A while ago Al mentioned in a thread (link below) how he made a mix for raised beds. It is very nice. In my experience with raised beds over my top soil I have not noticed much difference with 6 or 12 inch beds - could be something to look into with all that volume - or build upward over time. For my raised beds I like to rob the soil from where I am leveling an area (I garden on a hill, uphill seems to be best) or from a pathway and mix with as much compost as I think it needs. The gardens/beds that I have made always improve with time and effort. I do think that spending money upfront can get you off to a faster start but I don't think that there is much of a substitute for time and management. I have not had luck with planting in bulk soil - 2x - shame on me, that could be just my luck or local conditions though. I have been meaning to try turface in a raised bed (probably a small one), I already mix in 5-1-1 and other potting mix when it is finished. Of the ingredients of the 5-1-1 if I were adding them fresh I would leave out the perlite, it is too expensive and I think it degrades in the soil (unlike the turface). Hope this helps. Best of luck! Here is a link that might be useful: http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/contain/msg0306520029215.html

I'm not gardening in FL yet, but some things are universal. And I'm cheap and like to do things green and organic if possible. So here goes... coffee grounds are toxic to slugs and some other crawling pests. Reuse them out of your coffee maker, sprinkle around the base of plants. Vinegar - mix 1 pt to 3 pts water and spray on everything that can get wet. Good as a mild anti bacterial, repels some small bugs too. For some walking/crawling pests, just making it hard to get to the plant is good enough. Got things with thorns? Pests don't want to walk on them anymore than you do. so prune the pokey stuff, and use that around plants. Chop it kind of small (just so it lays flat) and even rabbits will pretty much avoid it. That works great in pots. For serious stuff, I use Neem. I thought it was expensive - $12 a little bottle? (told you I'm cheap!) But it's made from some kind of seeds, not toxic to people/pets. I do NOT spray on flowers as I'm never sure if it will harm butterflies and hummingbirds, regardless what the label says. I had whole sand cherry trees eaten by japanese beetles and two sprays of Neem got rid of my beetle problem. Well worth a few bucks! I've never tried this but heard that artificial sweetener like Sweet n Low is toxic to ants. I will put that to the test one day and let you know. For dish soap, I use Dawn. Again, cheap, plus easy to find. Here in Ohio, if you get rot on tomatoes it's one of two things - the variety or too much rain. We never know how much rain we're gonna get here, so I shelter them a bit and water if needed. They don't need a lot though. I try to keep their soil lighter so it drains better. Cukes get a LOT of shelter, raised mound. *Roots in the shade, leaves in the sun* we say.

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

The best way to determine if you have a good healthy soil that will grow strong and healthy plants is to test the soil for soil pH and nutrient levels. "Topsoil" is really a meaningless term because it simply means the top 4 to 6 inches of soil from someplace which may, or may not, be something you want in your garden. For most food plants you will want a soil with a pH in the 6.0 to 7.0 range and balanced nutrient levels. There are numerous reasons why plants "turn yellow" (that is known as Chlorosis) and low Nitrogen levels is only one. Along with a good reliable soil test, for soil pH and nutrient levels these simple soil tests may also help. 1) Soil test for organic material. From that soil sample put enough of the rest to make a 4 inch level in a clear 1 quart jar, with a tight fitting lid. Fill that jar with water and replace the lid, tightly. Shake the jar vigorously and then let it stand for 24 hours. Your soil will settle out according to soil particle size and weight. For example, a good loam will have about 1-3/4 inch (about 45%) of sand on the bottom. about 1 inch (about 25%) of silt next, about 1 inch (25%) of clay above that, and about 1/4 inch (about 5%) of organic matter on the top. 2) Drainage. Dig a hole 1 foot square and 1 foot deep and fill that with water. After that water drains away refill the hole with more water and time how long it takes that to drain away. Anything less than 2 hours and your soil drains’ too quickly and needs more organic matter to slow that drainage down. Anything over 6 hours and the soil drains too slowly and needs lots of organic matter to speed it up. 3) Tilth. Take a handful of your slightly damp soil and squeeze it tightly. When the pressure is released the soil should hold together in that clump, but when poked with a finger that clump should fall apart. 4) Smell. What does your soil smell like? A pleasant, rich earthy odor? Putrid, offensive, repugnant odor? The more organic matter in your soil the more active the soil bacteria will be and the nicer your soil will smell, to a point. Too much organic matter can be bad as well. 5) Life. How many earthworms per shovel full were there? 5 or more indicates a pretty healthy soil. Fewer than 5, according to the Natural Resources Conservation Service, indicates a soil that is not healthy. kimmq is kimmsr