This Dreamy Vegetable Garden Is Packed with DIY Ideas You’ll Want to Copy

Ashlie and Tyler Thomas’s North Carolina backyard is the stuff of DIY vegetable garden dreams. Nearly everything in it—including the raised beds, trellises, and greenhouse—was built by Tyler. Ashlie, a health coach and grad student in nutritional science, starts many of the leafy greens, roots and tubers, and a whole host of fruits from seed. But when the couple started their garden a few years ago, they had almost no growing experience. Here’s how they went about building their first veggie garden from the ground up.

Credit: Hector Sanchez

Meet Ashlie

Ashlie Thomas documents her garden on Instagram (@the.mocha.gardener) and is the author of How to Become a Gardener: Find Empowerment in Creating Your Own Food Security (Cool Springs Press).

Credit: Hector Sanchez

DIY Vegetable Garden Beds

When Ashlie and Tyler started out, they had nothing but empty land. Here’s what they recommend as you start planning and building your first vegetable garden beds.

Choose a location: Before doing anything, the couple says it’s imperative to watch the sunlight. They tracked it over months to figure out where to situate their raised garden beds. That way, they could ensure their beds would get eight hours of sun a day (the recommended amount of sunlight for most vegetables and fruits).

If possible, choose an area in your yard (front or back) with a north-south orientation that will expose your crops to full sun, and is near a water source.

It also helps to sketch out your plan to get a visual and make sure tall plants don’t block the sun from shorter plants. Think also about the breadth of your plants as they grow; overcrowding will affect their growth. Add plant markers so you don’t forget what’s planted where.

Construct beds: The couple opted for raised beds over in-ground planting because they would allow them to control the many kinds of soil and dodge the root systems of the mature oaks on the property. Tyler constructed 11 raised beds out of recycled two-by-fours and fencing picket panels to save money. While Tyler has a background in construction, building your own beds is a fairly simple carpentry project.

You can use organic compost or raised bed soil, and add mulch to help control weeds and keep the soil from drying out.

Build supports: Save money—and customize your garden—by building your own trellises, like Tyler did, out of recycled wood. “Sometimes we opt for building over purchasing because we are able to customize things to our own aesthetic,” says Ashlie. The trellises allow cucumbers and other vining fruits and veggies, such as squash, small melons, and snap peas, to climb; the added air circulation discourages disease, including powdery mildew.

Credit: Hector Sanchez

Vegetables, Fruits, and Flowers

Once the beds were in place, the couple could focus on growing. With little previous gardening experience, they dove into learning and experimenting with different crops.

Tap experts: For your first growing season, Ashlie and Tyler recommend studying up. They got advice from the gardeners in their families, checked with their local agricultural extension for specific crop recommendations, and read several books on edible gardening.

Grow what you’ll eat: Start with familiar crops that you know you’ll love, says Ashlie, as well as easy ones that will help build gardening confidence. Over the years, Ashlie and Tyler’s garden has grown to include eggplants, melons, turnips, potatoes, apples, peaches, plums, elderberries, and blueberries.

Their palettes have evolved with their garden, too: “I didn’t used to like tomatoes, but I only had experience with commercial ones,” says Ashlie. Home-grown sweet ‘Sungold’ tomatoes and deeply colored ‘Cherokee Purple’ tomatoes made her a convert. Bonus: You’ll find plenty of ways to use garden-fresh tomatoes—throw them in salads or try a new recipe.

Encourage pollinators: Planting pollinator-friendly flowers, such as salvias, marigolds, and zinnias, draw bees and butterflies to the beds, where they pollinate the veggies. They also lend color and beauty to the beds.

Track your progress: Ashlie created a database to track where she plants seeds year to year, record which plants do best in which locations, and plan crop rotation to discourage disease. “This method keeps me from getting overwhelmed when it’s time to plan where to plant,” she says.

Related: 10 Easy, Fast-Growing Vegetables You Can Harvest in Almost No Time

“”You’re not just cultivating a space—you’re cultivating yourself.””

-Ashlie Thomas

Credit: Hector Sanchez

DIY Shed and Greenhouse

Beyond the raised beds, the couple increased their growing opportunities with a shed and greenhouse, as well as a space-saving planter.

Create a dual-purpose space: If you want to make your DIY vegetable garden super-functional, Ashlie and Tyler recommend a garden shed. Tyler built theirs on a budget: The shiplap siding came from Facebook Marketplace, the flooring was on sale at a hardware store, and the lighting and solar panel equipment came from Amazon. The couple splurged on full insulation, making the shed comfortable year-round, and outfitted it with an affordable IKEA sink for when Ashlie cans pickles and distills essential oils.

Go vertical: A small deck gives the shed a sense of permanence. It also holds a Green Stalk Garden vertical planter, which lets the couple grow a ton of herbs— including thyme, oregano, sweet and Thai basil, parsley, and rosemary—in a small footprint. Just-harvested herbs add color and freshness to pasta dishes and more.

Garden year-round: The couple’s most recent addition is a small store-bought greenhouse where Ashlie keeps tropical fruit plants and starts seeds in the cool months. She’s learned a few lessons about greenhouses over the years: Make sure there’s adequate ventilation, add a heater during the winter, and reinforce the framing so the structure itself can handle any storms. They thoroughly clean the space twice a year to keep mildew on the panels at bay.

Credit: Hector Sanchez

Budget-Saving Advice

“Check places like Facebook Marketplace, local lumber yards, or even the discount sections of big box stores,” recommends Ashlie. “Certain times of the year, building materials will be marked down due to excess or discontinued inventory.”

Related: The 5 Best Small Greenhouse Kits, Tested by BHG

Between the greenhouse, the shed, and the garden, the couple is able to keep gardening, learning, and sharing their experience year round. “Documenting this on Instagram allows me to keep track of the journey,” she says. “It’s a matter of being able to reflect on the process.”

Frequently asked Questions

When is the best time to water a vegetable garden?

Try to water deeply, early in the morning, so the moisture sinks into the soil and that any water that gets on the leaves will dry quickly; you want the plant foliage to dry so fungal diseases don’t develop. Avoid watering in the evening with a sprinkler or garden hose, when any water on the foliage is not likely to dry quickly.

How do you know if the soil you have is appropriate for your vegetable garden?

You can get a kit at a hardware store or garden center to determine the pH of your soil and whether to add amendments to keep your plants healthy.

What are the easiest vegetables for a first-time gardener to grow?

New gardeners will find easy success with quick-growers like leafy greens, carrots, and radishes. Cherry tomatoes can also be a great gateway crop, producing tons of fruit in the right conditions.

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