It all starts with a vision! Hopefully you have a plan, or at least an idea, for the functionality of your summer garden beds! A safe time to plant those summer vegetable seedlings is around tax time, and here we are! If you find the whole process a bit intimidating, I’ll try to help. Here’s the who, what, where, when & why of raised bed gardening.

WHY: The soil blend that you put into your raised bed is its most important ingredient. Many gardens fail due more to poor soil than almost anything else. Fill the beds with a mix of topsoil, compost, and other organic material, such as manure, to give your plants a nutrient-rich environment and proper drainage. In ours years ago, we used 95+, 1 cubic ft bags of topsoil, then a garden soil labeled for flowers and vegetables, which is rich in organic material to fill the top few inches. This organic material can be identified on the label as ‘processed forest products’, ‘peat humus’, ‘sphagnum peat moss’ or ‘composted poultry manure’ or simply as ‘compost’. Two more key terms are ‘earthworm castings’, which increase water retention in soil and improve soil aeration, and ‘bone meal’ – to increase phosphorus.

HOW: First, if your beds are deep, fill the bottom with logs, large limbs, or unused bags of concrete to take up space. You’ll save a ton of money not using all topsoil! To prepare your soil for planting, spread any needed amendments like compost and work them into the soil. Avoid stepping on freshly tilled soil so as to not compact it. Then rake the surface smooth and water thoroughly.

WHEN: Soon! But allow the bed to rest several days before you plant so that the soil amendments can do their work.

WHAT (for a 4x8 bed):

o 4 bags (2 cubic feet each) topsoil (Put at the lowest level)

o 2 pails (3 cubic feet each) coconut coir to improve drainage *optional*

o 2 bags (2–3 cubic feet each) compost (I’ve accumulated coffee grinds, egg shells and other kitchen waste) or composted cow manure

o 2-inch layer of shredded leaves or grass clippings (grass clippings should be herbicide and fertilizer-free)

o Look on garden soil bag labels for bone meal *if* you lack phosphorus, and earthworm castings, which improve water retention.

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