We went ahead with the raised bed project last weekend and it turned out better than expected. The lumber we picked up from the supply store was cedar so it should hold up well against the weather. We ended up building two beds instead of one since we had extra materials. The soil mix we used was three parts topsoil, one part compost, and one part sand which should drain well. We planted tomatoes and peppers on one side and herbs on the other. The whole thing took about four hours from start to finish including the trip to pick up supplies. If you want to do something similar I can send you the measurements we used. The key is making sure the frames are level before you fill them with soil otherwise they can shift over time. Let me know if you want to come by and take a look at how they turned out.

I think the Tuesday afternoon slot would work best for the team gathering since most people are usually done with their main tasks by then. We reserved the community room at the recreation center which has a kitchen area and seating for about thirty people. The cost was reasonable at fifty dollars for a three hour block. We are planning to have a few different food stations setup so people can graze rather than doing a formal sit down meal. I was thinking we could ask a few volunteers to bring their specialty dishes and we can cover the rest from the budget. The room has a sound system so we can have some background music playing. We will need to arrive about thirty minutes early to setup tables and arrange the seating. Let me know if Tuesday works for you or if we should look at another day.