How I setup my first raised bed garden in Chicago summers?

 Hello Friends,

We have had some good harvests over the past two summers growing tomatoes and a few other vegetables in the backyard in a small space.

the harvest from tomatoes was phenomenal last. so much so that we shared tons of them with friends in the neighborhood and We still had plenty to enjoy during summer and fall.

This year, however, I decided to experiment with a raised bed kitchen garden in one of the open sides of our house.

Here is how it looked when it was put together and started roughly 45 days ago (Early May).

This is how the bed looked like in Early May after initial plants were put in.

This is how the bed looks like on June 13. I have recently harvested from here.

since I re-started my blogging again, I didn't take photos of the whole process, but here is how I approached it.

Choosing the space:

The space on which this bed is set up is partly open for plantation, and part of it is with green grass. this space gets a lot of light and direct sun from noon to the end of the day too.

Size:

The size of this bed is approx 5 ft by 3 ft. 

How I built this bed:

• I used 1*6 material. cut them into length with my mitre saw, and butt joined them. To add strength, I had scrap 2*2 lying around that I nailed in the corners.
• on the ground, I lay some cardboard to stop the weeds from growing from under the bed, and also stop the grass from coming through.
• Then I filled it with a few bags of potting soil that I bought in large bags from Costco.

What I have planted so far:

My plan is to plant a mix of herbs, vegetables, and flowers as pollinators in this bed. so far I have:

• Lavender - 2 plants
• Broccoli - 1 plant
• Parsley - 1 plant
• Basil - 1 plant
• Flowers (don't know names) 4 plants across two varieties
• Cabbage - 1 plant
• Green Bell Peppers - 1 plant
• Red bell Peppers - 1 plant
• Salad Greens - 1 plant
• Lettuce - 1 plant
• Cucumbers - 1 plant
• Tomatoes - We have tons of tomato plants, and I have moved a plant in this bed too.

Recently I bought some garden fences to keep rabbits out, which I have recently noted making some moves in the backyard. though our plants have grown up well the rabbits like too much on green leaves too.

Here is some of the produce that has come out in the past 6 weeks. this is not only for us to enjoy the garden, but also to help with the growth.