Composting 101 and a look at my new raised beds

Creating a small, low maintenance garden begins with good, organic-rich soil. Good soil conserves water, is good habitat for helpful soil critters, such as worms, and can keep plants robust enough that they are less likely to succumb to plant diseases and parasites.

But how to get good soil?
Well first, some people do a soil test to find out where the dirt is lacking. Others say this isn't necessary, it's always a good idea to add nitrogen-rich compost.
In the interest of testing things out, I sent a soil sample to CSU's extension. The news back was good. The acidity of my soil was about right. There were enough of the key nutrients: potassium, phosphorus, and nitrogen. There wasn't too much salt, and the organic material levels were a bit below ideal, but pretty good. So all I really needed was to add a bit more organic material to make my plants thrive. To start your own soil test, click here.

That's helpful to know, because I need to add something. I built two raised beds out of spare lumber I had in my garage and now they need to be filled with soil. The beds are supposed to help warm the soil for a longer growing season, and promote drainage (not that that is a problem in Colorado) but I built them primarily to keep out trampling dogs because my beds are in front of my house right next to a busy sidewalk. (see pictures below)
If you want to see plans on building your own raised beds, or commercial beds available, click here.
Of course, I'll add my own compost to the beds. But where should I get top soil? Do any local seasoned gardeners have any advice on good, inexpensive topsoil? Comment below if you do.

Now, on to composting. There are several good composting Websites, including compostguide.com and howtocompost.org. But what they don't tell you is that in Colorado, you need to water your compost. Water it once or twice a week. It does not need to be sopping, but it should be damp in the middle for decomposition to take place. Otherwise, your kitchen waste and yard clippings with dry out and mummify and archaeologists will be studying them centuries from now.

The first frost-free day is still two months or more away, but I plan to start planting cold-weather crops, such as beets and snow peas, on the first of April. Does anyone have any hints on making these early bloomers thrive?

Speaking of early bloomers, I couldn't help but throw in a few pictures of bulbs pushing up in my yard. They've been going crazy in this warm weather.