@Sue-MiUPz3 That is brilliant! Did you strip the sod from the area originally or just rototill the grass in? I love the information on your website!
Black locust, catalpa, honey locust, mulberry, osage orange…there are some things that might last forever if charred! 
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Hi Kathy,
We tilled up new ground (making use of the vegetation that was there), planted some type of green manure crop, tilled that in then made the beds. The best was when we did that over two years with several green manure crops (oats, buckwheat, peas, etc). The very first garden was tilled and beds made right away and we struggled with weeding out grass for years. After that we took the time to clean out some of the grass by planting and tilling in other crops. It always took some years for everything to settle down, with plants and the soil getting better as time went on, and the original grasses less.
Glad you liked the website, it’s been a nice way to share. It looks like you have a nice spot to work with, and I wish you the best turning it into garden. What a fun adventure. Sue
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I regret not putting hardware cloth under more of my beds. The gophers have nailed me when it comes to garlic, onions and other root veggies. Having said that, some of my beds were constructed by using small Douglas fir logs and as these decay they make for a nice mound that is gradually blending into the surroundings. I also started with wood chips on top of cardboard. The wood chips require some maintenance loads to keep things “chippy” along the walkways. Absent that I have just been working with what I have and planting oddball things here and there along the edges to further blend things in and let it evolve. I also burn an annual wood pile down to charcoal, put it in a feedsack and run it over a few times with the truck to crush it and then add to the beds. I don’t have any hard data on the nutrient dynamics of the char, but the water retention seems to be much better in the heavier char beds. Good luck and have fun!
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Voles, moles, mice…fortunately no gophers here!
I am curious, what does that black netting keep out? Deer? The holes look large enough for most birds and any small rodent to get through. And rodents will chew through anything to get to what they want. I need protection from deer, birds of all sizes, chipmunks, squirrels, woodchucks, rats, mice, and voles. I am planning gardens as well and I have about the same acreage as the OP and most of it sunny all day. I’m definitely keeping raised beds riding mower deck width apart! I am trying micro-clover this year for many places to reduce lawn and think I will try it between the beds as well. It might give the varmints something to eat and maybe they’ll stay on the ground, haha. I raise chickens so already am a regular hardware cloth user to protect coop floors, etc. Rats are especially persistent and my new coop runs are going to be completely encased with it. I tack a piece down when I build any wooden floors and also run it up the sides a bit to cover any place they can get a purchase with their teeth. I’ll be doing the same to the inside of my beds. Other plantings will be fenced to deter deer and woodchucks.
hah nothing as it turns out… I was trying to annoy the rabbit but it chewed through it. I will be building a 1/4 inch hardware cloth box this spring and keep everything out including the chipmunks which are the biggest problem.
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Hahaha, rabbits are not easily annoyed. Cats, yes. I had a mouser that kept my property chipmunk-free, but she went to live with my son when she couldn’t get along with the other cats. I miss her, she was wonderful at rodent control. I’m thinking of adopting a feral cat or two to live in my barn. My other cats would like to be mousers but they are not outside-savvy (I live in the country but there is still a road). So they content themselves with staring at the baseboards and that’s how I know I have varmints in the walls! (1810 Colonial) It’s a never-ending battle.
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I have used the black netting for years to keep deer out of my garden but there are limitations.
Deer can jump higher than the netting. How high depends on the deer species (15ft for some).
For more on that, see My deer rant (not actually mine, that is just the name, but I added comments.
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Most my raised beds are behind 4 foot 1 inch spacing vinyl coated fence to keep out rabbits and groundhogs. Squirrels and chipmunks still invade the space but are not interested in the vegetables. So far deer have not entered.
For my still small trees, I have 2 ft hardware cloth on the lower portion for rabbit protection with the black netting up above which so far works. Where I left the trees unprotected, the deer nibbled off much of the green growth and leaves last year.
I expect I need to add 6ft 2x4" fencing this year for successful growers… and maybe add the plastic netting above for the deer.
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Yes, I have seen very tall fenced-in gardens in some local areas so suspect the deer had scaled lower fencing. I have a fallow pasture (that I am converting to an orchard and nursery) that butts against wild undergrowth, scrubby trees, etc. and plan to put the deer netting right up against it so they can’t get a running jump. In other places, I will fence right up against the rows (kiwiberries, apples, peaches) to make a narrow enclosure they won’t clear. I will also do the hardware cloth along the bottom I saw someone else mention to keep out woodchuck and rodents while the trees are young. I don’t have rabbits, thank goodness. It’s my favorite animal and I would have a tough time taking them out. I find a regular application of rotten eggs along the perimeter where the deer come in keeps them away. I have chickens so sometimes have rotten eggs, never thought I would find a use for them! Thanks for the rant link, I will check it out.
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What some people can run into around my area is when they use the bulk “garden soil” that they get from the rockyards, even though it has fertilizer in it, they will still get plants that will sprout but just sit there, not growing, or be stunted with a nitrogen deficiency. I was able to fix this a little bit by having two rabbit manure layers between my soil layers. If you’ve already got it built and planted fertilizing copiously the first year helps, as does putting leaves on top of it when you aren’t growing anything.
@Bellatrix Wow, congrats on your beautiful new property! What did you end up deciding?
I use the same corner blocks that Bear_with_me shows in their photos of the older beds. I got mine at Home Depot: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Oldcastle-7-5-in-x-7-5-in-x-5-5-in-Tan-Brown-Planter-Wall-Block-16202336/206501693 So easy to install if you are using standard lumber.
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@LemonDrop For now, I decided to stick to the set up I used before with the cedar 4x4 as the corner brace with my Trex boards, just to get something in place. I bought a new drill that fits by small hand much better and it was a lot easier putting them together. I reinforced the long sides with rebar, so hopefully they won’t break the nails this time. I will probably change to something else in the future, but for now, I at least have a garden! I may try the blocks on the smaller beds now that I can slow down a bit. I changed to six 4 foot by 24 foot beds (5 are in place now), with a center trellis (concrete reinforcement wire). This will allow me a more easy three-year tomato rotation. I still need to add the regular 4x8 and 4x12 beds, but I ran out of steam. Eventually, I want to do a galvanized roof bed. I ended up with a north/south (ish) orientation, mostly because it looked better with the property.
I left the grass between the beds and they are wide enough to fit the mower through. I’m have a paver patio installed by the house, so it is a bit messy around the garden right now! But these are the first beds, topped with compost. The trellis part still need to be installed. The property is a wonder. The previous owner was an amazing gardener and seeing everything she planted come up this Spring was such a gift!
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Oh, and I tilled the grass/soil before setting up the beds, tilled in compost, added some cardboard (in some, not in others), and topped with a mixed of topsoil and compost.
I left grass between my raised bed and it was a pain. The weed eater starting chewing the boards.
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I’m not 100% sure that I’m going to leave it this way. If I do, I may dig out the grass by the edges and put down clover seed.
The garden has done very, very well this year, especially considering the late start, the weird weather, and the root-bound seedlings. I am happy with the design and love the wide rows. The first picture is taken from almost the same location as the picture in the original post. A bit of a change!
(side note: the grass around the patio is another story. A disaster that will need to be fixed when we have rain and cooler weather)
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Wow, everything looks so lush and happy - great job! Love the pooch and patio too 
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