We decided to make the garden bigger and bring in more soil in the process. We now have a 32 x 37 foot garden plot. Not as big as we would like, but big enough to keep us busy. 

Here is the garden after the soil was brought in. 

Here is the final product. I leveled it out the best I could, but there is still a small slope toward the east. I use irrigation pipe so it doesn’t need to be perfect.

We are going to put raspberries against the west fence line. You can see that I tried to build up that bed. The row will run perpendicular to all the other rows. I also added grass clipping compost and 14 bags of peat moss and 10 bags of all-purpose sand to the soil. Not only will this make the soil more loamy, but it will also add nutrients and lower the pH, which is a constant battle in Utah.

Finally, I added fertilizer. I use a complete fertilizer made up of 3 parts 16-16-8 and 1 part Ironite. I spread this on the soil like I am salting a steak. For those who like more accurate amounts. I would use 1 quart of that mix per 180 sq. ft. I also added sulfur pellets. This is what helps to bring down the pH. As the sulfur breaks down, it turns into sulfuric acid making the soil more acidic. I added 1 quart per 180 sq ft. of this. I added a ting more for my raspberry patch and strawberries since they need a lower pH. 

My soil comes with a pH of 8 and plants want it between 6.5 and 7.5. This is a constant concern for Utah gardeners. More on that in another post.

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