I am definately not planting until next spring, which is why I am getting started now, so that I am ready. My plan so far goes a little something like this: I am thinking of building a landscape timber border, to provide boundries, neatness, and most of all, a foundation to install fencing. I mainly have problems with rabbits, but also have some chipmunks, and the occasional ground squirrel, but they are rare. I usually trap the chipmunks and relocate them to the woods a couple miles away, because the tunnel in the yard too much. Anyways, I plan to set the landscape timbers a bit below grade, and go two layers. From there I will anchor posts for chicken fencing, which will remain permanent. I'll make removable fence panels for access. Once the border is finished, I'll kill the lawn by solarizing it with clear construction plastic. I plan to build a compost bin of some sort, so I will have a batch of compost ready to work in come spring time. I'm also considering mixing in a bit of partially decomposed pine bark fines, to drop the pH a bit. I'm going to buy a bow rake too, for obvious reasons, and one of those tine tillers that you push in and twist, so I can bust up the top and work in my compost. I am pretty siked to get this garden ready for next year, because I'm sick of screwing with containers. Thanks for the tips so far, and please feel free to add any more stuff to my plan, or point out anything that is not necessary if there is a better idea. Joe

Thanks for the clarification, flatlander. I think that makes sense. I am learning a bit about varios "mixes" since I've been hanging out over on the container forum a lot for my potted citrus and blueberries. I am in Northern California and we have pretty decent nutrient rich clay soil here that my mom insists will be great if I just tilled in some organic material to uncompact it. Unfortunately, in the 10 years we've been here we've done 2 rather large remodels (siding, windows, etc), so I have some slight fears of possible lead contamination there. But also, the guy that lived here for 30+ years before us was a professional jeweler who did a lot of his work here in his hobby room, and I am more suspicious that he may have dumped his used materials in places on the property. I dunno... maybe stuff like lead or arsenic or mercury... not sure what else jewelers use to refine their stuff but he had a great hobby room full of drawers. Our first day owning this place we turned out every single drawer hoping to find a stash of diamonds but only found a single little nugget of gold. Anyway... for those reasons, I'm a bit skittish of using our native soil. So if the main difference is just the planting mix, I think I can get behind this. Thanks!

I started slowly but didn't know about SFG or really what the outcome would be. I thought I was making raised beds - first 1, then another, then another, then found out about SFG. Most all are 4x4 a few a slightly longer. Some are made of 1" thick wood, most 5-6" high. But being only 4ft, I don't notice any warping problem. The good thing - I can make them in the garage and easily carry them to the garden. ALL are frames simply placed on the ground. Since it is getting late I will be brief, and say only if you are making "frames", as I did when starting out they don't really need to be 12-18" high. What I didn't realize - unless you have sun directly overhead and/or fill your frames completely with soil - you will likely find that the frame will shade your seedlings until they can peek over the edge of the frame. If you make them 4-5" high you can add (stack) another frame on top of the current frame to make it deeper when you add soil or compost. I have another post on this forum where I detailed how I made my frames. I am a firm believer in using whatever you have access to or "on hand". If you have to spend money - it adds to the Cost of Gardening (CoG). Get creative - there are NO rules, only guidelines. Think outside the box - just do NOT step in it. Me - I have to think outside cuz they won't let me in the box. Whatever YOU decide - Best of Luck, GumbyCT Here is a link that might be useful: Borders for Bed Gardening

SCgirl, I used untreated 2x12 lumber and heavy duty deck screws, and the bed dimensions are 4x8 feet. For each bed I took three eight foot pieces, and cut one in half to make the ends. Avoid the pressure treated lumber ( the CCA stands for copper, chromium, and arsenic). Cedar is best, just make sure you're sitting down when they tell you the price...you can still get a few seasons out of plain untreated lumber and save some money. The floor you see is landscape fabric, which will let moisture through but keep down the grass. I'll cover the pathways with cedar mulch. Inside the beds, I'll cut out the landscape fabric so I'll have a good soil interface for earthworms and beneficial microbes. Before the soil goes in I'll add a layer of cardboard just to make sure no grass/weeds have a chance to peek through. Here is a link that might be useful: Raised bed material analysis