Just as we occasionally change the carpet and drapes in the living room, it also makes

sense to remodel the vegetable garden. Perhaps an “Extreme Makeover: Garden Edition” is in order, or maybe we just need the horticultural equivalent of a light coat of paint. But early spring, before planting has begun, is our opportunity to make structural changes to the garden.

We already know we’re not supposed to plant the same crops in the same place in consecutive years, so the idea of doing things differently shouldn’t be too disconcerting.

Getting started means spending a good amount of time just looking at the garden space. For me, given the generous precipitation we’ve had, that means putting on the Wellies, wading out to the garden and studying the area from outside the fence.

Now that the ground is saturated, I can easily see how the soil drains or doesn’t drain. Slopes and sunken places become obvious when the ground is wet. Not only does water stand in low spots, but soil in higher places will turn a lighter brown as that ground begins to dry out first.

This is the time to make detailed notes about where topsoil or compost should be added or the ground leveled to remedy the effects of years of tilling and digging. If you try to figure it out when the soil is dry, the process will be hit-and-miss.

In my case, I’m thinking of making some alterations to accommodate the age of the garden and to facilitate the growth of certain crops. When I tilled up ground for my garden 15 years ago, we located it on the southwest side of a row of fairly young hedge trees.

The theory was that the northeast end of the garden would have shade part of the day, and this would be an appropriate place to plant vegetables that didn’t need or want full sun all day long. Greens and cole crops were destined for that end of the garden, and the setup worked well at first.

As the trees matured, I noticed that they were throwing a longer shadow than they had before. The shade issue also has been exacerbated by the fact that I was not diligent in keeping elm seedlings from taking root along the fence we installed around the garden. As a result, the north side of the garden also has shade, although this is a lesser problem.

As a result of these observations, the chainsaw will likely visit the garden this spring.

I also will be removing two beds I installed in the garden some years ago. One was a raised bed in which I planted spinach and lettuce. The other was a flower bed in which I planted reseeding annual flowers to attract bees. Neither bed is now where I would prefer it to be, so I’ll be rebuilding them at different locations within the garden.

The problem with raised beds is that they create obstacles for the tiller. Weeds pop up along their edges, and keeping them looking tidy can be a chore. To do raised beds right, you really need to lay down plastic in the rows between them and cover it with wood chips or mulch. Otherwise, you’ll spend the summer maintaining the area outside the beds instead of tending the actual garden.

The best raised beds are not cheap to construct. Expensive kits with plastic parts are available through catalogs, or you can buy untreated redwood or terracing stone at a lumberyard. Some sources warn against recycling railroad ties for this purpose because chemicals from the wood can leech into the garden.

In any case, get good topsoil when you start and supplement it with generous amounts of composted organic material. If you do this at the beginning, the beds will be productive for a long time.