Q&A for How to Prepare a Raised Bed Garden

It depends on the quality of the compost. If your compost is well-aged, it no longer smells and it's all decomposed, you can use straight compost without mixing it with soil. If the compost is still hot, or the compost smells, or if you can see remnants of food scraps, it's probably not ready and you're going to want to mix it with the soil. You can add compost while plants are growing. It's easy to apply. You can add compost at any time of the year. It's better to add it in the spring, but you can still add it in summer or fall. The most important thing is that you're adding it.

One of the best things about raised beds is that they put you in control of your soil conditions. If you have a lot of rainfall in your area, you may want to make your beds a bit deeper, and add a layer of a couple inches of sand (or even gravel) under your new soil and compost.

Add lime to an acidic soil (low pH). Most plants like a pH balance between 5.5 and 6.5. Fertilizer is always a good idea (in any form except uncomposted manure).

Technically, you do not have to kill the lawn as the grass will naturally die over time. However, removing it fist would make it easier to set up the garden bed.

You do not have to prepare the ground unless you plan on planting plants with large root systems that would reach through the topsoil.

To prepare the soil, first clear out all dead foliage and debris. Next, break up any hard dirt clumps and remove large rocks. Finally, mix the soil with fertilizers such as leaves, compost, and bagged fertilizer.

You can use bagged soil in your raised garden beds. There is no need to use a paper lining, but you can mix the soil with fertilizers like leaves, compost, and bagged fertilizer.

These beds will work just fine for regular herbs, fruits/veggies, and flowers. However, if you plan to grow plants with a large root system, bushes/shrubs, trees, etc. you may have to cut out the bottoms to allow the plant's root system to reach farther down.

To stop a lot of weeds from going through the soil, line it with small/crushed rocks or weed block.

Soil is sold by the cubic foot or the cubic meter, depending on what measurement system your location uses. To determine how many cubic feet you need to completely fill your bed requires a bit of math. You need three measurements: the length, the width, and the depth. You take those three numbers and multiply them together for the total cubic area needed. For example: My raised bed is 2 units wide, 3 units long, and 2 units deep. That is 3 x 2 x 2. I will need 12 cubic units of soil to fill it. Water and time will compact the soil to some extent, so keep in mind you may need to purchase more eventually.

Without knowing any details, it is not possible to pinpoint your issues. However, a common misconception is that the act of raising the garden bed is sufficient for good growth - you still need to ensure that the soil is full of nutrients through adding appropriate soil conditioners, fertilizers, etc.; the soil must not be compacted; there needs to be a good watering system in place that is used regularly; the beds need to be situated where sufficient sun can reach the vegetables; pests still need to be dealt with appropriately to prevent damage to crops; and the right vegetables for the right zone need to be chosen.

For growing tomatoes in North Carolina, use a balanced fertilizer like 8-8-8 or 10-10-10. Before planting, apply 3/4 cup of lime and 1/2 cup of 8-8-8 fertilizer per plant if no soil test has been done. Once the plants start setting fruit, apply 2-3 ounces of 10-10-10 fertilizer around each plant every 4-6 weeks, keeping it 4-6 inches away from the base to prevent fertilizer burn.