Start a garden bed or raised bed

When to do it

Before the intended planting window, with time to settle the bed.

What you need

• Measuring tape and gloves
• Clean topsoil and mature compost, or suitable bed mix
• Safe edging if required

How to do it

1. Choose a site for the crop’s light needs and water access. Mark a width you can reach from the paths; check underground services before ground penetration.
2. Remove persistent weeds and assess drainage. Investigate possible contaminated soil before growing food. Keep new soil away from building walls, vents and tree trunks.
3. For a no-dig bed on clean ground, remove tape from plain cardboard, overlap it over short annual weeds, wet it, and add about 10–15 cm of mature, fine compost. Remove perennial weeds first; cardboard is not a reliable cure for them.
4. For an open-bottom raised bed, use sound materials suitable for food growing and fill with clean topsoil blended with mature compost or a labelled raised-bed mix. A planter with a solid base needs drainage holes and container mix instead.
5. Water to settle, top up settled areas and check drainage. Provide enough actual growing medium for the crop’s roots; do not rely on undecomposed logs or fresh manure. Check the plant guide before planting.

What success looks like

• All planting positions can be reached without stepping on soil.
• The bed drains and has sufficient root depth.

Watch out for

• Filling a bed entirely with fresh organic waste.
• Treating a raised bed as a cure for contaminated or flood-prone ground.

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