My first time building garden beds, how did I do?

I had some minor woodworking knowledge beforehand, but I did this with mostly newly developed skills.

Cedar, non-toxic stain, on a slope, sitting on gravel with steps down under the ground for drainage, extended and tied into yards irrigation system (need to redo it in the beds themselves. Sheets of landscaping fabric covered by stepping. Stones (with leveling sand around and under), and river rock.

The hardest part by far was the earth work leading up to it given the slope, rocks, and years of layered mulch from the previous owner. There was also a 17 foot crape Myrtle we moved 15 feet using a bunch of hands, a truck, rope, and raw stupid effort.

I’m a little worried about the near ground contact, but if it rots, my plan is to dig out the lower boards and replace with stone blocks as a base.

Putting beds around the outside of that existing white fence for in-ground transplanting locations for volunteers/squatters, and a range of berry bushes and other things leading to the right.

Built this last season, but planted stuff and didn’t keep up with it… mostly learned about pests and disease as a result. This season I’ve been much more involved and loving everything minute. Everything is much bigger now and growing like crazy. I’m very excited and loving everything I’m learning about soil, plants, pests, food, preserving, etc etc.

Growing list:

Varieties of Onion

Varieties of Carrots between them

Varieties of potatoes

Broccoli

Cabbages

Kale

Lettuce variety

Arugula (fresh and young is so much better)

Chard

Spinach

Beats

Radish (did fantastic. Had 3 pounds… ate a ton and then waited too long and didn’t pickle).

Snap peas

Determinate and indeterminate tomatoes

Basil, sage, parsley, dill, marigolds, snd other flowers.

Dwarf sunflowers along the back wall

Tromboncino squash (borers got me last year)

Ginger and tumeric

Sugar baby bushing watermelon in a grow bag

Loofah in a grow back with the intention of growing along fence.

Rubarb in a grow bag

Things are pretty densely planted, and I’m surprised how little that seems to be mattering for some things. Left bed is currently overgrown with leafy greens,