Selected work · 15 / Build & grow
Family Garden
Four raised beds, hands in the soil, and summers spent together.
When I am home from college, I often end up in the backyard. I build the beds, dig the soil, and grow food with my family—one summer and one new idea at a time.
From the first shovel to the harvest ↓
- My work
- Bed construction, digging, soil preparation, and planting
- Built so far
- Four raised garden beds
- Next chapter
- Five more beds and arching garden gates planned
Why I keep coming back
The garden gives us something to do together: my little brother, my mom, my dad, and me. I do most of the physical building and digging; my father helps when he has time. Sharing that work is as much a part of the project as what we grow.
Build · plant · tend · harvest
A growing family project.
Harvesting among the raised beds and climbing plants.
My little brother helping rake the cleared ground before the bed is filled.
My father helping with the soil in a newly assembled timber bed.
Tomatoes developing among the supports and foliage.
Okra from the garden, ready in the kitchen.
Two watermelons brought into the kitchen after growing them for the first time.
In the backyard
The garden I built with my family.
Preparing a bed, moving soil, and getting the growing space ready together.
A short build film. Open video ↗
Make a place for things to grow.
I do the physical work of making the beds, digging, and preparing the soil. The timber frames give the planting areas a defined boundary; clearing and leveling the ground comes before filling them.
The best parts are often ordinary: moving another load of soil, working beside my brother, and seeing an empty patch become a bed we can plant.
Building is only the beginning.
The photographs and film show the practical work: timber bed frames, corner and intermediate supports, soil moved by wheelbarrow, and the surface raked before planting. Once plants are in, the task changes from construction to tending them.
Try something new each season.
I have grown tomatoes, squash, pumpkins, and other vegetables and fruits. Watermelon was new for me this time. That first attempt gave me another reason to pay attention to what was happening in the garden.
The photographs capture different parts of that cycle: tomatoes on the plants, harvesting in the beds, okra in the kitchen, and the watermelons afterward.
Four beds now. More to come.
I have built four raised beds so far. I plan to add five more, along with arching garden gates. Those additions will happen as time at home allows; they are plans, not completed work.
For now, I enjoy the part that keeps bringing me outside: putting my hands in the soil, learning as I go, and spending time with my family.
Continue exploring.
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