Like I said, I REALLY appreciate the support I have been getting for this project.
STILL waiting on my compost thermometer and I now know that I will need to
learn how to cook the manure, so I will document it. Some of my research says to fluff it up, some says to compress it. Still not sure exactly how to do it, but I understand that if you can cook the manure you can kill parasite eggs, so that will help me. I have poo places in my horse's turnouts that should be cleaned up this Spring.
Primarily I am fighting the extreme straight line winds that we get here! When I lived in town on a 1/4 acre lot I had no problem with winds bc I grew in the north back yard with 6 ft fencing on all sides. I had great tomatoes and cucumbers there, but NO wind problem. Today I will be home again and I think I'll add an old clear/white pattern shower curtain that I saved on top of the clear plastic to keep out the rain that we will be getting tonight. I also want to start tomatoes inside in a few weeks and transition THEM to this bed by May. I know that the cold weather crops will do just fine bc I could start them in an exposed bed right now. We are expected to have snow on Saturday!
I will post again later today with pictures. I am going to add the dirt mixed with last years stall leavings today and plant radishes and carrots together to start. I think that any vegetables that you buy at a garden center can be and MAYBE Should be started inside where I live.
@baymule your Spring is already here. MY Spring is "still clinging to winter's chill!" (from LOTR)
Money talks, horse shXt walks! ...or maybe, cooks?!?
) this year to figure out hot to make it hot, since it hasn't really felt like 105 degrees F like all of the articles I have read SAID that it would do. I WILL report my results. Some garden things are not as easy as they seem. 
