compost always settles or compost further so you need to top off the beds after every harvest OR keep adding enough mulch to break down further to maintain volume adding coffee grounds or dried grass clippings (herbicide free) as mulch will help retain moisture once the soil warms when tulip petals fall in western WA we don't have your heat, but we do have dry summers. your raised beds will warm more quickly than clay soil, so congrates for the mixture over time it just gets better & better if you keep adding compost we have to add lime yearly because of acidic soils & rain that leaches it out ask around what other raised bed gardeners do in your immediate area - that is most helpful to you What works here for us with small raised beds 1. check soil temps affects what germinates now more than soil mix later planted seeds catchup with early, so no rush until soil is at least 40 degrees (it's hard to wait when you want a garden now!) 2. grow what you love to eat or want to try to disguise in family meals because it's good for us (kale & swiss chard are grown here for those reasons) 3. plan for succession of crops & 3 season or almost year round growing spring planted: peas, lettuces, green onions from sets followed by summer warm weather vegs (trellis to save space & improve fruit quality or picking ease) save some space for midsummer plantings of fall & winter harvested crops 4. protect from pests such as: slugs, rabbits, deer?, dogs, cats, balls/frisbees... great ideas on SFG forum for cages (doesn't have to cover entire bed, just what you need to protect netting propped up with sticks covered by upturned water bottles/jugs upturned clear totes 2 windows as a tent or wire covered frames lots of creative options out there & something to keep you busy when you can't yet plant the garden Enjoy a productive gardening season! Corrine

I, too, plant even more than you--- 12 plants in a 4 x 6 bed. That's only 2 sq feet per plant, but it works. It works because my soil is dug very deeply (18") It is heavily composted, and I am religious about tying them up in a basket weave pattern of support (google it). Yes, it is a jungle by the end of the season, but I can reach everything, and my tomatoes are never sunscalded because there is more than enough shade from all the leaves!! Gardening is about experimenting with what works for you! You have had advice from both sides of the aisle on this one, so plant them, and then you will know how comfortable you are doing the same thing next year!!

Would you really want anything to grow between the roses? Perhaps in a controlled area in front of the roses, leaving the area between and around them open mulch might be better for clean-up, pruning, dead heading, etc. My experience with ground covers and such around and between the bases of the roses hasn't made me a great fan of them. They tend to compete for resources and too frequently grow more densely in the planting holes, blocking air and light to the crowns or bud unions of the bushes. Pulling them out from around prickly unions is not something I care to do again! Lantana and verbena make long growth which can flood the bases and aren't fun to pull out of them. You might consider planting your ground cover and other companions in front of the roses as a 'skirt' or border, and leaving the soil around and between them well mulched to make clean-up and maintenance easier. If you must have that soil covered and if it grows well there, try plain old alyssum. Easy to pull, self seeds (here) making replacement unnecessary, available in white through lavender and dark purple, fragrant and very little competition for the roses. Kim

No, Ken, you did not miss that. That is why I posted this query. The western side of my backyard is shaded by the neighbor's mulberry tree on the other side of my new fence, so the cedar beds on that side will be populated by hostas, heucheras, and painted ferns. The two L-shaped corner beds at the back 2 corners of the backyard will be planted with one dwarf crape myrtle in the large 4 x 4' section, plus various sun perennials in the two arms. The middle sections in the back of the backyard will be left fallow this year and have veggies planted next year. The cedar beds on the eastern side of the backyard will feature one small shrub in the middle, flanked by various sun perennials and maybe some annuals. So far, I have a dwarf buddleia for one bed, a Candy Corn dwarf spirea for another, and a Firepower dwarf nandina for yet another eastern bed. I also got some echinacea plants and other sun loving perennials, although I probably need to buy more to fill the beds.