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Garden Makeover: Before, During and After

By: Angela Judd | Updated: April 20, 2026

The raised beds we made when we first started a garden in 2009 are falling apart, and it is time for a garden makeover.

When we moved into this home in 2008, one of the first things I did was start a garden. We finally had room, and I’d always wanted a garden. I read “Square Foot Gardening” by Mel Bartholomew and went to Home Depot to have them cut the wood for 4’x4′ (1.2m x 1.2m) beds. I used the least expensive untreated pine. My son and I assembled the beds, and my gardening journey began.

Three raised garden beds with grid dividers, growing various plants alongside a house on gravel ground. — May 2009

Three raised garden beds with various green plants growing beside a house on a gravel-covered ground. — June 2009

Fast forward 12 years. The garden beds produced pounds and pounds of food and have served me well, but are falling apart. It is time for a garden makeover in this area of my garden.

Raised garden bed with a square grid, small green plants, and wood chip mulch surrounding the area. — March 2021

Key Takeaways: Garden Makeover

The garden makeover is necessary as the old raised beds are falling apart after 12 years of use.
Before the makeover, I reevaluated the space, considering sunlight, walkways, and the addition of a garden shed.
I planned to use Deep Root Raised Beds and maneuver them to maximize space while salvaging some plants like asparagus.
During the makeover, we removed old beds, assembled new ones, and improved the irrigation system for better plant care.
After the garden makeover, I learned valuable lessons about soil selection and planting proximity to trees.

What We’ll Cover:

Garden Makeover: Before, During & After
1. Garden Makeover (Before): Reevaluate space
2. Garden Makeover (Before): Make a plan and obtain supplies
3. Garden Makeover (During): Carry out plan
4. Garden Makeover (After): Evaluate

Garden Makeover: Before, During & After

1. Garden Makeover (Before): Reevaluate space

I’ve learned a few things since I first added these beds. Now that I have the chance to start over, I will do a few things differently. It’s like remodeling a house you already lived in. I knew what I liked about the space and what needed to change.

Four raised garden beds with various vegetables and flowers growing, surrounded by gravel. — October 2009

Raised garden beds with green plants growing in a neatly organized, gravel-covered backyard garden. — October 2009

Things I considered before making a plan for this garden makeover:

This area doesn’t get a lot of sunlight and the gardens aren’t as productive as the other areas of the yard. However, the partial shade is an advantage for some plants in the warmer months.

We need a wider walkway on one of the sides. Having the beds right in the middle didn’t give us quite enough room.

Trash bins lined up against a beige wall in a mulched outdoor area with trees in the background.

I’d like to maximize the open area at the end of the garden to add a garden shed.

Raised wooden garden bed with green herbs growing, surrounded by bark mulch on the ground. — March 2021

My early beds were only 6 inches (15 cm) tall; this wasn’t deep enough.

2. Garden Makeover (Before): Make a plan and obtain supplies

I’ve loved the Deep Root Raised Beds from Gardener’s Supply that I have in other areas of my garden and knew I wanted to add those. I already had Garden Grids from Garden in Minutes for this area, so I wanted to keep the bed sizes the same and use the existing grids.

Raised garden beds with young vegetable plants growing in neat rows, surrounded by trees and a wooden bench.

The plan for the garden makeover included doing the following:

A wooden garden bed frame, part of a garden makeover, is partially filled with soil. A small green plant stands proudly at the center, while gardening tools and mulch surround the frame.

Move the beds closer to the house to maximize the sunlight and create a wider path in the garden.

The plan is for the new beds to be 2 feet (61 cm) away from the house and 2 feet (61 cm) apart.
This allows for just over 3 feet (91 cm) on the opposite side for a wider pathway.

Three green and red birds eating seeds from a sunflower behind a wire fence in a green garden.

Line up the first bed with my kitchen window – I love planting sunflowers in this bed and watching the birds through the window.

A lush vegetable and herb garden with raised beds and wood chip paths between them. — October 2016

Decrease the beds by one, and move them closer to the front of the garden to maximize the space at the back of the garden to eventually add a shed.

