Planning a Raised Vegetable Garden

Our biggest challenge growing vegetables in recent years has been attempting to deter garden pests, namely a woodchuck and some turkey vultures.  My husband and I have  tried many things without much success, including using humane traps and spraying a mixture of cayenne pepper and mineral oil on the plants.

I have come to the conclusion that raised beds are our only hope of growing fresh vegetables this year.  I priced raised bed kits at Gardener's Supply Company.  They are quite expensive, with prices starting at $150.00 for the size we  will need.  I found a frugal alternative at The Lakeside Collection.  I can buy 3 kits, which will give us a 4 x 12 raised bed for $ 59.94 plus S/H. I also found this two-bed kit on Amazon.com.

In addition to the raised bed kits, we will also need some  weed block fabric for the bottom of the bed and maybe some netting with hoops to keep the woodchuck and birds away. 
 
Although we won't plant the vegetables until around the middle of May, we plan to set up the raised beds a few weeks early.  That way, we can add compost to the soil and allow the rain to work it through the soil.  Since we  have been composting all winter, we should have plenty to amend our soil before planting. 

Thanks for stopping by!