Raised bed construction advice please.

[veggiechicken]

I want to build a couple of raised beds for square foot gardening. One will be about 10' x3'. I have plenty of 6" planks - formerly external cladding on an outbuilding - so can construct it any height. My big problem is soil to fill it as there is no spare topsoil and whatever I use has to be carried up 50 steps.
So, what height would you make it? My thought is 12" but less than half full with soil - and hope to be able to fill it up over time. Any lightweight options for filling it quickly and cheaply?

[Kaiya]

Could you fill the lower levels with cardboard and other decomposables? A bit like TS's lasagne beds? As they rot down it'd sink over time, but would provide structure as it does, and height before it does. I tend to 1/3-1/2 fill pots with newspaper and egg cartons and even oak leaves to save on compost.

[taff]

make it quite high for future use, but fill with any old rubbish laying around, wood, stone etc on the bottom. Anything like wood is going to take a really long time to rot, but will have the added advanatage of taking up a lot of room before it does that, so you could use up your planking int he bottom of the bed.
Then do as kaiya suggests, and do it lasagne stylee

[chris]

Steal some from the farmer's field!!

[VirginVegGrower]

Or better still ask Chris to carry your bags for you

[veggiechicken]

Thanks everyone! I don't want to put stones in, although I have plenty, cos I want to grow root veg in it. Twigs and branches are easy to find but I'll save the planks for construction. I don't know anyone who takes a newspaper these days so they're more difficult - I'll have to loiter around the recycling bins

[bearded bloke]

I made mine 12" deep & filled up completely,bottom 2/3rd's donkey poo & bedding straw,top third was a mix of soil,old compost & new compost.
Grew beans,marrow,courgettes & pumpkin in it last year,got onions & garlic in this year

[Newton]

When I did mine two years ago.....I followed the mel bartholemew recipe to the letter. Guilty your honour.....I used a third peat, a third compost, and a third of .........and here's the lightweight bit.........vermiculite.........I go big bags from the builders merchant.........it really helped make a lightweight soil mix........

Nowadays I'd try to scrounge it!

The beds are now used for strawberries and I top up the mix with fresh compost when I can.

[chris]

I have loads of newspapers from my neighbours, VC - I threw a load in the recycling last week as I couldn't keep up with them! If you want any I can bring some over when I pop by ?

[chris]

Or better still ask Chris to carry your bags for you

oi! If it was only around the corner I'd offer, but it's like 100 odd miles away

[veggiechicken]

I have loads of newspapers from my neighbours, VC - I threw a load in the recycling last week as I couldn't keep up with them! If you want any I can bring some over when I pop by ?

Yes please, Chris, if you don't mind

oi! If it was only around the corner I'd offer, but it's like 100 odd miles away

...and would have to be carried 50 steps down, instead of up

[VirginVegGrower]

oi! If it was only around the corner I'd offer, but it's like 100 odd miles away

So you'd leave a damsel in distress...are you feeling guilty yet!?

What about Taff and Zazen's hugelkultur bed idea VC?

[veggiechicken]

Hugelkultur is fine (I'm doing that in the trampoline) but this is another place and I have to find the filling materials and carry them up to the house. If I could drive up with a boot full of the necessaries, no problem! I don't even have an army of builders to moan at now! Just have to take it slowly and fill it inch by inch over the years.........

[VirginVegGrower]

Start eating spinach girl! I shifted huge bags of our compost earlier after I got fed up of watching Mr VVG huffing and puffing. If I was nearer...

[Two_Sheds]

whatever I use has to be carried up 50 steps

Stating the bleeping obvious here, but you'll be carrying a carrier bag's worth in each hand: little and often. Autumn leaves, molehill soil, whatever. It will all add up over a few months.

Can you sow any green manures nearby? Then you can cut and drop the foliage onto your new bed without travelling too far.