I’ve been meaning to turn a good portion of the back yard into a garden for food and food-related plants (herbs) since I moved in… 4 years ago.
So, really plan on doing it over the winter for next year so I can plant in the spring.
I’m mostly planning “easy” plants: Zuchinni, squashes, onions, carrots, potatoes, broccoli, peas, maybe cucumbers etc.
The question, though, is what’s the best way to like, do a raised bed?
Google has helpfully offered up what looks like a non-stop barrage of AI generated nonsense, but I’m figuring some sort of cement blocks for the corners and some un-treated boring white pine (or whatever’s cheapest at the local lumber yard) wood for the sides.
The questions are, I guess, is what exactly is the correct thing to buy to fill these since I’m planning on making something like 4 or 5 large raised beds and like, what extremely obvious things am I overlooking that’ll result in this being less success and more of a typical my-project-failed?
Think about adding something like vermiculite or coco coir for fluffing up the heavy clay soil.
This is outside of my raised beds: My soil is really compacted clay as well. Plants don’t build deep roots and the soil gets super water logged. I am working with straw and my own compost to kind of add some organics. I’m also using deep layers of wood chips that will eventually break down.