My wife would like for me to put in a spot for her to grow some
vegetables and fruit, and knowing nothing about this, I have some
basic questions.

1. We live in the Westlake area, with very little soil, so I will have
to put in a raised bed. How much soil should I have? My initial
thoughts are to put in an 8x16 foot area, using 6"x6"x8-foot treated
pine for the base, probably two high. This gives about 12 inches of
depth, assuming I might be able to dig down a little bit, I am only
looking at 15-18 inches max of soil. Is this enough? My wife has
mentioned tomatoes, okra, melons, including watermelons, and other
various things that she might like to grow. I have no idea at all
what these require soil and sun-wise, or even if they are growable
here in Austin. The area I have targeted will not get full sun all
day, but will get (after clearing out the last of the cedar) probably
full sun in the morning to mid-afternoon.

2. Any other suggestions for what to use to hold in the soil in a
raised bed? The 6x6x8-foot pieces are about $21 apiece, meaning I am
looking at $250 in wood alone for the base. Can one get those old RR
ties around here? I wanted wood, preferably cut, because of #3 below.

3. Securing the area. I know I will have to fence the area in, as the
deer are horrible around my house. I thought I'd put up a 6-foot
fence, using 2x4s bolted to the base. Will I have problems with birds
or other critters that will cause me to want to put something over the
top? My guess is no, but I thought I'd ask.

4. Anything else I need to consider as I plan this project? I hope to
be able to have enough cedar trunks to use that for the base, which
would save me a lit of money, but I am unsure if this will work.
We'll see.

Thanks in advance.

andyd