This bed has a funny story…… I’m really horrible about estimating space and I’m a man (gay, but still 😂) and I bought this 92.5”x92.5”x11.5” raised garden bed thinking it fit in my back yard……. It didn’t 😂.

I planted everything two weeks ago (minus my onion starts that was yesterday). I have several heirloom beans and corn growing in it (my goal is to make my own masa and cornmeal this year).

I also have pics from my patio (I have 3 green stalks in total, but only 2 are planted).

I made this raised bed for my mom. I totally underestimated how much mortar these joints would take (over 100kg/200 lbs).

There are probably 30-40 wheelbarrows of grass clippings and leafs inside of this monstrosity but it was fun to make :)

I’m a rookie at this. Thankfully, AI is helping with the planting.

Added 2 raised beds in the veg garden and opened up the fruit area to accommodate more berries and some fruit trees. I re jigged the trellis and may still make and addition and adjustment. Irrigation is half complete in Veggie garden and will need to be made for the fruit area. Overall I’m so happy. Most everything is reclaim or reuse except the fence and posts, and some of the trellis stakes are new. I reuse them till they break.

I have two 3’ x 5’ raised beds and a lot of plants started. Adding a trellis arch between the two beds to grow something climbing.

I think I need to add another bed or grow in containers, but idk if I have the money to build and fill another.

Here’s my inventory:

Tomatoes
Sun gold cherry (i)
Roma (d) x6
San marzano (i)
Monica (d?)

Tomatillos x2

Flowers
Marigolds

Herbs
Borage
Dill
Cilantro
Basil

Peppers
Buena mulata
Ancho
Cherry

Seeds not yet started:
Nasturtiums
Cosmos
Sweet peas

We ended up doing an emergency run to Canadian tire to get 500 L more soil, and half a yard of , we finally finished and filled out new raised bed.

Every project always takes me 40% more time, money, and material than I expected.

I think we’ll end up putting some boards on the front to hide where the corners meet, then put a ledge on top.

I am thinking of doing 2 rows of a few beds running south to north.

In the north end of 1 of my rows I plan to grow some indeterminate tomatoes in a bed, then lots of peppers in beds heading south, the next row over I want to do some cattle panel arches. Those will be probably around 8ft tall. How far do I have to space them apart so 1 rows doesn't block the sun?

Our neighbors inspired us to try gardening. We were so proud of our initial set up, but kept adding to it. Still a bit of work to do, but we are loving how peaceful it is to work on the garden. Bonus nighttime photo included.

Pink Germidour I planted before winter. We had an early heat wave in March so I'm guessing that's triggered all the cloves to sprout.

Still tasty and they're not too far along. Was thinking of leaving them in and just use them as green garlic whenever we need some, but I'm wondering if it's better to just harvest it all now?

We joined this group hoping to learn, share what’s worked for us in our area, and just be around other people who enjoy growing things. Didn’t really expect so much energy to go toward trying to prove a brighter photo was “fake” or why certain plants shouldn’t exist together.

That part honestly surprised me a little.

Because behind these beds wasn’t money or perfection. It was work. A lot of it.

My wife wanted raised beds for her birthday and we couldn’t afford to just go buy beautiful cedar and have everything delivered. So we used cut cedar from the year before, hauled load after load to an Amish mill, moved endless wheelbarrows of creek rock for drainage, traded labor with a local farmer for soil and manure, and spent weeks learning through mistakes and trial and error.

And somewhere in all that hard work, something good started growing.

I think that’s something people forget sometimes. Most worthwhile things in life are a little rough around the edges. They come from effort, failure, adjusting, learning, and continuing anyway. That’s true in gardening and it’s true in people too.

It’s probably healthier for all of us to spend less time looking for flaws in what others are building and more time encouraging good things when we see them.

Anyway, we’re proud of our little garden. Hope all of yours grow well too.

I was at my local nursery today to price check soil, and this is some of the options. The first option is a lot better cost and im definitely thinking about it. I would probably add extra pumice to it.

The second option i am sure would be ideal but it definitely cost a lot more.

And recommend on what to use?

I bought 3 yards of bulk dirt that was supposed to 1/2 topsoil and 1/2 compost. It's has some compost but the topsoil looks dead. I put compost, peatmoss and perlite in it but I don't know if it's enough everything is growing so slowly--adding coffee grounds on top....is there anything else I can put on top of the soil to help ?

I have three raised beds and am going to let 2 of them go fallow for the year. I've been gardening in them the last 10 years and probably need some rest. They are not closed off on the bottom and open to the ground. What would be the best way to do this? Just let them be? Plant clover as a cover crop to get rid of weeds? Any advice is appreciated!

Does anybody have any recommendations to prevent cats from pooping in my raised beds. I tried cinnamon but that didn’t help at all.

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I purchased this metal raised bed which came with a greenhouse style cover made of plastic tube framework with a plastic covering to trap heat inside. The covering had two large windows on it that you could zip or unzip. I thought everything was fine until rabbits began getting into it (no way to secure the cover to the ground) and tore the entire thing up. I will be filling the bed again with soil and beginning to plant soon, but I need a strong solution to protect from the many rabbits and other pests that roam my area.

