i've been eating tomatoes, cucumbers, spinach, radishes, green beans, sweet peas.........all in raised beds. some wooden boxes that i found on the curb........

AS, do you compost? here is what i do......all the grass clippings that i can get, shredded leaves, all of my food waste, except meat, even tea bags and coffee grounds.

keep it wet and stir it frequently as it needs air. i have mine in the corner of my yard, plywood against the fence and a big window in the front.

you will not believe what a top dressing of that will do around the feet of your plants. i forgot to tell you to add dirt to the compost.i had zinnias here last year when it was 105 and didn't have to water much due to the mulch. i saved all of my oak leaves this winter and piled them up and wet them. i also lay down newspaper sheets, then dirt, then water and repeat. it really helps your soil and you can do it in the fall and let it rot during the winter.

is this too much information?

we can get free dirt at the city shredder site.......otherwise, cheap potting/garden soil works fine. a sack of manure, $1.45, will also help. just keep it stirred and hot.......it works miracles.