Laying Down the Soil

Wood or stone frame, check. Cleared grass or dirt, check. Plant, check. What have you forgotten in building raised beds? Here's a hint: You ate it when you were a kid.
Plant soil is one of those essential items in instructions on how to build a raised bed garden. And no, you can't use regular dirt--you need to use garden soil in building raised garden beds. But once you've got the soil, how do you lay it all out? Some earthy hints:

• Make sure the soil covers the area enclosed by the wood or stone frame. It's easy to skimp on soil around the corners, but measure the soil depths. Even soil is best.
• Leave the ends of the boxes open so you can easily deposit soil with a wheelbarrow. Don't seal everything up tightly until the soil is evenly spread.
• Frames and the garden area should be dry--the soil needs to be moist but not too wet. If the soil forms mudballs, you need to drain it or put it out to dry.
• If you're planning to add plants for benches, pour the soil in the frames first.
• Geometric raised bed shapes with angles other than right angles can be tricky--make sure the soil doesn't lump all in one spot or cling to the corners.

Now if you can keep your own terrible twosters from eating the soil, you're all set.