Nancy the fact that the soil compacts should be notice that it is not appropriate to use as a container mix. It will NOT be well drained enough for use as a container mix. Every time I see your post as a "raised raised bed" I cringe, as you have a raised container with no connection to the ground, which is required to be a raised bed. It is not just semantics, but a different gardening strategy. Al

Your profile indicates you are in zone 2b. You are going to struggle with canteloupes. When you say canteloupes, do you mean traditional French canteloupes or American muskmelons? Muskmelons require a ton of heat, water and sun. Canteloupes are a little more forgiving, but not by much. Spacing: WAY too crowded. The root systems on a melon plant is approximately mirrored by the vine system. When you see the vines sprawling, the roots are trying to do the same. If you need the vines to sprawl out of the bed because you don't have enough space, how are the roots to have enough space? Personally, I grow my melons 4' on centre, with rows 4-5' apart. That may be a bit extreme, but I don't like watering every other day. I would not consider growing closer than 3' between plants. So in other words, no more than 5 plants per bed based on your dimensions.

i'm in the same boat. i have several beds that have been dug out and refilled with a mix of what was there and a ton of compost. i just add a layer of compost every year, not wanting to dig up any old seeds, and i get better results every year so it must be working. i had much more luck than i thought i would with straw bale gardening for my viney things like squash and pumpkin and other thing like tomatoes and peppers. i did not try flowers but have seen some amazing photos of flowered covered bales, so i know it works with annuals. i was encouraged enough to want to do it again this year, but i am buying my bales the next time the snow melts. it took much longer than i thought to get them ready to plant, longer than directions said, but despite the late start i had decent results. and the best thing is it just breaks down and after a few years you have a nice bed. worth looking into.

Look for city-sponsored green waste facilities. There's one in Oceanside called El Corazon, and they have free / $5 pickup of a variety of mulches and great compost - not topsoil. We take the large trash cans and a couple buckets, and can load up in about 10 minutes - always wear gloves - I've gotten poison ivy at certain times of year. The back of the suv holds about 1 cubic yard in 6-8 cans. I've seen other GW posts on this topics, and they refer to the same type of facilities in LA/OC. Check the Soils or Composting forums. =^,,^= diana