Step 1: Observe the sun in your yard and find the sunniest 4’ by 4’ spot. Step 2: Make sure that this spot is not in a low-lying spot in the yard. Annual plants do not do well with excess water. If you put a garden in a low spot, a few heavy rains can compromise your plants. Step 3: Mark off the area. If you have time before the beginning of the planting schedule, put down organic material (compost, leaves, grass clippings) over the existing turf. Pile it as high as you care to then put cardboard over the pile. Tie cardboard down so that it doesn’t blow away. Doing this will insulate the underlying soil from extreme low temperatures which will enable soil life to work its way up to the organic material and begin to break it down. No matter what kind of soil you have, this additional organic material will be beneficial. Step 3a: If you don’t have the time to allow for the slow breakdown of organic material (and we mean months when we say slow, not days or weeks), you have two options; dig up the existing soil or create a raised bed using soil from another place. To try to keep costs down, we recommend that you dig the area up and add some well-aged compost. If you are not sure where to purchase this, we recommend asking a local gardener in your area to find out the best local source. If this isn’t possible, Home Depot and Lowe’s both sell bags of compost. Keep in mind that you don’t have to use anything to support your raised bed, if you build one. as long as it is more or less flat, not that much soil will run off. Putting leaves or straw on areas of open soil will help to prevent erosion as well. Step 4: Mark off the 1 foot squares however you wish. If appearance isn’t important, twine will do fine to mark the boundaries of the squares. Step 5 (optional): Build and install wire garden towers (only along the north facing border of your garden to avoid shading the other squares). Instructions for building garden towers can be found in Appendix F. Step 6: Make first planting according to schedule in Chapter 1. Notes: If you use wood, do not use treated wood as it contains chemicals that will leech into the soil. Cedar is the classic wood to use for raised beds because it is slow to break down. Even other types of untreated wood will still last for at least a few years.