My garden began with one raised bed.  I grew up in Ohio where you could pretty much stick a plant in the ground and it would grow.   I now live in Texas where the "soil"  is not soil.   Its clay.  I think they call it black gumbo.   Black gumbo is like a thick muck that is not good for growing anything. I read somewhere if you are a gardener and you have this type of soil , sell your house....... Really!  I can't do that at this time so raised beds are the way to go in these parts.  I was lucky to have my husband, Cliff,  build a raised bed for my vegetable patch.    The gardening book I was reading... (see more)