Nicole Burke's Nashville Kitchen Garden Is Up and Growing

One year ago, my family and I moved to the Nashville, Tennessee, area, and for the first time, I got to set up my own dream kitchen garden just the way I wanted.

I get asked so many questions about the different elements of my garden that I want to include them all here in this garden tour. Let's start with my raised garden beds.

Corten Steel Raised Beds

I used a variety of sizes of the Corten steel raised garden bed kits that we have available in the Gardenary shop. These raised beds were easy to assemble with a helper, they'll last for decades, and I think they look great.

(Learn more about Corten steel.)

Large Raised Garden Beds

I have four of the large steel raised garden beds (4’ x 8’ x 16”), two in the front of my space and two in the back.

Small Raised Garden Beds

My four smaller steel raised garden beds are 40" x 40" x 14". This size raised bed is perfect for growing lots of leafy greens, bulbs, and root crops. I arranged these smaller beds in a diamond shape to create a central focal point for my bird bath.

Nicole Arch Trellises

My arch trellises have traveled all the way from Houston to Chicago to Nashville with me. These were custom made, but I was getting so many questions and comments about them that I worked to create a shippable kit that can arrive at your doorstep in just a few strong pieces and be assembled easily (without tools). These stunning arch trellises are finally ready to ship.

I know you will get decades of enjoyment from these trellises in your own kitchen garden.

Native Plant and Pollinator Garden Space

I added a space to grow native plants and pollinator-friendly flowers around my entire Nashville kitchen garden. The strip is about three feet wide, and I created it by laying down the cardboard boxes that my raised beds came in and covering the cardboard with soil lasagna-style. I then planted grasses like pink muhly, flowers like bee balm and zinnias, and herbs like germander, marigold, and anise hyssop.

The idea was to make this a butterfly and bee haven, and it worked. This area is buzzing with life!

Obelisk Trellises

Whenever I need more vertical growing space for vining plants, I add more of these wide pillar obelisk trellises to my beds. They're perfect for making the middle of square beds more accessible and doubling your available growing space.

In the picture below, I've brought some chairs out to my space for a little garden party I was hosting. You can see how I've added several obelisk trellises around the space to support the warm season plants I'd soon be growing in the garden.

Copper-Plated Plant Tags

One of the lies I used to tell myself was "I'll remember where I planted this." I finally learned better, and now I use these beautiful plant tags to help me remember where I sowed seeds for my favorite types of lettuce, carrots, and radishes. I love how the copper mirrors the warmth of the Corten steel raised beds.

Stone Bird Bath

My favorite new addition to the garden is this little bird bath in the very center. I've always wanted to have a bird bath in the garden to attract more birds, and my neighborhood birds took all of about three seconds before they made themselves right at home. Birds help with pest control and benefit your overall garden ecosystem. Specifically, birds:

• hunt for slugs, caterpillars, and other garden pests
• help with pollination as they move between plants
• add much-needed air pockets into the soil as they peck and look for grubs and slugs
• eat weed seeds that might otherwise take up space in the garden
• nourish the garden with their poop

For me, I just like to watch them play in the water. 

Steel Edging

I used steel edging to help maintain crisp lines between the kitchen garden and the native plant space. This helps distinguish the separate areas and keep materials like gravel and soil in place.

This steel edging I used in my Nashville garden was so easy to install that I added it to our Gardenary shop. It's weather-resistant and maintenance-free. It'll last for many years, unlike plastic or rubber-based edging material.

Kitchen Garden Plants

I plant my garden intensively, which basically means I pack in the plants. You can expect to find a mix of large, medium, and small plants in each raised bed. I love to add lots of herbs and colorful flowers alongside in-season root crops, fruiting plants, and veggies.

In the raised bed pictured below, purple mustard grows alongside dill, curly parsley, blue pansies, and red snapdragons (both of those flowers are edible!).

Learn How to Grow a Garden Like Mine

My second book is a step-by-step guide to growing all your favorite edible plants. Take the guesswork out of turning seeds into your favorite carrots, kale, or cherry tomatoes. Grab your copy now for access to a private tour of my garden with me!

Thanks for Touring My Garden with Me!

I invite you to pull up a chair and linger in my kitchen garden space. It has become my personal oasis, and I hope it's inspired you to imagine what you can create in your own backyard!