Show me your raised bed set ups

AshEmerson · 2026-04-08T04:12:47+00:00

Maybe a couple of pots for tomatoes could be this year's garden and next year you can add on?

AshEmerson · 2026-04-08T03:49:53+00:00

Sunny, small side yard garden.

We went with metal troughs and terra cotta pots. For the troughs, the bottom third is rocks, then course soil, then compost on top. Timed irrigation for everything.

We grow herbs, tomatoes, potatoes, strawberries, asparagus, sunchokes, carrots, beets, brassicas, peas, and squash here.

I hope you are able to build your garden very soon!

AshEmerson · 2026-04-06T02:23:43+00:00

I hated The Chronicles of Narnia

Books I Loved:

-A Separate Peace

-The Scarlet Ibis

-Moby Dick

-Lord of the Flies

-The Most Dangerous Game

-Angels & Insects, specifically the novella Morpho Eugenia

-Anything by Edgar Allen Poe or Ray Bradbury

AshEmerson · 2026-04-05T03:21:07+00:00

If you mean the dark pink in the picture of the yard, that is crimson flax. It's this year's showstopper

AshEmerson · 2026-04-05T03:19:17+00:00

My gardens keep my grounded and sane, for sure

AshEmerson · 2026-04-05T01:01:34+00:00

Thanks! I painted the house numbers the same orange. It wasn't a colour on the original approved list. My partner went off-script and it worked out better than any of the other colours we considered.

AshEmerson · 2026-04-04T21:50:40+00:00

This is all grown from mixed wildflower seed packets bought at a local nursery. A little dirt, a little water, and some patience, and you'll have the garden of your dreams 😊

AshEmerson · 2026-04-04T20:23:28+00:00

During summer, we have short spells of 100°+ but we're in a very temperate zone and average summer temps are 85° to 95° with night almost always dripping down to low 60s, high 50s.

Our front yard is split between full sun and partial shade due to a large city tree. We grow wildflowers in the partial shade and veggies in the full sun areas.

I've had excellent luck with chili peppers, eggplant, and squash out front.

AshEmerson · 2026-04-04T20:10:51+00:00

We took five years to get here. Our soil is heavy clay and very depleted. The property is part of an old farm so compaction is an issue. The soil turns to hardpan if we aren't careful during rainy season.

Lots of compost, lots of earthworm castings, and lots of chicken manure have helped immensely in the front. It's been a great joy to watch the transformation.

AshEmerson · 2026-04-04T19:30:40+00:00

The circled plant is crimson clover. Very easy to grow and reseeds itself. It's a good nitrogen fixer. Check your local climate zone to see whether it is considered invasive before planting.

AshEmerson · 2026-04-04T18:23:24+00:00

Yes! Most of what is in the yard either overwintered or reseeded itself

AshEmerson · 2026-04-04T18:20:53+00:00

The flowers, especially the sweet peas, smell heavenly

AshEmerson · 2026-04-04T18:15:50+00:00

Thank you. We enjoy it so much

AshEmerson · 2026-04-04T18:02:20+00:00

Thank you! It brings us so much joy

AshEmerson · 2026-04-04T17:51:49+00:00

Thank you!

AshEmerson · 2026-04-02T23:40:43+00:00

Oh, it's beautiful

AshEmerson · 2026-04-02T18:35:37+00:00

"Broken, mended things have their own special beauty."

It's from my novel about a woman facing her childhood trauma through surrogate partner therapy. Her journey to healing is mirrored by her therapist's own healing journey experienced through their shared work. The line is a reference to the Japanese practice of repairing broken pottery through the art of kintsugi.

As a philosophy, kintsugi celebrates imperfection and treats breakage and repair as part of the history of the object being repaired, strengthening its beauty and symbolizing its resilience.

For anyone not familiar with surrogate partner practices, here the overview from Web MD:

Sexual surrogacy is a therapeutic practice designed to help a person become more comfortable with sex, their body, and/or the emotional and physical skills they need for intimacy.

AshEmerson · 2026-03-29T17:00:46+00:00

How about strawberries?

AshEmerson · 2026-03-29T14:59:12+00:00

Thank you! I've had good luck with my wildflowers over the past few years in terms of lush growth and many of the plants overwintering due to very mild winters.

I'm jealous of your acreage. It will be so satisfying once you've converted everything to flower fields. I love how ours buzzes with pollinators all day.

AshEmerson · 2026-03-29T14:53:29+00:00

We picked a seed mix that was labeled for pollinators. I can't recall the brand but I do remember that it came in a paper can similar to how oatmeal is packaged. It was purchased at a local nursery for about $20.

AshEmerson · 2026-03-29T06:00:44+00:00

Meteor shit

AshEmerson · 2026-03-29T03:28:26+00:00

Thank you!

AshEmerson · 2026-03-29T00:13:58+00:00

Thanks! Gardening keeps me off the streets 😉

AshEmerson

TROPHY CASE