Built my first raised bed and it actually worked

I was at my neighbor's place in Boise last fall and saw how he set up his garden. He had these simple 4x8 foot beds with a mix of topsoil and compost. I copied his plan this spring and just pulled my first real harvest, about 15 pounds of tomatoes and zucchini. It felt like a huge win after my past tries with just planting in the ground failed. The soil in the bed stays loose and drains way better. Has anyone else found that a simple raised bed made a big difference for them?

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3 Comments

sethc146mo ago

Ever thought about testing your soil to see exactly what it needs?

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julia_patel6mo ago

Soil tests are great but they only tell you what's in the dirt, not what's actually available to the plants. The pH can lock up nutrients even if a test says they're there. You could dump a ton of fertilizer based on a test and the plants still can't use it. Getting the pH right first changes everything.

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derekward6mo ago

That's awesome, congrats on the harvest. One small thing to watch for next year is that tomatoes and zucchini are both heavy feeders. They might have used up a lot of the nutrients in that fresh soil mix. Adding some compost or a light fertilizer halfway through the season can keep them producing strong.

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