Starting Raised Beds - backyard gardening-

Raised Beds for Vegetables and Flowers

"When life gives you lemons, you make lemonade!"
Two years ago when we started building our home; we dumped the backfill where I wanted to have a vegetable garden.
We used some of the fill to backfill around the foundation; had lots of it taken away and we still have tons of it leftover.
After spending thousands of dollars for the privilege of giving away my backfill, I decided that it had to be something that I could use it for.

Meanwhile, every year that I spend thinking about it, it is another year that I don't get to plant or harvest anything.

So, one morning I looked at the "wannabe vegetable garden" and said, " self, what do you want to do with this space?"
Self said, "I want a vegetable garden with raised beds!"
Then I go "that's it!"

Why give away my backfill, when I just have to buy more soil to build-up my raised beds?
The backfill must be filled with nutrients, because whatever I plant, it just grows.
I planted "garlic" and you wouldn't believe the size of the bulbs that I dug up in the summer.
I didn't even water the poor little things.


Basically, I'm doing like Amelia did on the video below, but with my own improvisions.
I don't have "sheep wool". :)
I'm going to use cardboard, newspapers and straw as mulch on my raised beds.
I'm also adding compost and grit.
My raised flower beds; will have borders, but not the vegetable garden.
This is the first time that I'll have a vegetable garden that I can grow it all free and open.
Somehow a garden with boxed in corn, just doesn't look right.
Also, there's the issue of chemicals leaching into your soil from various woods and plastics.
I hope I can keep it up. I think my biggest problem will be the wild life.

I still have too much backfill and so when the soil warms up, it's time to get my wheelbarrow out and spread the backfill somewhere else.
Hope you come back and check on my progress. :)