Raised Beds – Soil Settling

Q: Recently, I constructed raised beds for my vegetable garden. The book which supplied the directions for the bed building also tells me to wait one week before planting anything in the beds. Is this necessary, or can I use them right away?

A: Usually, I place my plants in the soil right away. However, after a week I would go back and add some more soil around the new plants. The soil does tend to settle, and you don’t want your plants higher than the surrounding dirt.