Coffee
The Morning I Stopped Rushing Past Coffee
One hot August morning I left a full mug behind to get a head start on the beds, and the small, ordinary…
August 12, 2026Coffee, soil, and slow weekends.
Coffee & Garden Beds
Written by Marion Ellis
Latest
Where the Water Was Actually Coming From
A puddle sat between two beds for two days after a storm. I blamed the beds, then regraded the wrong stretch of path. Standing outside in the rain…
Weekend Builds
Did the New Drill Actually Change Anything
After years of getting by with an old corded drill, I finally bought a cordless one for these weekend projects. Here is…
August 7, 2026Coffee
All Coffee ›
Coffee With Theo on the Patio
Most Sunday mornings Theo and I sit on the patio with coffee and the beds in front of…
July 10, 2026
The Cold Coffee Morning That Got Derailed
What should have been a quick coffee and a look at the beds turned into a two hour…
June 7, 2026
Coffee First, Then the Yard Work
One Saturday I skipped my usual sit-with-coffee routine to get ahead of the heat, and the rushed hour…
May 1, 2026Fixes
All Fixes ›
Leveling a Bed That Tilted After a Wet Spring
A wet spring settled the ground under one corner of a bed until it leaned badly. A quick…
July 17, 2026
Something Was Digging Into the Bed at Night
Something kept digging into one corner of a bed overnight. A loose mesh cover did nothing. Here is…
June 14, 2026
Catching Rot at the Bottom Board Before It Spread
My thumb sank straight into the bottom board of our oldest bed while I was weeding. Sealing it…
May 7, 2026Weekend Builds
All Weekend Builds ›
The Potting Bench I Built From Whatever Was Left Over
I put together a potting bench out of leftover boards from three years of projects, including one crooked…
July 4, 2026
The Trellis That Wouldn’t Stand Up Straight
I added a small trellis to one raised bed for the vining plants and spent more time fighting…
June 2, 2026
What I’d Actually Buy If I Built These Beds Again
Six years in, our raised beds have taught me more about wood choice than any buying guide did.…
April 27, 2026Soil & Compost
All Soil & Compost ›
I Tried Mixing My Own Soil Instead of Buying Bags, and I Wouldn’t Do It Again
I spent a whole weekend digging and sifting yard soil and compost to fill a bed myself, expecting…
August 1, 2026
What I Actually Noticed After Years of Composting Coffee Grounds
I believed coffee grounds were some kind of secret ingredient for compost before I started saving them. After…
June 27, 2026
The Simple Drainage Test I Do Before Filling a New Bed
A bucket sized hole and a garden hose is all it takes to check drainage before filling a…
May 24, 2026Raised Beds
All Raised Beds ›
If I Started Over, I’d Change the Layout, Not the Beds
Six years and four beds later, I finally stood back and looked at the whole yard at once…
July 29, 2026
Choosing Bed Height When Your Knees Aren’t What They Used to Be
I built our first beds low, the way most guides suggest, without thinking about what kneeling on hard…
June 21, 2026
Lining a Raised Bed Against Burrowing Critters
I found a tunnel running straight under one of our beds and realized I'd never lined the bottom…
May 17, 2026
About
Marion Ellis
Coffee & Garden Beds is written by Marion Ellis. Everything here comes from actual use, written up honestly, including the things that did not work.
More about this site ›Recent
- I Tried Mixing My Own Soil Instead of Buying Bags, and I Wouldn’t Do It Again
- If I Started Over, I’d Change the Layout, Not the Beds
- Leveling a Bed That Tilted After a Wet Spring
- Coffee With Theo on the Patio
- The Potting Bench I Built From Whatever Was Left Over
- What I Actually Noticed After Years of Composting Coffee Grounds
- Choosing Bed Height When Your Knees Aren’t What They Used to Be
- Something Was Digging Into the Bed at Night