I'm going to build about a 4'x6' (or 8') raised bed garden Out of some 2x10's - just thinking of doing some cucumber, tomatoes, maybe peppers. I'm in So TX by the coast.


I have St. Augustine should I till that up first or can I put my gardening stuff over the top ?

What all do you actually layer or mix into the soil? I've seen peat moss , etc. and I see there's options for like gravel and stuff - is that for placing down first as a layer between soil and the ground?

Is there a time of year that I need to start?

I was wanting to start a compost bin before that to use in the soil but if it's imperative to start the garden sooner than later due to timing , I can always mix the compost in later or just put on top of soil ?

Thanks !

We do several raised beds and use the AgriLife website a lot. My wife went throught the Master Gardener program through them and it is spot on. https://agrilifeextension.tamu.edu/browse/featured-solutions/gardening-landscaping/ I use 2x12s because they are easier and hold more soil. But the 2x10 should work fine if you already have them. The pic is from last year, of course.

How in the hell do you grow tomatoes that big in south Texas? Usually by late July the heat has scorched the hell out of them.

Hit the Augustine with roundup, and just leave it alone. Why do you need raised beds? Is something wrong with your soil?

The tomato plants only get direct sun through the middle 6-7 hours of the day. Outside of this time period, the sun is through the trees. If the plants were in full sun, they would probably be stunted and burned up. We also transplant early. Mid Feb or last week of Feb we put 8-12 inch seedlings in the raised bed. If a late frost happens, it's easy to cover the bed.

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I have St. Augustine should I till that up first or can I put my gardening stuff over the top ?

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I wouldn't bother tilling it. Just use roundup over the area prior to putting your soil over it and give it a couple days to start dying off. St. Augustine is a prolific running grass as you may know, so this will only keep that grass at bay from taking over your bed for part of the year, maybe most of it. Roundup outside the perimeter of the bed 2-3 times per year to keep it at bay or be prepared to spend some time pulling runners out of the bed monthly during the growing season.

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What all do you actually layer or mix into the soil? I've seen peat moss , etc. and I see there's options for like gravel and stuff - is that for placing down first as a layer between soil and the ground?

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I'm no master gardener, and we are located in sludge black clay country. We use raised bed soil blends from Home Depot.

Ive heard of folks use gravel as a base layer for improving drainage. If you're not on a heavy clay soil you don't need this. If you're only going 10" deep you also don't have room for gravel unless you're digging a clay layer out and replacing with gravel.

Roundup will work but it is not really necessary. If you dig out the perimeter and fill it with soil 10" or more the St.Augustine wont grow through. St. Augustine is also very easy to remove with a pick mattock as long as its not your whole back yard.

I just built my first bed in the fall and getting ready to plant my first crop this spring. While they recommend a bed no wider than 4' for reach, I did a 5'x10' bed. I loaded it up with top soil, peat moss, compost and worm castings.

I've a 8' diameter keyhole garden with 18 inches of soil. Also a standard 4 foot by 8 foot raised bed with 9.5 inches of soil. Tomatoes only in those beds in the spring.

I grow peppers in grow bags, and experimenting with a hydroponic cucumber setup this year using my rain barrel that was a failure.

I need more acreage!

a bit late for the needed time to kill it off prior to you wanting to get seedlings in the ground, but covering the area up with black plastic for 6-8 week will kill the hell out of anything growing under it. I believe some folks refer to it as solarizing.

Build It said:

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I've a 8' diameter keyhole garden with 18 inches of soil. Also a standard 4 foot by 8 foot raised bed with 9.5 inches of soil. Tomatoes only in those beds in the spring.

I grow peppers in grow bags, and experimenting with a hydroponic cucumber setup this year using my rain barrel that was a failure.

I need more acreage!

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What happened with your rain barrels ? I just installed gutters and two barrels.

Plenty of rain in it but just not enough pressure for me. I've put in irrigation on a timer for the beds.

Check out the cucumber in a barrel video I'm going to try;

Stormchaser said:

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My wife went throught the Master Gardener program through them and it is spot on. https://agrilifeextension.tamu.edu/browse/featured-solutions/gardening-landscaping/

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How was the Master Gardener Program? I've thought about signing up for mine out here in Midland.

I'm not sure where you live, but the Monterey Mushroom facility in Madisonville sells a 2 TON scoop of compost for $12.

That is what we fill our raised beds with.