Modern Cottage Garden Series – Part 1: Raised Beds
Hi friends,
When we built our home over three years ago, I knew I eventually wanted to plan a garden. I was pregnant with our second daughter at the time, daydreaming about a modern cottage-style space—sturdy but stylish raised beds, rows of cut flowers, and plenty of vegetables and herbs. I pictured our kids growing up with their hands in the dirt, learning to care for the environment and grow their own food.
The modern cottage vibes I’m going for!
Around that time, I discovered Vego Garden and started digging deeper (no pun intended!). What immediately stood out to me was how thoughtfully their products are designed. Their metal raised beds are designed to last up to 20 years and come in a wide range of heights, configurations, styles, and colors—which is basically a DIYer’s dream. No matter your space or aesthetic, there’s a setup that fits. They even have an online 3D garden design tool that lets you plug in your dimensions and visualize your full layout. This was very important for giving my husband a visual, because while I’m great at dreaming big… the communication part isn’t always my strong suit.
This open area will be our fire pit!
Fast forward to now—and we’re finally making that garden vision a reality.
This post is in partnership with Vego Garden, and I’m so grateful to be working with a brand I’ve admired for years.
For Phase 1, my husband and I installed three of the 17” 10-in-1 Jumbo Novel Series beds along with two Arched Trellis Systems. And yes—I absolutely jumped the gun. It was November here in southwest Wisconsin, but with zero snow on the ground, assembling these beauties felt totally fair game (plus… they were on sale!). Starting in the fall means spring won’t be quite as hectic when it’s time to get plants in the ground.
Once assembled, we filled the bottom couple of inches with compacted lawn clippings and leaves from the yard. Then we topped them with extra dirt we saved from our initial landscaping a few years back.
This sky blue color is to die for!
In the spring, we’ll add compost and topsoil—and then it’s time for planting. I’ve already started collecting seeds: zinnias, snapdragons, marigolds, radishes, cucumbers, zucchini, carrots, bush beans, peas, and bell peppers. I’m planning to start most of them indoors this winter so the beds will be ready for thriving little plant babies once the weather cooperates.
If you’d like to start your own raised garden bed journey, shop Vego Garden and receive $10 off your order with my code: ourhappyharderhome10OFF
I can’t wait to take you along as this garden comes to life. Stick around—Phase 2 is going to be so good.
Thanks for being here,
-Sydnie