Get a soil test now from Texas A&M and then you know what you need to add to the soil to make it fertile. They make a little container where you collect a sample and send to their lab and they analyze it and mail you a report.
I assume vegetable, not ornamental? I use raised beds filled with compost from Denton County which mixes sterilized biosolids with mulch and compost. They call it Dyno Dirt for good reason, vegetables thrive in this nutrient rich soil. Mix in nematodes to kill the grubs which will appear and add Actino-Iron as a natural fungicide to prevent root rot. These are all natural methods to boost both quality and quantity of your crops. Next, get a copy of Neil Sperry's Complete Guide to Texas Gardening which is every Texas gardener's "Bible". My wife and I grow tomatoes, potatoes, carrots, Jalapenos, melons, squash, bell peppers and herbs every year and it's wonderful to have fresh veggies from the back yard. You'll need to put a chicken wire fence around the beds to keep the rabbits out and mosquito nets over the tomatoes to keep the birds off them when fruit appears.
You won't regret purchasing that book. We buy our raised beds from Orcaboard.com which is plastic lumber made from recycled milk jugs and is 100% toxin free and are guaranteed for 50 years. Their beds are 4' X 8' X 5 1/2" which works out to slightly less than 2 cu. yds. per. I built a large plywood box to put on my autohauler trailer to save money by buying in bulk from the Denton County compost sales, I'm sure Travis Co. woud have something similar. We've been adding one bed a year as we learn what grows well in North Texas and expected yields. Good luck!Sapper ill order that garden book you mentioned.
What kind of wood and fasteners should I use to build the raised beds? Treated wood and galvanized hardware sounds bad for food I want to eat.
I'm going to need a lot of dirt but it looks like you got special dirt. I'm thinking a truck or trailer load an not a million 40 pounds bags.
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Have you found an effective method of controlling Horn-worm infestations? We plant flowering herbs to attract braconid Wasps but it doesn't work. Hand-picking is effective but time consuming and nasty.It's best to start amending the soil before you plant. Do the test kit from A&M and plant some cover crops to get some organic material into your beds before you start planting.
It can freeze up until the start of April in north Texas.
I plant lavender and other flowers in throughout the open spaces to attract predators and also help deter bugs.
How big are making the raised bed?
My raised/vertical was 5x8 and only took a few bags.