Yep, that's cow poop

The "before" picture: 

 

The "after" picture:

How I did it:  took out boxes, re-mixed dirt w/ more compost, pulled weeds til my finger nails bled, re-layed weed fabric (double layer!), used power tools (!) to fix boxes and make them sturdy again, put boxes back, filled in dirt, hauled rocks and more rocks (I am never doing that again, btw), and THEN planted our starts that we bought at the nursery (no, I don't do my own any more - don't judge).  And I would say I did it ALL by myself, but I did have some slave labor help:

 Just don't tell their moms when I "babysit", it's actually a day full of hard labor.  And yes, Cody, that is manure - code word for poop.

And of course, I did let my boys help with the exciting part.

 

 Can't wait to see how it turns out!