Hi
@KellyI! Welcome! I live just south of Atlanta, and we have that stuff you can make bricks out of, lol. For my beds I use mushroom compost, Evergreen top soil from Lowe's, a bit of coarse sand, and top with wood chips. I have found that the wood chips break down in about 1 - 2 years. Moving the chips is a pain, but they work great for keeping the water in. I have tried landscape fabric in the past, but it takes almost as much time to pull up and put back, without adding nutrients to the soil. Liquid fertilizer might be an option? Your veggies, especially tomatoes, might need specialized amendments. I added organic bone meal to the tomatoes to prevent blossom end rot, for example. For most of my other plants, I add compost in Spring and Fall, or for new plantings only. So twice a year is not too much trouble. Pine straw is also a popular mulch. Maybe it would be easier to rake up? Good luck! And keep the questions coming!
