Actually no those are western red cedar, the other boards are simple untreated lumber, all from big box store.

Looks great so far! Have you left the corner posts high in case you want to add another course of 2x10's? Don't rush to fill with jut anything - make sure find a good source of material suitable for a raised veggie garden. Once you start growing and eating your own fruits and veggies you'll be hooked like the rest of us here. Lots of knowledgable people on these forums so don't hesitate to read lots and post questions. Have fun with it and let us know how things turn out.

Good luck,

Harry

Well, that's just it ... I'm not at an experience level where I know the nuances of how to mix soil. What I probably will end up doing is buying a variety of brands of raised-garden soil, mixing them together, and getting earthworms and compost involved (I'm given to understand earthworms are totally my friends).

Bottom line: If I mix these soils together, along with say 10% mushroom compost, and plant the seeds as directed, can I reasonably expect my intended plants to eventually come out of the ground if I water them every day?

I might sound frustrated, and I am a little, I just want to get *started* and have a good chance of getting results, and I'm such a newbie I need to be told exactly what to buy and exactly what to do, and I know that's difficult for folks to provide, because every situation is different.

Sorry @harry757, I didn't answer your question directly. No, I left the cedar post sticking up in the event I want to hook things to them to build a structure for bird wire, arm rests, etc.

You may want to watch this episode of Growing a Greener World where Joe Lampl explains the "down and dirty on healthy soil".

http://www.growingagreenerworld.com/726-dirty-healthy-soil-compost/

You will need about 48 cubic feet of soil to fill that bed, or about 1.7 cubic yards and you want something beyond what is really potting soil, not garden soil those manufacturers have mislabeled their products as. Look for something that is about 45 percent sand, 25 percent silt, 25 percent clay, and 5 percent organic matter.

You may also want to spend some time with other episodes of Growing a Greener World.

Don't go with a bagged soil - you'll break the bank!! You'd need at least 32 bags of the stuff at an average cost of $8 per.......that's more than $250 bucks worth of soil! Instead, locate a bulk soil supplier that offers some sort of "garden mix" - pretty common product for any landscaping purposes, including raised bed gardening. The same amount of soil from a bulk supplier will run you about $60-75 delivered, less if you can pick it up yourself.

FWIW, a "garden mix" is typically a loam/screened topsoil mixed with compost and sand.

If possible, purchase bulk veggie soil from a reputable soil/compost expert in your area. "Reputable" in this context means (1) the components and ratio have been selected to match your climate and gardening goals and (2) the soil you buy is guaranteed (in writing) not to contain crabgrass or nutsedge. This approach is preferable to big box bagged soil, much of which contains ingredients that were included without taking the Texas sun into consideration.

Now that summer temps have arrived, your best chance for success with a summer veggie plot may be with hot peppers (transplants) or okra (seeds), though 12" may not be deep enough for the latter. Check with the Texas gardening forum for more suggestions.

If you haven't done so already, start composting. The organic matter included in your bulk soil may be top-notch stuff, but it will hardly last the entire growing season (the higher the heat index, the faster OM breaks down), so you'll need a reliable way to replenish it every few weeks.

You might try to extend the life of that untreated lumber by putting some kind of sealer on it. Even just a coat of exterior latex paint would help. Now is the time to do it.

With regard to "nuances of how to mix soil", don't overthink it. Get some good quality soil, and add compost as you see fit. Bottom line, if you dig a hole in your yard, and throw that soil in your bed, you can reasonably expect your intended plants to eventually come out of the ground. Maybe less reasonably if you try to water them every day, which is certainly not a good strategy. Your plants will do better, and bear better, however, if the soil quality is good.

What ever soil you do get for that planting bed be sure to take a look at what you are buying before you commit to it. Your preferable soil would be something about 45 percent sand, 25 percent silt, 25 percent clay, and 5 percent organic matter.

Living Earth or Silver Creek soils sells by the Pick up truck load and they are local to DFW. I would suggest a high loam plus compost mix 75 % sandy loam and 25% compost to just get started. That mix is based on no research, but that is the mix that I used in my last raised garden and had really good results. Are you on black clay or some other type of soil?

Peppers and okra are what you can grow easily right now, they don't mind the heat. Fall tomatoes and other crops will go in late July for a September / October harvest.

Great job on the raised bed!

Some peppers can wilt in overly humid weather.

Second the suggestion to buy in bulk. And check out what you're buying in person so you know what it is.

If you don't go that way, or if you find you want to supplement bulk soil with more compost, aim for an organic matter content of 1/4 - 1/3. Over 50% can cause some problems like crusting of the surface when dry, plus a high rate of shrinkage when it continues to decompose.

Always good to have a mix of different composts if you are buying, something to keep in mind for the future when you find yourself buying a couple bags for various projects or to amend your raised bed next year. Which reminds me - you DO have a compost pile or bin, right? :-]

I agree with the others who suggest buying in bulk.

Going forward, have you thought about getting a pickup truck load of wood chips for free at the transfer station and composting it your backyard? All those green lawns in DFW would be plenty of N for the project.

Me, I just put about 7 pounds of Urea fertilizer put it in half dissolved and half in pellets (top loaded to compensate for the leaching of the N) and let her rip. Not organic, but at least I don't have to worry about weird pesticides in the grass clippings. Keep it moist, turn it over after it cools in about three weeks and occasionally feed it with 50g or so of the Urea until next spring. Plenty of planting material for next to nothing.

Also, why not use 1/4" screen? Some of those critters are pretty small.