Conversation is swirling around a 16-second TikTok video that depicts garden consultant Nicole Burke’s amazing year-long transformation of a backyard that started out as turfgrass but ended up as a 100-square-foot raised bed garden overflowing with vegetables and sitting on a white gravel surface. With grocery prices remaining stubbornly high, the video and ensuing conversation are timely. Most TikTok commenters have high praise for the transformation — many calling it a “dream” garden or a “garden glow-up” — but some have critiques, and many have questions, which have largely gone unanswered. Commenters wonder how Nicole keeps out invaders, like deer, rabbits, raccoons, rats, mice, and ants. Others want to know what soil Nicole used. Some ask about where she bought components of the garden, such as arched trellises that connect the raised beds.
Commenters question what watering system is used with this garden, whether the design would work in a sloped yard, what’s planted in the beds, what happens to the garden in the winter, what kind of pest control is used, rationale for the gravel base, whether the white gravel gets dirty, and if there’s a liner under it. Several commenters ask for pros and cons of the layout of the garden, a great question because so many layouts are possible, such as these 20 designs for raised garden beds.
A commenter asks how long the wood for the raised bed is likely to last, and it’s true that wooden raised garden beds have disadvantages gardeners should know about. Durability depends on the wood used, and based on wood type they can last between a few years and a decade.
Create a raised-bed garden to grow your own produce
Answers to some questions about the transformation are suggested in a slightly longer video about a similar raised bed garden. Several commenters want to know the dimensions of the beds and garden. The full plot for the garden is 30 feet x 10 feet, with 3-foot-wide pathways. The raised beds are 2.5 feet wide, 7 feet long, and 2 feet tall, providing 18 square feet of growing space.
The topic getting the most comments focuses on the cost of the project, with commenters sharing that it was likely expensive, based on their own experience. One notes that it’s pricey, but pays off in the long run because of the bountiful produce that results. Others suggest less expensive materials that could have been used, such as cardboard on the ground instead of gravel (which would have looked shabby compared to the videoed garden), and cinder blocks with wooden slats for the raised beds. Critiques of the transformed garden include opinions that the design wastes space and could have accommodated more raised beds. One commenter envisions the garden with a greenhouse around it and a fruit tree in the middle. A couple of commenters suggest a water feature.
The video clearly has inspired its 270 commenters, with many posting that it’s their goal to have a garden like this. “Is it too soon for this year’s vision board?” one commenter asks. Find information on raised bed soil, pest control, design, materials, and more in the ultimate guide to starting a raised bed garden. Maybe you too will be inspired to invest in a raised bed vegetable garden that will pay off in produce you don’t have to buy.
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