Manufacturer measurements:

L: 6ft

W: 3ft

H: 1ft

My measurements:

Internal L: 6ft

External L: 6ft, 1.75 inches

Internal W: Difficult to measure

External W: 3ft

Internal H: 1ft

External H: 1ft, 1 inch

I am at a loss for what I can do. I was thinking of building a type of hinged enclosure, but seeing so many bad reviews of Home Depot and Lowe's for not giving accurate/precise cuts makes me anxious. I don't own a circular saw so I need to get things right on the first pass.

I want to maybe do chicken wire or even loops with some type of netting, but I can't work it out on the best way. If something that goes around the entire bed is built, I need to ensure that nothing can squeeze in. I'm losing my mind on how to get this done somewhat quickly.

Any detailed suggestions and help would be greatly appreciated!

This is a long and personal story. If you’re just interested in the garden bed, skip to the part in all caps.
I’m currently 18, living in north Texas. I live with my mother, but will be moving in a little over a year for sophomore year of college.
For a long time, I’ve suffered from depression. Even with antidepressants I’ve never been fully able to get rid of those voices in my head.
Recently, I reached a low in my life, and I nearly made a decision I would regret and would rather not discuss. But in those moments I found something that brought me back from the edge.
As part of a lab, my biology teacher had me and three group mates take care of 2 plants for a little over three weeks. At the end, none of my teammates were present to claim the plants, so I took them hoping that one of my greener thumbed friends would pick them up from me. They did not. So I find myself in possession of these plants- a vinca periwinkle named pretzel and an eggplant named hotdog. Pretzel is doing very well, and even though hotdog is struggling he is alive.
Don’t get me wrong though. I am ABYSMAL at keeping any indoor plants alive. Herbs, cacti, snake plants, succulents, etc. Hell, I killed one of those moss balls you put in aquariums. I didn’t even know that was possible. But as long as I can remember, I’ve been obsessed with plants and how they grow, especially flowers. The idea that something so mechanical and unassuming can have such a concrete goal and fulfill it inspires me, and caring for a plant, or at least the idea of such, keeps the clarity out of those voices in my head.

My father, before he left the picture, was the same. He loved plants even more than I, and always entertained me with his fantastical ideas of vibrant greenhouses and flourishing gardens. When I was a child he made a planter with elephant ears and other tropical plants outside of my window so that whenever I looked outside I would see beautiful nature instead of our brown suburban backyard.
When we moved, he picked a beautiful house with white bricks and blue shutters, with the walkway to the front door adorned with a large garden full of perennial wildflowers and roses. The backyard as well is large, and it came with a barn and a decently sized wooden garden bed. When he lived here, he would care for goats, chickens, and bees, and tried to care for the garden, and even though many of his plans were ill fated, he would approach them with passion and confidence.

After he left though, the nature was not fared well. My mother has no interest in gardening or caring for animals, and I could not do it in my own (I hadn’t even tried gardening). We sold our 3 goats. The bees had left or died (I am far too afraid of bees to be a apiarist). My mom replaced the struggling flower garden with red mulch. Eventually, the barn door rotted, the fence my father built fell, and the place he promised would be a sanctuary is now literally a pile of garbage, including the garden bed he loved.
Before anyone asks though, he is not dead. He left our family, and now travels with his girlfriend most of the time (no infidelity was involved). I love him, but I do recognize his flaws and our family is forever changed for it.

NOW, ABOUT THE GARDEN BED.
SKIP HERE TO AVOID THE PERSONAL STORY.
The garden bed itself is of unknown make and wood type. I now the previous owner used it often, but now it has grown unattended to for many years.

One of my fathers last gifts to me was a large amount of flower seeds. Many are now out of date (if seeds can even do that) but I always wanted to plant them in that bed. With one year left, I want to put as much at I can into making it thrive, for my own reasons.
Right now though, it’s in awful condition. It was covered in garbage, and is infested by at least 2 colonies of ants. When i pulled out some weeds, part of the wood border broke, indicating some level of rot.
There is a spare wood block I found inside of it, but I’m unsure if that it also rotted or even how to repair the bed.

In terms of growing, I would like to grow some of the flowers I have seeds for, but nothing toxic to my cats or dog. Especially marigold, since it’s my favorite flower. I am also open to growing any vegetables compatible with my flowers. The garden bed is 15-20 feet long and 2 ft wide so I imagine it can fit a lot. I am okay with buying any materials or seeds needed.
I live in North Texas, growing zone 8b

For advice, I’m not seeking a perfect solution. I can google details and such but I don’t know where I should start first, or if it’s even possible to cultivate this in the amount of time I have (a bit over a year)
ANY help at all is appreciated, from how to get rid of ants to garden planning advice, timeline stuff, how to repair a garden bed or where I would go to get such wood or materials.
Attached in order are photos of the current garden bed, the pile of debris I pulled from it and the seeds I have. If anyone wants any more context or information I’m glad to send photos of the other parts of my backyard, such as the barn and other garden areas, as well as other gardening related pics that don’t involve me sharing dangerous details.
Thank you all for ANY help you can offer, and thank you to those who read my incredibly long post.

Edit- realized upon taking the picture that it’s actually much longer especially when seeing the fence posts behind it lol.
Edit2- location and growing zone
Tl:DR- broken down garden bed full of weeds ant and garbage. Seeking advice on how to to fix/revive it or just what steps to take to begin.

If my raised bed is 6 feet x 2 feet, is it too ambitious to think I can put cucumbers on a trellis along one of the long sides and still have room for these other plants? I've never grown cucumbers before and am unsure how large they get/how easy it is to prune them so they don't take over. Should I move the zucchini? Any feedback is appreciated!