I like the KISS method, too, Gardengirl! And the lazy way of doing things when I can get away with it. This is one way you can KISS and get away with being lazy ~ take Dan's advice to spread an inch (atleast) of compost and forget everything else for now, including the extra N. Your soil sounds like it's nice and friable already (loose), so no need to add a bunch of other stuff except more organic matter to replace what was broken down and used by the plants last year. And compost'll do that. When my plants are a few inches tall, I add an inch or two of composted manure and that's it. I have three growing seasons, so my garden gets between 3 and 6 inches of composted manure a year. Then I wait and don't add anything else unless my plants tell me they need it. If you Google up images for "nitrogen deficiency", "phosphorous deficiency", "potassium deficiency", "micronutrient deficiency" and "mineral deficiency", you'll familiarize yourself with what to look for. Then Google fish emulsion, bone meal and liquid seaweed, and you'll find that those two will add most everything you need in case of deficiencies. There may be a few micronutrients those won't cover, but they'll cover the vast majority. And buying just those three is nicer/cheaper than buying nine different things. I'd definitely rake back any of the un-broken-down wood chips before you add that compost. Don't till in any large wood chips as they tie up a lot of nitrogen in your soil as they decompose, and that would hurt your plants. Good luck! Bet you'll have a bumper crop this year. :)

Thank you granite, for posting my pictures for me. I wasn't sure how to do that. THANKS! :) Thank you all again, for the super nice comments on the garden and my children. mid_tn_mama, as a mommy, it always so wonderful to watch your family work together, play together, and learn together! I love your "friendly competitions" idea, I will have to remember that. Thank you. And yeah, we are expanding a little more. We are going to grow blackberries along the chainlink fence, grapes over the arbor, a bed full of strawberries, a box of potatoes, and trellis some "icebox size" watermelons and cantaloupe, 2 dwarf blueberris in a long pot, raspberry bushes in the landscape along the wooden fence, and more tomatoes in pots. Also, we plan on planting a few fruit trees in our backyard, were just undecided on which kind. Bonnie, yes we did put the beds together and set the boxs in first, then laid fine gravel and pavers around them, to help support the boxes. So, the boxes go down quite a few inches. Jim, my kids and some neighborhood children are so excited and looking forward to gardening this year. I was so tickled last year at what fun the kids had with the garden. We have lots of kids in the neighborhood, and the children loved coming over and help water, watch the things grow, find bugs and catch the bad ones, learn about pollination, and eat! There were so many kids who had never been introduced to many of the veggi's we grew, so it was satisfying to let these children discover and enjoy fresh vegetables. Plus, we had the little ones over to cook/bake, we made mini loafs of zucchuni bread (which they shared with their parents), and chocolate cupcakes with zucchuni! They really enjoyed that! :) And Shot... My husband would love his own baseball team! But, I think eight is enough for us. *wink* hee hee hee... THANK YOU ALL AGAIN!!! Gardening is Great! And its all about sharing!!! Sharing the fruits of our labor with family, friends, and neighbors. Sharing our photos, stories, and knowledge, here with our fellow gardeners at gradenweb. Thank you all! I've learned and been inspired by all of you! :) HAPPY SPRING! HAPPY GARDENING! Keep Smiling, Amy :) Here is a link that might be useful: My Family Webpage

Of course I have to disagree with some things mentioned here. Mel's Square Foot Gardenting is just that, Square Foot Gardening, if you CHANGE IT, it's not Mel's Square Foot Gardening anymore. OK OK I DO agree in time you will make changes, however I believe it's smart to start with the original "Recipe" and go from there. This is why............... When Mel's book first came out, in the early days, my neighbor and I tried it. She improvised, and I followed the book. (not my usual way of gardening) and guess what, hers was a mess, and mine was FANTASTIC and almost NO WEEDS all summer. I have to mention that the weeds were my greatest concern because of a handicap, and the raised beds were a God Send. I weeded less that year, than I had ever weeded before, and the weeds just popped out of that soft, loamy soil like nothing I had ever experienced before. (or since) Yes, I have since, changed a few things, however only things that helped with the water issues Square Foot Gardening created in THE BEGINNING. Eventually as the soil got richer, the better the watering was, and less of it. I have read the newer book since then, and still hold to using the information in either of the books, they are a wealth of information, and a great starting point. Then as you grow your garden, and see how it does in YOUR PARTICULAR yard, you can adjust whatever needs adjusting. I will never garden any other way again. I just love it. Even in my greenhouse! Last, the cost. I had to start with only a few beds and move up each year, I had 4 small children then! I wanted my entire acre in beds, but it paid off in the end, and I'm glad I did it that way, I could take my time and do it right, deal with issues without being overwhelmed, and still had time to fuss in my lavish load of yummies. It was true, I got more on less space, and almost no weeds at all.

Ok. In order for the arch to be higher, the tanks would need to be much closer together if you put them on the inside of the panel. They might be hard to get between, to weed, etc. So I would suggest you put them on the outside of the arch.(one on each side). I don't know if you considered that already as the option and pretty much have the tanks where you want them, but it looks like you wouldn't be able to weed the tank on the right, if it is right near the fencing. Have you put any drainage holes in the bottoms of these tanks? Don't put too many in. I was using about 9 food-grade stock tanks and put waaaay too many holes in them and the water would drain out much too soon, and I have to water them about every other day......which is a drag. I've tried to plug some of the holes and they're doing a big better. But mine are up on some cement blocks, and not right on the ground. I love trellis gardening. I grow (in the ground) cucumbers on both sides of the trellis and they love it. I also use my kids old swing set with fencing up one side and over it and grow winter squash, and it seems to love growing upwards.