By Nicole Johnsey Burke: Founder of Gardenary and Author of Kitchen Garden Revival

The Kitchen Garden I Always Wanted To Build

Last summer, I did something that I had always wanted to do...

I surprised my parents with their very own raised bed kitchen garden.

My dad loves to grill. My mom loves to cook. They had just moved to the area, and after years of them supporting every single thing I've built — my first business called Rooted Garden, Gardenary, my books, my endless new ideas, all of it — I wanted to give them something real. Something to show my appreciation and bring them into the gardening world with me.

So my team and I showed up while they were away and spent two hot July days building them a garden from scratch.

If you watched the YouTube video, you know it was not a completely smooth install. We had to adjust for a slope. We sweated through multiple shirts. Classic install day.

But along the way, we also had fun! I even discovered that I could still (almost) jump into a toe-touch after one of my team members dared me. I probably won't try that ever again, but what matters is that we got everything done. And my parents loved their surprise.

If you missed all the fun, you can check it out below.

What the Garden Looks Like Today

The first season was about establishment more than abundance. We planted late in the summer heat: cucumber seeds along the Nicole Arch Trellis, pole beans on the obelisk, zucchini, and arugula in the salad box. Herbs and flowers tucked around every edge. It was a hopeful start, and eventually it delivered.

But this year? The beds have filled in in a way that just takes your breath away.

The two L-shaped cedar beds are doing exactly what they were designed to do: creating a sense of a room in the garden.

Standing inside the garden now, surrounded by growing things, feels like stepping into a completely different world from the plain, sloped backyard we started with. My parents have nearly 100 square feet of growing space between those two L-shaped beds alone.

The perennial herbs along the edges — the rosemary, sage, thyme, oregano — have become full, lush plants. Rosemary especially goes wild in Nashville's climate. My dad uses it almost every time he grills now, which, if you know my dad, means it's being used constantly.

The smaller center bed that we planned for herbs and greens has become my mom's favorite spot in the whole garden. She's been cutting lettuce and arugula for salads all season. There is something deeply satisfying about watching your mom walk out to her own garden and come back with dinner ingredients.

The Arch Trellis Is Earning Every Bit of Its Reputation

We installed the Nicole Arch Trellis over one of the L-shaped beds, and I'll tell you — it is the focal point of the entire space. It really draws the eye upward and creates an elegant entryway.

The trellis tends to sell out, so if you've been thinking about one, I'd grab it when you can. We only order them a couple of times per year because they are custom-made.

Once you see what an arch trellis does to a garden space, you won't want to garden without it.

What Actually Made This Garden Work

Here's the thing I want every person reading this to hear: this garden succeeded because of the foundation we built, not because my parents have decades of gardening experience. They don't. They're beginners. Enthusiastic, curious beginners — but beginners.

What made the difference:

• Untreated kiln-dried cedar beds that won't rot out after two seasons
• Quality soil from the start - not cheap fill dirt, actual growing medium with the right structure
• Wood treatment applied before assembly to help the cedar last
• A weed barrier underneath so they're not fighting grass every week
• A trellis that catches the eye - it creates a centerpiece and entryway

When the infrastructure is right, the garden practically teaches you as you go. That's always been my belief, and watching my parents' first year of gardening proves it again.

Common Mistakes to Avoid in a New Raised Bed Garden

Planting too late and then giving up.

We planted in July, which is genuinely late for most crops. But we still got a real harvest, and more importantly, the roots of those perennial herbs established beautifully before fall. Late is better than never.

Skimping on soil volume.

This one matters more than most people realize. You want at least 10 to 12 inches of quality soil in a raised bed. When we built my parents' beds, we filled them fully — and the plants have had the root space they need to really go.

Forgetting the path.

The gravel pathway between the beds seems like a detail, but it's what makes the garden functional to actually use. No muddy shoes. No fighting through wet grass. My parents walk out there in regular shoes and work comfortably.

I Would Do It All Again

My parents text me photos from that garden more than I expected. A crop that finally came in. Rosemary sprigs ready for the grill. An extra impressive tomato. Every time one of those photos lands in my phone, I think about those two sweaty July days and feel nothing but grateful.

This is why we garden.