Home Gardening Inspiration & Education

I have had strawberry beds in my backyard for three years now and every year my children love to help me care for them. The strawberry beds are by far their favorite part of the garden and I cherish the evenings I get to go with them and watch them explore and learn. This year Magnolia learned that strawberry leaves, though not the most pleasant, are edible! I created this garden to help my family live healthier lives and that doesn’t just mean eating, it means that my kids get to grow with the plants in my garden. 

I have two beds full of everbearing seascape strawberry plants. These plants will produce all through the season, from about May to October, and are by far one of the easiest fruits to grow! They do need full sun meaning a minimum of 6 hours of sun, but so do I! These two beds practically guarantee that my girls are out in the garden picking strawberries all spring and summer getting vitamin D from the sun and vitamin c and antioxidants from the berries. ...

Amy is my neighbor, client, and new to gardening.   This year she tried tomatoes, cucumbers, basil, calendula, peppers, lettuces, green beans, and a few others.  Tomatoes and cucumbers can be difficult plants for a beginner.  They need to be in the soil longer, need more space,  more sun, and more maintenance than others. 

Her garden space is limited to an 8x2.5x2 bed.  We interplanted her bed to grow in underutilized spaces to maximize her harvests.  Her summer plants got huge which got a bit messy.  Next year we will redesign her layout to avoid overcrowding, but overall a great first season!

This is her garden box.  It's built with untreated Eastern Red Cedar, which is prone to lose its pinkish, purple color rapidly the first season.  The sides facing the sun were silver, while the sides facing away from the sun were more orangish pink.  Watch how quickly the pink & purple color returns with a bit of...

Why Eastern Red Cedar lumber?  It's one of the best in our area (Kentucky)!  It rivals cypress and redwood (from California).  It repels insects and is a rot resistant hardwood.  It's used in several outdoor projects for that very reason.  If left untreated it will retain its aromatic properties longer.  Eastern Red Cedar ranges from purples and pinks, deep red, and a violet brown.   The wood can rapidly turn to a silver or grey due to the UV rays and oxygen.  

HERE IS WHERE WE COME IN:

Red Cedar Bed Restoration

Hire us for a yearly refresh to restore the vibrant color to your beds and begin to repel water and harmful UV rays.  This will preserve your lumber's integrity every year.  We will gently sand off the silvery gray top layer, and seal your beds with a our Eco-friendly, whey-based poly protein.  This will help water roll right off the beds so that it doesn't absorb it (which can soften the wood...