I am not so sure. Garden Lime is crushed limestone, rock, powdered rock. That’s gonna be heavy. I suspect 40 pounds is about 1-1/2 cubic feet or so. That spread over a 20x30 area is not that much.
I did read a cautionary note that said not to add lime and fertilizer at the same time. Apparently it can cause a chemical reaction that is not desirable.
I have been reading the web site of the Miss State Univ. AG Department and a couple of other sites and have read the same thing about not applying lime and fert together and should occur months apart. Normally lime is added to the soil in the fall which gives it time to alter the acidity (raise the pH) and the ferts are added months later in the early spring.
I also read on one site that lime additions should not exceed 5# per 100 sq ft. and on another site the recommended rate to raise the pH from 5.5 to 6.5, basically what I need to do, is 7.5 lbs/100 sq ft. which would have me adding 45 lbs. just about the rate the soil test lab recommended I add.
Confusion is setting in! I am debating on whether to just to add the lime to my in ground garden area now and wait until next year to plant it. And just do a couple of raised beds this season.