Starting a New Bed

A garden hose comes in handy to help layout the new garden bed. Lift the turf grass, for use in another area of the lawn. Turn the soil.

Planting the New Bed

After turning the soil, add organic amendments. Do not scrimp, this is the most important part of soil work. I added 2 pick-up truckloads of manure to this one small daylily bed. I cover the soil with a couple inches (or more) of manure, and dig it in, I then cover the soil with another couple of inches of manure before planting anything.

As can be seen from the picture, turning the soil and digging in amendments raises the height of the soil. This is perfectly fine, even desireable in clay, as it creates drainage as well as creating root room... Sand is another matter and shall be discussed on another page.

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