I have been wanting to get back to this post!!
I am sooooooo slow some days,
(heck who am I kidding, weeks!!) LOL!
Anyhow,
PERPLEXED,
What Phil said about the making a raised bed is right on the money, it's not really too hard, just take your time, lifting the sod, nothing has to be done in one day or one weekend!
My only other suggestion was, that I too, do alot of my own work in the back yard, and I have to do it so that I'm not killing myself with back breaking tasks, and I am slow and short on money, so I do things, oh, maybe not the fastest or as
"crisp and clean" as my poor husband would like me to, but I get the job done and it's nice dirt when, key word there, WHEN, it's great to work in too! I have kids too (and a mom next door) that kinda side track me every now and again!
Darn kids! Just Kidding! They were and have been my salvation! But with that said,
If you go and read the post where Jennifer linked the link to go to "Raised Beds" There's some info there about the beds and soil......
There's also another technique I use, with the layering of cardboard, leaves, etc. and preparing a bed in the years to come, by letting the critters underneath do alot of my work for me!!!
It's not the fastest process... so if you're the type that has to do it, all, NOW this won't be the method for you... it's for as I mentioned above.
But Then, I personally take card board. (go to your local appliance store and ask for all their large boxes.)
Put them down on top of the area (first maybe pull some
weeds, the tall stuff and/or stuff with runners, if you can. Water first, easier to pull)
Throw down a bag or two or get a delivery from your local nursery some compost. Layer that down first. That gives your worms so stuff to eat. Then after you've laid the cardboard, wet it down, pretty good/so it softens up.
Aagin, compost on top of the cardboard. The compost will entice the card board to stay flat and the worms to have something to more to eat..... Then put a layer of chopped up leaves (in fall time/I personally feel that's the best route of items to use. Or should I say, that's what I would use to do my own beds.)
If no leaves are available, put very fine mulch. Not the chips, shredded. Cover it reasonably well, 3 or 4". It will render down.
(I again, personally would let that sit....at least one full year......it takes time to kill the
weeds, especially the strong ones, also to
decompose the cardboard, and for the worms and critters to do a good job......)
If you're really antsy to garden, maybe the route to go is pots and planter boxes on top of all that. And a couple of cute statues and such, like a bird bath/butterfly bath, a couple pieces of stumps (to give heighth and to put stuff on top to cascade down to soften the stump. Nothing to poke through the cardboard. A few knick~knack's of something you collect. I collect frogs, so that's what I would do.
And leave it on till next
spring........
It takes time to kill those buggers, any crack in the card board they seem to find. The crawlers and or runners. But because you've filled it with such good stuff for the ground, time comes, when you want to
plant, the worms will have done most of your work for you by "tilling" from underneath. And if you still want to
plant in the dirt, the
weeds that might be tenatous enough to survive, would then be so weak from being under the cardboard and weight of the compost, that they would just more than likely to rip right out........
*Another point, when rototilling, that brings up all the dormant
weed seeds underneath, that will then get a new chance to sprout..
After tilling, and planting, you should cover the top of the soil with something...Just to keep the
weeds from grabbing ahold of the soil again.
I have used several methods in the veggie garden..
*I've used freshly mowed grass clippings, shaken over and given a flat mulch like (*this can create a hard crust layering as the green grass dries, so be aware of water and watering practices.
*I've used newspapers and compost, but with that, the
weed seeds in the air can then have a nice place to germinate. (*but easily pulled out)
*I've used landscape fabric and wood planks to get about through the rows. ***I am very funny about walking on my dirt after tilled up and planted, I really, really dislike flattening the dirt...so I never walk in the part where I've planted, hence the woodboards to walk on***
It was very workable compared to some of the ways I've used..)
*****I have since switched to 2 1/2ft high raised beds... My husband and Father~in~law built for me.
Everything is planted in the beds and landscaped fabric layed down, no one walks in the dirt now,
except my little wee~one everynow and again if I don't catch him fast enough, or some trucks at the end of one part, oh, yeah, if you got kids, you better leave a small portion just to play in the dirt....they even have a seperate dirt pile, but that doesn't matter, that "other dirt" always looks better
Anyways, I hope I haven't
put you to sleep or board you, or confused you more.....
Any part that needs more clearification, let me know, I have a hard time explaining things sometime and parts might get left out, but always happy to clarify!
Weezie
We have a bare back yard - just lawn, as yet unfenced. This summer I would love to start a veggie/
Some great reading there - with ideas I never even considered.
if you don't have an existing garden, or compost, where does the "great" stuff come from- if not bags??? 
