Inside of the bed with newspaper covering

First wheelbarrow of dirt mixed with chicken manure 

Shows entire bed with mulch surrounding it

This shows the bed half full of compost and dirt.

Start of the next compost pile.

 

I hope these pictures are self explanatory.  I used 12 landscape tembers.  The grass had been killed out two weeks before with a liberal application of vinegar.  On top of the dead grass I layered 5 layers of newspaper.   I then stacked the landscape timbers 4 high and used stakes on the sided to hold them in place.  On top of the area on the outside of the bed, I placed a 6 inch layer of mulch over the newspaper (all the newspaper was soaked in water).  I began to fill the bed first with garden soil mixed with composted chicken manure and then on top of that, I placed compost.  At the present time, I have the bed only 1/2 full.  Over the next week I will complete filling the bed up to the top of the bed.  By December, I plan on having 3 or 4 more of these beds built so they will be ready for the spring planting season.

The total cost to me for this bed was $24.  The last picture in the series is just showing the starting of our next compost pile.  We harvested all of the yellow squash, and cut up the vines.  That will make the base for this compost pile.  The next layer will be chicken manure from the hen house.

 

God bless and Happy gardening