Six Steps to Show How to Make Raised Beds:

1. Mark out the position of the bed. Any size will do - but they should be no more than 4 foot wide - so that you can reach in to the middle of the bed from either side

2. Prepare the foundations, on which the beds will sit. The soil base must be firm and level.

3. Collect the materials required. Sides could be made from:

• wood - which will rot unless treated. Walls of 10 ft boards of 8×2 pressure treated wood would last.

• concrete building blocks on edge

• old roof tiles or slates

• old bricks on end

• railway sleepers
• WigglyWigglers have a range of purpose built raised beds

3 Make a frame from the materials & lay the frame on the surface of the ground Use a spirit level to ensure they are level. Check levels in all directions - top, back to front and side to side - to ensure the wall is vertical. Leave gaps between the edges to ensure adequate water drainage.

4. Fill the frame with about 3 or 4 inches of a mixture of peat, well rotted manure and topsoil, which can be purchased in bags, if not available. Dig this mixture into the soil below.

5. Make pathways of at least 2 ft. between each bed. A clean path, with no mud, makes life easier. Duckboards are worth considering.

Read how Sara at Farming Friends has been using her raised beds.