You mention your lawn was dead when you converted it to garden. Any idea what killed it? Or did you have a green lawn and just turn it under or spray it with glyphosate (glyphosate will leave no residues to harm what you have planted, but other herbicides may)? I ask because if the lawn was already dead, whatever killed it could be affecting what you have planted. Low soil nitrogen will not prevent your seeds from germinating, although after they come up it will certainly stunt their growth. The classic symptom of lack of nitrogen in a growing plant is yellowing and dying leaves on the lower parts of the plant while the top/newest leaves remain green Corn is an excellent indicator plant because the symptoms show up so clearly. Legumes such as peas and beans show much less problem because they host bacteria that will manufacture the nitrogen--if the bacteria are present on the seed or in the soils when planting. What you have described of your plants suggests a couple things to check out. First, your symptoms are consistent with herbicide damage. If it is herbicide, the wide range of seeds you have planted suggest it may be broad spectrum, soil active which may be wearing off. If this is the cause, time and heavy watering will take care of the problem. Second, the symptoms would be consistent with excess salt in the soil. Seeds often don't germinate well and die of drouth after coming up because the salt prevents the plants from absorbing water. However, I have found peas to be highly sensitive to salt compared to some of the other things you planted, so if they are doing well it may not be salt. Third, your problems are consistent with lack of moisture. Fluctuating soil moisture can result in poor germination and stunted or slow growing plants. Stick your finger into the soil going in a couple inches every day or two for a week and make sure the soil is moist all the way down. You don't want it waterlogged, but you don't want it dry. You might also take a shovel and check down 6-8 inches and make sure there is moisture there. If you water frequently for short intervals with a sprinkler, the surface could be getting wet but not soaking in deeply enough to provide the plants with what they need. I would suggest searching further for a soil testing lab. There have got to be a number of them in Calif. and Arizona with their huge ag production. The county extension service should be able to point you to a lab. Otherwise, do a search in the yellow pages for soil testing and search the net. It doesn't have to be nearby, although I think it is better if the lab serves an area with similar soils to you (warm, arid). All that is needed for a test is about a pint of soil, it can be shipped quite easily, and the basic test usually costs around $20 or less. A test will fill you in on your nitrogen levels and your salt levels. If your salt level comes back above 4 (listed as EC or mmhos), some plants will have problems, and above 6 will really cause problems. Good Luck

Jefferson, I think your plans are well thought out and very reasonable. If you are new to gardening, starting on a smaller scale makes good sense and regardless of the condition of your soil, raised bed planting offers a number of advantages. It is quite possible to purchase and import a decent quality soil for your needs. It is done all over the country all the time and why it seems to consistently pose issues for some members of this forum is a constant source of wonder to me. If you live anywhere close to an urban or well-populated suburban area, you should be easily able to locate landscape supply companies that deal in bulk soil products. The majority of these offer quite decent products that will fill your needs. As soilguy has suggested, look for a 3 way planting mix rather than just asking for 'topsoil' - 3 way mixes typically have some sort of organic matter incorporated in them (composted yard waste, composted manures, etc.). For 3 4x4 beds you'll need somewhere around 2-3 cubic yards of soil, depending on the depth of the beds. In my area, 3 way planting soil goes for around $25-28 per cy delivered, so you should be looking at somewhere less than $100 for this project, maybe a lot less if you have the ability to pick up the soil yourself. As to the ant control product, I'd not be overly concerned for several reasons: it is the same product (active ingredient) that is used in Frontline flea control on our pets, the active ingredient has a relatively short soil half-life (it is effectively dissipated by soil organisms), it is not significantly translocatable to plant tissue, so you won't be eating the residue in any measurable concentration and the raised beds pretty much negate any direct contact with the chemical anyway. I'd certainly avoid any new applications to the area you intend for the planting beds just to be on the safe side.

The E/W or N/S orientation question has been discussed over and over with nothing resolved so do what works best for you. Same with the soil issue. I use native soil and amend with pasteurized cow manure which can be purchased at a big box store. I add about 4-6 inches of fill, a layer of manure and dig that into the original soil. I than add about 4-6 of fill, a layer of manure and mix that well and continue until the bed is full. This has worked well for me. Good luck and happy gardening.

This is very similar to the situation that I had last summer. Same era and type of houses. My neighbors (whose garage was only 1 foot from the shared property line, and only 12 feet from my house) wanted to build a 2nd story onto the garage, and extend the structure both in front and in back (which would have brought the rear corner to within just a few inches of the line since their house did not sit square on the property). I had also had some difficulty with them because of trash issues but tried not to let that influence my feelings about the addition. So, I also was concerned about the loss of light and having a view of only the side of their house rom the dining, living and 2 bedrooms (they are close now, but with the garage placement I do get light and see sky and trees). I wasn't sure it would be putting that side of the house in constant shade, but it seemed like it would and I was concerned. This neighbor told me that I shouldn't care because in another, newer suburb, the houses were all constructed like that (which could be why I don't live in that suburb). . I wrote a letter to the board in charge of the zoning variance permit and simply told them why I was concerned. I did not come out and say that I was opposed but had these concerns. The board did take that as an objection and had quite a discussion at the meeting (I read the minutes later). One board member pointed out that although they may think that they will be there a long time, they possibly won't but the changes would affect my house forever and perhaps my home's marketability. They did not approve the variance, the neighbor blamed me, but he chose to sell in order to get the bigger house that they needed. Turns out though, that the addition would have violated state fire code (too close to the property line) and could not have been approved anyway. I have very nice neighbors now, very glad that I didn't have to find out if my fears were founded or not. You have more room between your houses; I wonder if there is a way to figure out if the proposed addition would block much light?