I love my garden. This year I had to re-do it as the previous one was a mess.

Growing up, my parents had a “level with the ground” garden that was tilled with a fence around it. Which BTW…I hated working in the garden then. In fact, as soon as my mom recommended that we go out and pull weeds, I would quickly raise my hand and volunteer to clean the house. And I hated to clean the house. But I hated working in that garden even more. Ha! How times have changed.

My first garden was level, as well, framed and then fenced. The last few years, I have chosen a raised garden. There are some benefits to having a raised garden and you can read more at EarthEasy, but unless you just have bad soil, both level and raised gardens work. You just have to chose the one best for you.

This year, the garden beds are raised higher than they ever have been. I am not sure I know exactly why I did that, but they look good. It all boils down to aesthetics and the look that you want based on the space, the design, etc. I have provided you some great pictures below of different ways you can elevate your garden.

You can build or buy a simple raised bed that is made either of wood or a synthetic material:

How about a freestanding raised bed? You could buy or build several of these:

Some day I would like to have a completely enclosed garden. This is a great option:

I love this idea of using baskets:

Using a galvanized tub can be as beautiful as the one below or you can use smaller versions:

Every year mine is a bit different. But for now, I am happy with what I have started. I’ll add more pictures of my final garden when I am done planting.