Hey friends, I wanted to hop on here and write a little update on what has been happening garden-wise. It is that time of the year to start getting our greenhouse ready to plant some seedlings for the Spring.

Recently a review program I am a part of sent me a raised bed in exchange for an honest review. This worked out great because one goal this year was to plant another small herb patch for rosemary and chamomile. Two herbs that are so aromatic and great to have on hand.

Assembly was simple, requiring no tools, just gloves for sharp edges. The kit included plenty of wing nuts and bolts with a spare pair in case they’re needed in the future.

Aside from the new raised bed, I have also applied to become a Growing Kindness Alumni Ambassador this year. My fingers are crossed. Even if not selected, this project is fantastic if you want a non-profit to support. If you are a gardener or want to learn how to start gardening, this project gave me a wealth of knowledge last year from some incredible gardening experts around the United States. They can answer your questions, and not only do you have this opportunity, but also the group and community are incredible. It is an ideal space for gardeners to help one another and encourage each with a goal and mission in mind to link arms with each other in our communities and spread kindness with flowers. A quote we use in the group leads me back to this raised bed.

Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.

-Arthur Ashe

So no matter if you are an experienced gardener or a beginner, I welcome you to apply to Growing Kindness or at least check it out for yourself.

So with this quote in mind, use what we have and do what we can. I decided to experiment with what we had lying around to build up a nice soil medium for our new (hopefully new) herb patch. My goal is to complete this with no extra cost, just some time.

Thanks to the review program, I was given this raised bed to review. Unfortunately, it is much too cold to plant anything just yet, so I took this opportunity to share how I filled up this raised bed with some of the material we had around our home. My test is to see how well this will break down and “cook” after a few warm Spring days in the upcoming months. Hopefully, it will be ready for fresh herbs to plant in by May. The January snow is on our underlayment outside the raised bed.

I used what is referred to as the “lasagna” composing method to fill up this raised bed.

First, I put some twiggy material in the compost (for aeration), toilet paper tubes, and cardboard on the bottom layer of the raised bed as the first layer. Second I added some grass clippings we saved from last year. This grass was already starting to break down nicely.
For the third layer, I added some shovels full of dirt from the garden to have some familiar dirt from this area and cardboard layers.

Side note, I remove all tape, staples, and anything with ink to prevent any chemicals in our soil.

Also, the cupholders from fast-food restaurants break down nicely. Helpful tip: we leave our cardboard out in the weather over the fall and winter to get soggy and wet. This makes the boxes much easier to remove any tape and remove layers with printing on it. Also, it makes ripping up cardboard much more manageable. I am excited to see what happens in the upcoming year and will keep you all updated.

Download Your Compost Guide
Compost Guide

As a thank you for stopping around and reading this article, please enjoy access to these free printables and 10% off your order from Sunnydaze Decor, an excellent place for gardening and outdoor decor.

❀ Enjoy 10% off your order at Sunnydaze decor and gardening using Hope and Wildflowers affiliate code: AFFILIATE10 

.FREE SHIPPING ON ALL ITEMS YEAR-ROUND

This post contains affiliate links. When you purchase an item after clicking and using one of our links, Hope and Wildflowers will receive a small commission. Thank you for your support and for stopping by!