GARDEN SURROUNDINGS: Happy New Year In The Garden

k-england
4 days ago
4 min read

By Francesca Filanc, for Let’s Talk Plants! January 2026.

WOW! Can you believe that it is already 2026?

The new year is a time of renewal spiritually, physically, and can be a new beginning. Many people enjoy writing New Year’s resolutions. I happen to be one of those who enjoys writing down my thoughts from the last year and what I want to accomplish in the new year. But I notice as I get older that it’s more my spiritual thoughts moving forward, but the old adage of exercise and diet routines after the holidays is still true for many people, including myself.

My daughter Yvette is visiting over the holidays, and I decided that I wanted to start walking again. My exercise of choice for many years has been swimming every day. I’ve had some health issues that have precluded me from walking as exercise for the last few years.

Oprah, speaking to a large Church congregation said,

“We don’t get what we want in life; We get what we believe.”

I have been using this mantra in regard to my health and on that note, I have missed vegetable gardening for many years because I didn’t have raised beds at this property and I have had to depend on others to do the gardening.

I love to garden, and I love having my hands in the soil. Being in nature, hearing the birds sing, hands in the soil… Nothing is better in my opinion.

Friends of mine have amazing, raised vegetable planters that they bought from Gardener's Supply Company online a few years ago.

My friends' elevated vegetable garden beds.

I have been wanting raised beds for years, so, a year ago I talked to a company that could do everything I wanted but they are older now and said it was too much for them to accomplish. Then this December 2025 I tried to buy the raised boxes online like my friends did but they were backordered.

My friend texted me one day,

“Guess what Francie? I was just at Home Depot, and they have raised beds very like the ones I bought online!”

I was thrilled, got some, and had them put together, filled with soil and put on drip. Part of what I was going through is that I don’t have the right spot for them in any area of my back garden. The spot that used to be the vegetable garden is too shady since the volunteer fig has gotten quite large and has been joined by a volunteer avocado. A place around my pool would look lovely with them but the landscaper told me it would be bad for the brick patio.

I poured through many of the books that I have on vegetable gardening. The Art of French Vegetable Gardening by Louisa Jones is a beautiful book that I was given as a gift years ago by a dear friend. This book is at the ready to browse through and look at the beautiful photos. I googled and found ‘InspiringRaisedBedIdeas!//GardenAnswer’ on YouTube with lots of ideas.

Inspiring Raised Bed Ideas! – Garden Answer

I also googled vegetable gardens in the front yard. My nephew and his family live in Portland, Oregon, and when I went up there, I noticed many people vegetable garden in their front yards, and it looks so beautiful seeing vegetables all the way up to the street. After all my research, I chose to put three raised bed vegetable boxes on my front lawn and a fountain that I ordered from a local nursery. The fountain arrived and what an exciting time it was while they set it up in my front yard. I had teak furniture in the former vegetable garden area that I brought out so that I could eat meals out there and enjoy being in the raised vegetable garden.

All excited with the anticipation of the family coming for Christmas, I bought vegetables and brought them home and what a joy it was planting them in the new beds filled with the proper organic soil for raised beds. The gardening joy continued until almost dark when I was able to enjoy eating an early dinner at the teak table surrounded by vegetables and the sound of the fountain.

It is so easy for me to go out my front door and go over to the vegetable garden and pick herbs and vegetables to cook with for breakfast, lunch or dinner. I can also pick herbs and put them on my plate. I can see the vegetables and the fountain outside the kitchen window, and the birds are coming in, loving the fountain and sitting above the boxes.

When the family arrived, it was fun for them to go out and see all the vegetables that I planted in the boxes and when they leave, I will have this joy continue all year through.

As well as my swimming that I do every day, I am walking every morning, a little bit more and more, and it has been so much fun having the family here and walking with Yvette in the mornings with the dogs.