Raised Bed Gardening: Faith, Dirt & Our Kitchen Garden

Ever since we moved into our home, I dreamed of having a lush raised bed gardening space right out back. Raised beds overflowing with veggies, herbs, and flowers… a place that felt peaceful and alive, with God’s fingerprints all over it.

And now, two years in? Let me just say it’s been beautiful, a little messy, and totally worth it.

Choosing Raised Beds for Our Garden

We decided to start simple and ordered four raised garden beds off Amazon (affiliate link — thank you for shopping through me 💛). I loved the idea of them being neat, contained, and easier on my back.

Shop my raised beds here

They’ve held up wonderfully through two growing seasons so far.

How We Set Up Our Raised Bed Garden

Instead of lining them up in a row, we arranged our beds in a cozy C shape:

• One bed runs vertical, then two beds run horizontal, then another vertical on the end — almost like a hug around our big wooden garden box in the middle.
• That wood box is about 4′ x 2′ and holds all our gardening tools, gloves, twine, and random things that somehow always end up in a garden.

We set everything on thick plastic leftover from when our modular home was wrapped, then topped it with #3 rock so we wouldn’t be knee-deep in mud (or weeds) every time we went out to pick dinner.

How We Filled Our Raised Beds

When it came time to fill them, we kept it simple:

• Half compost, half topsoil.
  It’s been a hearty mix that’s worked well for our veggies and herbs.

Looking back? I really wish I’d prepped the beds in the fall. I didn’t layer cardboard and mulch to block weeds over the winter, so come spring… they were absolutely wild with weeds. Lesson learned for next season!

What We Planted This Year

Mixing Herbs, Veggies, and Flowers

I love tucking herbs right in with the vegetables and flowers to help keep pests away naturally. Here’s how it looks this year:

First Bed:

• Tomatoes, basil, parsley
• A cluster of snapdragons in the center
• Marigolds + verbena on the ends

Second Bed:

• A fence panel at the back for kitchen cucumbers to climb
• Eggplant
• Lemon balm, basil, marigolds, verbena, and what I think is dusty miller — a sweet little white leafy flower

Third Bed:

• Oregano, lemon balm, basil
• Squash
• Plus five pickling cucumbers that popped up from last year all on their own!

Fourth Bed:

• Jalapeño, poblano, and green peppers
• Lavender
• Marigolds + verbena at the ends

I rotate what goes in each bed every year. It’s good for the soil, cuts down on disease, and keeps the bugs guessing.

Why I Always Plant Flowers

Marigolds and verbena are my go-to for lining the ends of each bed. Not only do they help deter deer and pests, they’re downright pretty.

I also mix in plenty of lemon balm and basil for the same reason (and because brushing against them releases the best smell ever).

The Dream: A Bigger Kitchen Garden + Greenhouse

Right now, these beds make up my little kitchen garden — the space where I pick dinner herbs and fresh veggies.

But one day? I hope to build a small greenhouse out of old farmhouse windows right by the well pipe in our yard. I’d move these raised beds over there, fence them in, and add a sweet little gate at the front — maybe even made from an old headboard or vintage iron gate.

Then you’d walk right through my flower- and herb-filled kitchen garden and out into Sam’s big plot. His garden is all business — rows of corn, beans, and everything I can for our pantry — wrapped in a solar-powered electric fence.

But my side? It’ll be blooms, basil, and plenty of quiet moments to thank God for simple blessings.

What Raised Bed Gardening Keeps Teaching Me

Every season out here preaches to me. Looking back over these last two years of raised bed gardening, I’ve learned so much about soil, pests, and what to plant together.

Some things take off and thrive. Some struggle. Sometimes weeds pop up faster than I can pull them. If you’re thinking about starting raised bed gardening for your own kitchen, I say go for it — even if it’s small and imperfect.

Isn’t that just like life? We plant, we water, we do our best — but it’s God who brings the growth. Even when it’s messy or slow, He’s always working under the surf

Lessons I’ve Learned from Raised Bed Gardening

✅ Prep your beds in the fall.
Cardboard + mulch = fewer weeds come spring.

✅ Rotate your plants each year.
It keeps your soil healthy and pests confused.

✅ Mix herbs and flowers with your veggies.
They help naturally deter critters and make your garden look like something out of a cottage magazine.

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Save this post to your Gardening or Farmhouse boards for when you’re ready to build your own kitchen garden oasis.

Want more faith, real talk, and life lessons from my little corner of the world? Check out all my podcast episodes here.

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