My garden is ugly. Look at those mismatched, 2x2 cedar posts sticking up at different heights. It’s disconcerting to the eye; not the norm for raised beds; and downright unsightly. All true. But, they are in my garden for a reason.

Several years ago I suffered a brain lesion (similar to a stroke). My balance and use of my left hand were seriously impaired. One young doctor told me I would have to live in an assisted living or nursing home for the rest of my life. I thought his idea sucked.

Bottom line - in this situation one has to re-design almost every aspect of life from sweeping the floor to making morning tea (unless of course you want to take the young physician’s advice). I’m sure many of you know what I’m talking about. I had loved gardening for over 40 years and was not about to give it up, hence the Post Brain Surgery, Raised Bed, Ugly Cedar Post Design was born, and integrated when I built my new raised beds.

Simply put the high, mis-matched, un-aesthetic, cedar posts help me kneel then stand up without falling. They have also turned out to be a great supports when walking, lugging sacks of compost, digging, hoeing, etc.

Based on what I’ve learned through use, I have changed my raised bed layout a couple of times. The illustration here is for my latest ugly 2x2 post design for a 4x16 raised bed. I’ll be building a couple more beds this year.

I have made this blog post for one reason and one reason only. I hope this Ugly Cedar Post “garden hack” will help someone, who finds themselves in a similar situation as mine, defeat discouragement and keep gardening.