The following three steps were listed to prep the soil and my questions are listed after these steps:

1. Remove grass or other existing vegetation with a flat spade or kill with a glyphosate herbicide such as Roundup.

2. Spread two or three inches of organic matter, well-rotted manure, leaf mold (composted leaves) or compost, over the bed.

3. Turn soil over to a depth of eight inches with a garden spade, fork or roto-tiller, breaking up heavy clods. Rake level.


Questions:

1. At what point do you introduce fertilizer in this process? Do you spread fertizer over the entire garden area or just around the bushes I'll be planting?

2. I'm buying some chemical to regulate the PH balance in my soil. At what point in the above process do you introduce this chemical?

3. How do you go about making a raised bed for better drainage? Do you just heap the compost on real thick to create a raised bed?

Thanks