Reese Witherspoon’s Backyard Hack: No-Construction Garden Beds
Get to the growing part faster.
Updated Apr 12, 2023 6:14 PM
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When it comes to backyards, stock tanks are summer’s hottest accessory. But while most people have been turning the galvanized steel tubs (typically meant for feeding livestock) into swimming pools, Reese Witherspoon had other plans for her oval containers: raised garden beds. The Morning Show star shared a photo on Instagram of her youngest son, Tennessee, admiring herbs sprouting from a soil-filled stock tank. The planters are super-spacious, but, more important, they don’t require any construction.
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A 2-by-4-foot tub like Witherspoon’s costs around $115 if you source it from a traditional farm-and-tractor-supply company, but the long-term benefits far outweigh the splurge. For starters, you can just plop it down on a layer of landscape fabric and some pea gravel (no fussing around with a bunch of nails and planks of wood). Because it sits higher off the ground than a standard bed and has a solid metal base, animals can’t dig their way in from the bottom, meaning your veggies remain yours. Another pro: less weeds, according to blogger Liz Marie, whose entire garden is lined with stock tanks, giving her yard a polished, uniform look.
Ready to get growing? Take a page out of Witherspoon’s book and plant things you know you’ll want to cook with. Every morning the actor makes a smoothie that’s chock-full of greens, including romaine lettuce, spinach, and celery. That means one less trip to the grocery store.
