Planting for the Season with Rooted Garden

Having my own kitchen garden has been a dream of mine since we bought our first home. Now don’t get me wrong, i don’t have much of a green thumb but I saw my mom planting her own herbs and veggies growing up and that’s always something I wanted to give to my son and family. Last year I attempted to build my very own raised kitchen garden bed and it was such a rewarding experience. Read about it here. Sadly, the vegetables didn’t produce the way I expected them to and I quickly gave up after that first planting season.

This Spring, I had the opportunity to work with a local gardening company called Rooted Garden and they were just what I needed to rekindle my gardening spirit. Nicole from Rooted Garden started her company in 2015 that designs, installs, and maintains kitchen gardens throughout the center of the great Houston, TX. For gardening newbies like myself, this is the perfect solution for getting my hands dirty in the garden (pun intended).

From the very beginning, Rooted Garden was a breeze to work with. We had our initial consult in my backyard where their garden consultant scoped out my old raised bed and saw the space in my yard for an additional raised bed. We discussed what my goals were with the space and she got back to me in a few days with a design proposal. Here’s what we decided on:

• replant my old garden bed with seasonal plants and add healthy topsoil
• install a new 10×3′ cedar raised bed with 2 trelisses
• gravel surround for the new bed
• drip irrigation for both beds

Install day came and I watched the Rooted Garden team work their magic in my backyard. The project manager went over the process with me as their skilled landscapers measured and perfected the raised bed install. We had previously discussed the gravel color to complement the existing gravel in my yard.

Once the hard part of building and installing the bed was done, local, nutrient-dense soil was poured in for all the veggies to grow in. The Rooted Garden consultant brought in local, organic plants that I had requested. She followed companion planting principles as well as an intensive gardening layout to create a luscious, full garden. Plant labels were added along with an automatic drip irrigation line to make watering these babies a breeze.

Here is a list of vegetables and herbs we planted, yes, in ONE garden bed!:

• arugula
• lettuce varieties
• sage
• dill
• parsley
• cilantro
• chives
• oregano
• thyme
• fennel
• bak choy
• tomato varieties
• green pole beans
• radishes
• bell peppers
• jalapeno peppers
• pollinating flowers

These pictures were taken the day of planting but since then, the garden has grown so much! I have harvested salads and fresh herbs with my son Zaki and it’s already become one of our favorite spots in our home.

If you’ve been on the fence about hiring a garden consultant, this is your sign – Rooted Garden is an absolutely amazing resource for not only Houston area residents but they also provide virtual gardening classes via their sister company, Gardenary. Head on over to Gardenary and Rooted Garden to see how you can grow your own beautiful kitchen garden wherever you are!