Before and After Shots Are One of Our Favorite Things at Gardenary
Ever since I founded Rooted Garden, I’ve been sharing the #beforeandafter of my kitchen garden installations, and I love the story they tell.
When you first look at an outdoor space, it can be difficult to see the possibility for a kitchen garden. But once you see the way the raised bed fits into the area, you can’t imagine that space going back to the way it was before.
Here’s a round up of some of our favorite #beforeandafter kitchen garden transformations.
Border Kitchen Garden in Narrow Side Yard
Pictured here is one of our favorite kitchen garden transformations, and you can believe this garden is pictured throughout my first book, Kitchen Garden Revival.
This is one of the most liked images I’ve ever shared, and lots of the Gardenary friends and followers say it’s because it shows the potential to garden even in a smaller space.
I can’t help but agree. When I met with this wonderful client, they already had a vision for how they’d use their kitchen garden. They wanted to harvest loads of herbs and greens and have a space they could enjoy with their two young children.
Sometimes it’s difficult to picture the possibilities for a kitchen garden in a smaller space, but this before and after makes it totally believable, right?
Border Garden Along a Fence
Border gardens can fit just about anywhere—like in that awkward strip between a fence and a driveway—thanks to their small profile.
This client didn’t have the lawn space to commit to a large kitchen garden, but this design allows them to enjoy all the benefits of growing in raised beds. These clients still get to harvest herbs, veggies, fruits, and some flowers. Bonus: They can check on their garden every time they leave the house.
What I love about this kitchen garden is the fact that most people have a little spot like this one that can be redeemed and used to grow delicious food. It really is possible to bring back the kitchen garden, right?
(Learn more about border gardens and other small garden designs.)
Four Garden Classic
In the spring of 2020 when the world shut down because of COVID-19, the interest in gardening picked up—big time. Thankfully, most gardening and landscaping companies were deemed essential businesses, so were able to keep working and creating new gardens to meet the increasing demands of everyone who was home and ready to start a garden ASAP.
This before and after was created right in the middle of quarantine, designed by our consultant Jill for Rooted Garden client Debra.
These clients had a nice, sunny spot in their side yard that just happened to be at least 15 feet wide, perfect for a four-garden classic layout.
To me, one good thing that came from 2020 was the societal realization that we needed to reconnect with nature, with the seasons, with real food, and with the garden. Here’s to the kitchen garden being much more than a quarantine trend, but an ordinary part of life again.
Keyhole Kitchen Garden Designed for a Large Space
I owe the world to my first clients from Rooted Garden. They took me at my word and trusted me when all I had was a smile, loads of energy, and a promise that Houston was a great place to grow.
This client was one of the first to entrust a large space to me for their kitchen garden. She was already an avid gardener. Though the “before” space doesn’t show it, she actually knew a lot about gardening and had loads of things growing throughout her landscape.
When I suggested the keyhole design for this kitchen garden, she was all in. And I was so excited. It was quite a feat to bring in these beds and get them assembled in this spot, but the end result was amazing.
Wanna know how this client found out about me and my new company Rooted Garden? Her dear friend Lori invited her over to see the garden I’d just set up for her (you’ll see Lori’s garden in a bit!).
That was how all the magic happened in the beginning and even now—one kind person sharing my vision and hope with another. It’s how every revival happens.
Here’s to spreading good news and bringing the kitchen garden back one friend at a time.
Front Yard Modern Kitchen Garden
This little trio of raised beds is modern garden perfection. They say good things come in threes, right?
I loved creating this front yard kitchen garden for our client Mary Beth back in 2018. But my favorite part was arriving back in June, just one month after installation, to see the boxes overflowing with food.
These beds utilize panel trellises to maximize their growing space. Panel trellises are the easiest to add to your garden space and can accommodate vining flowers and edible plants like pole beans, cucumbers, tomatoes, sugar snap peas, and fava beans—really anything that wants to climb.
(Learn more about panel garden trellises.)
Small Space L-Shaped Garden
L-shaped gardens are the perfect solution for sunny corners in your outdoor space. To match this client’s elegant home, we stained these wooden raised beds in Cabot Driftwood Gray stain, which is made from an all-natural pigment. Staining wood is a simple way to bring out the beauty of the grain.
Many thanks to Melissa for trusting us with this space and bringing back the kitchen garden with us. And, of course, to the team for making it happen!
(Learn more about staining raised garden beds.)
