Raised bed preparation

Last weekend I cleaned out the debris (like old plants, stakes and mulch) and tilled the beds.  I have a Troy-bilt electric tiller which does the job on these little 4 by 8 foot beds perfectly.  I tilled once, then spread compost.  The compost  I added was from my own bins.  The white specks you see in the beds is eggshell.  Since the results of my soil test indicated I needed triple phosphate, I sprinkled about a cup on each bed (tricky in the thirty mile per hour wind) and then I re-tilled.    I held the Troy-bilt longer in one place to get it to till deeper.  The Troy-bilt is pretty light, so it does a great job for about 8 inches into the soil.   In last year’s tomato beds, where the soil was compacted, I ended up spading between tills just to ensure well-tilled soil.  It was still a lot of work.