Can raised garden beds be part of a sustainable landscape? I’ve often pondered this question. Cutting down old growth cedar (or even redwoods) to construct them, using lots of other materials and doing a lot of work just to grow a few dollars’ worth of vegetables doesn’t sound that sustainable.
However, Sybil’s raised beds that I constructed for her changed how I think. She wanted this protected and raised garden as part of her lifestyle on her property and she wanted it to fit her personality.
Lessons Learned In Sybil’s Garden:
- Make raised beds fit your lifestyle and personality
- Place the raised beds where you will see and use them every day
- Create an outdoor “room” with a variety of uses including relaxing and even for entertaining
- Build in reduced maintenance and easy repair
- Construct from distressed or discarded materials
- Make the beds convenient and comfortable to use
- Build in a way that you can easily add on or change in the future
We live in a society where so much of what we buy (cars, phones, cable, fast food and frivolous toys come to mind) has little long-term value. And in a lot of cases these things are not even good for us. Creating a space in your yard, like this multiple-use raised garden, enhances your health and actually engages your life. Now that’s sustainable!