the advantages of raised bed gardening – easy to get to, maintain and keep weed-free. Not to mention the superior flavor of organic vegetables! There are great ideas here to help you plan your own raised beds.

While this was a project that required some construction skills and muscle, the effort was well worth it!

Read the entire article on SeedlingsGardening.com.

Here is the garden owners’ story:

One of our goals for this year, among many, has been to plant a garden. Our visions of pergolas and arched gated entries, floral vines covering the whole fence line, and a sea of wild floral beauty in every corner will most likely take years to grow and come to life as we envision it, but thankfully for us, the opposite is true for the vegetables we just planted. In just a few short months, if our thumbs are indeed green, we’ll be reaping the rewards of finally installing a RAISED BED ORGANIC VEGETABLE GARDEN in our backyard!

Here’s what we started with: an idea. We looked at all sorts of pictures we found online of beautiful raised beds that we thought we might be able to do ourselves.

Once we had the design we wanted, next came the materials and construction. We used only cedar wood to prevent rot and for the pretty look of it. Pressure treated woods are NOT ideal for vegetable gardens because chemicals can leach into your foods over time. Unless you go to the effort of lining the beds with a plastic or pool liner, cedar is the best way to go for a vegetable garden.

We measured, cut, measured again… then started to assemble the boxes.

Once we chose where we wanted to place it in the backyard, we had to till the ground a bit and tear up some grass to even it out so the beds would lay flat.

With the help of professional gardener, business owner and good friend Liz Baloutine, we filled the beds with awesome organic soil/compost blend and got ready to plant! She helped with the layout and guided me on what to plant for beginners and how to feed and fertilize them with the proper mix of ingredients.

Our beginner vegetable garden includes:

(2) Cherry tomatoes, (1) jalapeño pepper, (1) poblano pepper, (1) big bomb pepper, (1) serrano pepper, (4) cucumbers, basil, thyme, sage and parsley.

We can’t wait to see how our garden grows, but more importantly, how planting a garden will enlighten our living space and connect us back to the earth.

The post RAISED BED ORGANIC VEGETABLE GARDEN appeared first on Home Country Style.

The post Clever Homemade Solar Food Dehydrators appeared first on Home Country Style.

The post Backyard Fountain Fish Pond for Kids appeared first on Home Country Style.

The post Serious Cages for Robust Tomato Plants appeared first on Home Country Style.

The post Is Your Soil Healthy? appeared first on Home Country Style.

Fresh Homemade Lemonade
http://bit.ly/1rwVeF7

1 cup lemon juice, freshly-squeezed
¾ cup white sugar
¾ cup water
3 cups water

Begin by juicing the lemons. 6 lemons yields about 1 cup of juice.
• Roll the lemons to make them easier to juice
• Use a fork to capture as much juice as possible
• Strain to remove pulp and seeds

In a small saucepan, heat water and sugar until sugar has dissolved completely. Allow mixture to cool.

Mix lemon juice, simple syrup (sugar mixture) and water in a pitcher.

Garnish with lemon slices and mint.

The post 3 Refreshing Lemonade Recipes appeared first on Home Country Style.

The post 11 Ways to Improve Your Entryway appeared first on Home Country Style.

The post How to Prune Shrubs and Hedges appeared first on Home Country Style.

The post Create a Succulent Garden with Broken Pots appeared first on Home Country Style.

The post How to Build a Backyard Fire Pit appeared first on Home Country Style.