New Year, New Garden. Getting Organized!

So this is the year I said I was going to be more organized in my gardening efforts.  And by that I mean both planting and documenting my crops.  

In past years I've planted in a very unorganized and probably unhealthy patterns. Usually based in what areas were growing hot spots.  My yard has about 8 raised beds and all get different amounts of sun and moisture due to their location in relation to the yard and exposure.  Some were built with better soil preparation than others.  Some were built early on in my gardening endeavors and suffered from a lack of experience and knowledge on how to set a proper garden box.

I set out this winter to rectify my garden boxes in a way that I hadn't done intially. I removed or transplanted all my existing plants to either new locations or pots to facilitate a soil change.  I went about digging down a few feet in each box to ensure good root growth but also to turn the soil in a way so that I wasn't just pulling nutrients from the topsoil.  I also supplemented the soil with additives like organic fertilizer, perlite for drainage, and vermiculite (for moisture retention).  I know it seems a bit redundant to have a perlite and vermiculite but figured it couldn't hurt.

Finally I set out specific boxes for specific vegetables.  Two of which were set up with varieties of Garlic. In the above pictures you can see two other boxes, one for carrots and onions, the other has beets and other root based vegetables.   I've opted for rows to optimize the limited space my boxes have. 

Along with my neat rows I've kept detailed notes on where, when, and what I've planted. In past years I've tried to rely on my memory to identify vegetables and it hasn't worked out that well for me. 

And the green vines on the fence line are Peas (Sugar Snap and other varieties).  I've always had sucess growing them and easy to maintain.