This is our Everbearing Strawberry box. These are perennials and come back each year. Our daughter painted rocks red before the berries grew. Now, the birds fly in, peck the red rocks and don't bother our berries!
I grew up with grandparents and parents who enjoyed gardening. It was a big part of our summer. Well, at that point it was a big part of their summer. Haha! I loved the fruits of their labor, but the weed pulling was not my favorite. My husband grew up the same way, so we have enjoyed passing down this life skill to our kids.
The Days of Large-Scale Gardening
About five years into our marriage, we had a HUGE garden! We had 2 high tunnel greenhouses and an acre garden. We did organic community-sponsored agriculture (CSA) shares, and boy, that was a lot of work. Our backs still tighten up thinking about it!
Dreaming of Garden Boxes
My dream is to one day have our garden contained in garden boxes. We only have a few years left with our kids at home, so I think it’s time to consider going a bit smaller. My husband and daughter built our two garden boxes, but there are multiple “containers” you can keep a garden in!
This is a large water tank similar to our baby chick brooder!
The Benefits of Container Gardening
We’ve already started experimenting with container gardening. Here are a few different containers we’re using this year:
Water Tank for Sunflowers: We have dwarf sunflowers growing in a large water tank, similar to our baby chick brooder.
Cut Flower Pots: Our daughter planted various cut flowers in about 10, 15-inch pots. She’s on a mission to have a beautiful assortment!
Mixed Flower Box: This box contains both annual and perennial flowers. I’m still deciding what to focus on in this one!
This box contains annual flowers and perennials.
Why I Love Container Gardening
I enjoy container gardening because it has several benefits:
Less weeding
Fewer pests like rabbits
It’s easier on my back
It’s more contained and organized
Of course, there are cons to container gardening. Unless you have a whole bunch of boxes or containers, you will have less produce because of the smaller space. But, if that’s what you’re after, this could be a pro too.
The Cost of Garden Boxes
Our garden boxes cost about $250 each to build, which is an upfront investment. If you’re buying garden boxes, make sure they’re good quality! Ours have lasted four years and are still going strong. Some store-bought boxes may not be as sturdy.
The Power of Chicken Compost in Gardening
Another great thing about garden boxes is that you have a place to put your great compost from all that chicken poop! Our gardens flourish now because of the rich chicken poop compost. Read all about composting and how Coop to Garden, a compost accelerator, makes composting easier!
Why Container Gardening Works for Us
Feeding our family healthy food is important to me. That’s why I started this backyard chicken journey to begin with. Gardening is a fun way to get your family involved in knowing where their food comes from. Container gardening is a great way to start as big or as small as you want.
This is the herb box my husband built for me a couple of years ago. Notice the smaller pots with other herbs growing as well! Almost any container works!
These days were so much fun! Notice the high tunnel gardens in the background. My chicken coop and current garden setup are there now!
If you have any questions on gardening, container gardening or even how we brought our kids into the journey, feel free to reach out!
Until next time,
–The Wing Lady
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