Raised Bed Gardening- Front Yard Farms Explode!

Just a little over a year ago I published a post here on my blog titled Food and Farms a Growing Durham NC Tradition. 

Raised bed gardens in front of Larry's Durham Home 11-17-11

Growing was apparently the operative word as evidenced by the attached pictures.  What started off as one simple raised bed was so successful that last spring I put in a second and we were off to the races. This year my wife Angela and I enjoyed fresh lettuces, tomatoes, zucchini, okra, summer squash, red and green peppers, lots of spinach, mustard greens, collards, cucumbers, green beans and herbs. we’ve got brocoli kale, cabbage, more lettuces, carrots, and greens growing now. For those of you who know me,it will come as no surprise that I’ve kept going and just finished putting in a third (and final) larger bed for next year. All of these beds are actually in our front yard which gets long afternoon sun, and to make it easier on my wife and I to work in them I used some metal edging creating a frame around all three and filled it with some Chapel Hill gravel. During this past summer when I was out mowing and the beds were in full production it was difficult to get to close to them but I think we’ve managed to solve that issue.

I’ve been happily surprised at how many of my buyer clients have been asking about vegetable gardening at home and even making this a requirement as we’ve looked at homes. I predict this will become a growing trend for several reasons. The first and perhaps most important is that Durham and the local area are nationally known as a “foodie” capital, both for eating as well as for local sourcing and as any serious cook or eater knows fresh tastes best. Then there’s concern for how it’s been grown, coupled with rising food prices for quality food. Lastly many (like myself) simply don’t want t waste as much water as is required to maintain a good lawn. It’s one thing to water vegetables you’re going to eat, it’s another to use at least 1″ of water a week maintaining a lawn through our hot summers.

As always, if your interested in buying a home here in the Durham, Chapel Hill or surrounding area, or if you want to talk about food or gardening I’d be happy to hear from you. 

Front Yard Farms Raised Beds 11-17-11

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