Wooden raised garden bed with green herbs growing, surrounded by brown wood mulch. — March 2021

Hopefully salvage some plants, especially the asparagus. Move the asparagus to an area with more sunlight in another part of the yard.

Supplies needed:

3 4×4 Deep Root Raised Beds.
1 4×6 Deep Root Raised Bed.
1/2″ poly tubing fittings to attach the Garden Grids.
Growing in the Garden Raised Bed Mix to fill the beds.

Wooden raised garden bed frame assembled on a concrete surface, viewed from above.

3. Garden Makeover (During): Carry out plan

Weathered wooden planks stacked beside a garden bed with leafy plants and flowers growing nearby.

Demo day was a lot less dramatic than I had imagined. The beds literally fell apart with just a little help from me.

Once the old beds were removed and I took out the Garden Grids, it was time for the makeover to begin.

Person assembling a wooden raised garden bed on a concrete surface with tools and packaging nearby.

My son helped me put together the new Deep Root Raised Beds from Gardener’s Supply. It’s important to put the beds together on a level surface to ensure the beds are level.

Rustic potting bench with potted flowers, metal containers, and plants, next to a Fresh Cut Flowers sign.

We transferred plants to a holding area until they could be replanted.

Gloved hand holding a bundle of bare roots with soil attached, ready for planting.

The asparagus roots were dug up and moved to a different part of the yard that will receive more sunlight.

A wooden raised garden bed being leveled with an orange spirit level on top of the soil.

We pushed back the bark and put the first bed in place, transferring the soil from the old location into the new bed once it was in place and leveled.

Raised garden beds and lush green plants beside a house, with soil and gardening tools visible.

We put the beds in place one by one, leveling and measuring each time.

A black plastic tub filled with a tangled mass of brown plant roots and soil. — The citrus roots we removed from in and around one of the old beds

One bed had a surprising amount of roots from the neighbor’s lemon tree. (No guilt about using those lemons that hang over the fence now!) Those roots eventually came back and filled the bed, so I installed a root barrier along the side yard to keep them out.

A wooden raised garden bed frame with soil and a plastic hoop for plant support.

We added 1/2″ tubing into each bed (they will connect to the Garden Grids) and buried the tubing between each bed.

Person dumping soil from a wheelbarrow into a raised garden bed next to green plants in a garden.

We filled up the beds with Growing in the Garden Raised Bed Mix from Arizona Worm Farm.

Raised garden beds with wooden frames and black grid covers, surrounded by lush green plants and flowers, offer a fresh garden makeover. A vine climbs a trellis on a nearby wall, with garden signs visible. Mulch covers the ground between the beds.

I reinstalled the Garden Grids, but the pressure was off (too much pressure at the beginning, but not enough at the end of the line).

A hand holds a phone displaying a smart garden app over a raised garden bed with plants and drip irrigation.

Because of the water pressure issue, we had to run a direct line to each bed. We ended up adding an additional valve to the sprinkler box, and now I can turn on the Garden Grids and program them from my phone.

Now for the fun part! I replanted the herbs that were in the old beds and added new plants and seeds and mulch to the beds.

A raised garden bed with herbs, small pots, plant markers, a hand trowel, and a watering wand.

4. Garden Makeover (After): Evaluate

Wooden raised garden beds with young plants and a black drip irrigation system next to a mulch path.

This garden makeover was a much anticipated and enjoyed project. I’m really happy with how everything turned out. Throughout this process I learned the following things:

One of the garden beds had a surprising amount of roots. I will be more careful planting trees near beds in the future. When roots do invade garden beds, check out this guide on how to keep tree roots out of raised beds.

I wish that I had tested and redone the Garden Grids before filling the beds. Then the irrigation tubing (which connects to the Garden Grids) would not be on the outside of the bed.

The premixed soil from Arizona Worm Farm was a game changer; it made filling the beds so simple. In the past, my soil was always mixed together by hand.

A neatly organized raised wooden garden bed, part of the recent garden makeover, is filled with soil and small seedlings. Black labels identify the plants, including lisianthus. The bed is supported by black metal brackets and surrounded by bark mulch ground cover.

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