At Rancho DeeLola, our garden is becoming one of our favorite parts of the homestead. What started with raised beds, logs, soil, and seeds is slowly turning into a productive garden filled with vegetables, herbs, flowers—and a few surprises along the way.

From Seed to Harvest

Building Our Raised Beds with Hügelkultur

We decided to use the hügelkultur method to help fill our raised garden beds. Hügelkultur uses layers of wood and other organic materials beneath the soil. As the wood slowly decomposes, it helps retain moisture while adding organic matter to the beds.

Our garden includes two 32-inch-tall Vego metal raised beds and four 26-inch-tall Vego metal raised beds. We also have three wooden raised beds that are a little wider, giving us even more growing space.

One of the things that makes these beds special is that we were able to use materials right here from Rancho DeeLola.

We gathered maple wood from our own forest and placed it in the bottom of the beds. We added smaller branches and twigs, followed by compost. The upper growing layers were filled with a mixture of topsoil, compost, and perlite.

Using wood from our own land felt like the perfect way to begin the garden—taking something already available on the property and putting it back to work to help grow food.

Herbs, Flowers & Pollinators

Not everything in our garden is about vegetables.

We created a dedicated herb garden, giving us fresh herbs just steps away from the house. We also planted a pollinator bed to attract bees, butterflies, and other beneficial pollinators.

The pollinator garden adds color and beauty, but it also serves an important purpose. Pollinators help our vegetables, fruits, flowers, and the surrounding ecosystem thrive.

Our First Harvests

Our first growing season has already given us plenty to celebrate.

We’ve planted and harvested corn, potatoes, tomatoes, and fresh herbs. There is something incredibly satisfying about walking outside, harvesting food that you grew yourself, and bringing it straight into the kitchen.

And we’re not finished yet.

We currently have three watermelons growing, and we’re patiently watching them get bigger. 🍉

Every harvest teaches us something new—what grows well, what needs more attention, what we’ll plant again, and what we’ll do differently next season.

Growing Along With the Garden

The garden at Rancho DeeLola is still a work in progress, and that’s part of what makes it special.

We’re learning as we grow.

From gathering maple logs in our own woods, to filling the raised beds, planting tiny seeds, watching pollinators arrive, and finally harvesting our own food, every step is helping us become more connected to this land.

This is only the beginning.

From seed to harvest, we’re growing more than a garden at Rancho DeeLola—we’re growing a homestead.