Ask-a-Dave's-Gardener: Four O'clock tubers not growing!, 2 by Gitagal

Gitagal wrote:
No thanks--TX--I really do not have room in my beds for anything that big.

I live in a development. been here 47 years. My beds are all along the walls
of the house--as that is what i thought beds were supposed to be.
I literally have to dig something older out to plant something new, somewhere.

About 4 years ago--I had a raised bed built along the back of my property line.
The man also put in a nice 6' shadow fence behind it to "frame it better. I like it!
Partially to hide my back yard neighbor's junk he keeps behind HIS garage--
but also b/c I wanted to use that bed to grow my Tomatoes etc in.

The problem started right away. I ordered a couple c.y.'s of top soil to fill this bed.
When we were shoveling this soil onto the bed--I thought it smelled bad...rancid...
Not at all like a good garden soil would smell.
Eventually, it became apparent that I had gotten just what I asked for--TOP SOIL--
which is nothing more than fill dirt. It should have been "GARDEN SOIL!!!

I have been amending it ever since--but it is NOT good enough yet. My tomatoes never
did well in there. Not enough sun either.
SO! Now I am planting this and that in there just to fill it--but still look decent.
That is why I am growing some 4's and a couple Daturas in there. Also some day Lilies.
Some marigolds along the front and all that....
Besides--having a "4" means daily collecting of seeds so you don't end up with 9000 seedlings.

Here is the bed in the back, My yard is not very big anyway.
#2 is a pic of my Patio which is awqsone. i can work there even if it rains.
Also--between my 2 big Maples--it can be 10* cooler there as soon as i round the corner.