Raised beds sound great until you deal with the actual dirt situation. Mine dried out so fast the first year that I was watering twice a day in July, which kind of defeats the whole point of an easy garden. In-ground beds with decent soil hold water way better, and you get earthworms doing the work for you instead of paying for bags of mix every spring. Your neighbor might know his stuff, but two seasons is a real cost to learn it.

Ha, nothing like getting roasted by a stranger at the market to fix your bread game! I gave up on the timer a while ago and go by the poke test now, you press a floured finger into the dough and if it springs back slow and leaves a little dent, you're good to shape. If it snaps back fast it needs more time, and if it just stays sunken you went too far. The dough really does tell you when it's ready if you stop watching the clock like it owes you money.