DIY GUIDE · GARDEN & OUTDOOR · CHECKED OCTOBER 2026
How to build a raised bed yourself
A weekend for a 1.8 × 0.9 m bed, two sleepers high. £302–£353 in timber, fixings, soil and tools.
Pick the height, level the base, fix the sleepers, fill in layers, plant. Retaining a slope stops here.
- Every step, start to finish
- Checked October 2026 — sources at the end
- Honest about when to call a pro
FIRST, THE HONEST ANSWER
Do it yourself, or get a gardener?
Do it yourself if…
- The ground is level or very gently sloping, and the bed stands free of walls and the house
- The bed is low — one to three sleepers high — and you are not holding back a bank of soil
- You can use a drill-driver and a saw, and lift sleepers with a second person
- The site drains after rain rather than holding puddles
Get a pro if…
- The bed would hold back a slope, acting as a retaining wall
- It would sit against the house wall or bury the damp-proof course
- You want tall beds, for wheelchair access for example, that need proper footings and engineering
- The site is waterlogged and needs drainage putting in first
Safety first
- Sleepers are heavy; lift them with two people and HSE's good handling technique — close to the body, knees slightly bent, no twisting.
- Wear gloves when handling treated timber, avoid breathing sawdust, and wash your hands; the timber maker's own leaflet says the same.
- Wear eye protection when cutting and driving long screws, and keep the cable of any corded tool clear of the saw.
- Do not burn offcuts of treated timber; take them to the household waste recycling centre.
- Check where drains, pipes and outdoor cables run before digging the base or driving stakes.
- Keep the bed clear of the house wall so soil never sits above the damp-proof course.
Stop here: Retaining soil, building against the house, and drainage
A bed that holds back a slope is a retaining structure: if it fails, a weight of wet soil moves, and it can damage your own or a neighbour's property. Soil raised against a house wall above the damp-proof course lets damp into the building. Installing drainage to a soakaway or sewer brings in building regulations, which differ between England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Those are construction jobs with real risk, and this guide stops before them. How to hire a raised bed builder →
| MATERIAL | COVERAGE | FOR THIS JOB |
|---|---|---|
| Treated timber sleepers | Rated for ground contact | Six 1.8 m sleepers for a 1.8 × 0.9 m bed two sleepers high |
| Timber screws, long | Long enough to pass through one sleeper into the next | A pack of 25 |
| Permeable lining fabric | For the inside walls only | Enough to line the perimeter |
| Topsoil and compost | Depth to suit the crops | About 0.65 m³ to fill this bed with soil alone; less with a layered fill |
How much fill
Fill volume in m³ = length × width × depth. A 1.8 × 0.9 m bed, 0.4 m deep, holds 1.8 × 0.9 × 0.4 = 0.65 m³. With a 0.15 m layer of coarse prunings and turf at the bottom, the bought soil and compost drops to 1.8 × 0.9 × 0.25 = 0.4 m³.
Soil settles, so expect to top a new bed up after a few weeks. Check the stated volume on a bulk bag before ordering.
New, pressure-treated softwood sleepers rated for ground contact are the usual choice: strong, square and easy to screw together. Do not use old railway sleepers soaked in creosote or tar for growing food.
Timber or metal kits go together in an hour and come in standard sizes, at a range of prices from a few dozen pounds to a couple of hundred for larger timber beds. They are lighter and lower than sleeper beds and less forgiving of uneven ground.
One sleeper high is enough for flowers and shallow crops on decent soil. Two or three gives deeper soil for root vegetables and less bending. Above about knee height, a bed full of wet soil exerts real pressure on its sides and needs internal bracing.
Keep the bed narrow enough to reach the middle from either side without standing on the soil, which for most people is a little over an arm's length across; against a fence, where you can reach from one side only, make it narrower still. Length is up to you.
A permeable lining against the inside walls keeps soil from washing out between boards, keeps the soil moist and protects the timber. The timber maker recommends lining planters; do not line the base with plastic, which stops drainage.
A layered fill — coarse prunings at the bottom, then turf or rough material, then compost, then fine soil — saves buying soil for the whole depth and warms the bed as it breaks down. Root crops want 300–400 mm of good soil; salads and beans 150–200 mm.
THE PART THAT DECIDES THE FINISH
Before you build — by the ground you have
The ground under the bed decides how much work goes into the base. Find yours.
Lawn
Building straight onto grass.
- Mark the bed's outline with pegs and string
- Lift the turf inside the outline and stack it upside down to use in the bed's fill
- Fork the soil underneath to break up compaction so roots and water can go down
- Level the strip under the sleepers themselves with a spade and a spirit level
Bare soil or an old bed
Existing border or vegetable patch.
- Clear weeds, digging out every perennial root
- Fork over the base to loosen it
- Level the line where the sleepers sit
- Leave the soil in place; it becomes the bottom of the bed
A gentle slope
A fall you can see but walk easily.
- Level the bottom sleeper by digging it into the high side rather than propping up the low side
- Check level along the length and across the width
- Keep the step to a single sleeper's depth at most
- If you need to cut deeply into the slope or hold back soil, stop; that is retaining
Paving or concrete
Building on a hard surface.
- Choose a deeper bed, as roots cannot go down into the ground
- Leave gaps or drill holes at the base for water to escape, and check where it will run
- Lay coarse material at the bottom for drainage
- Keep the bed well away from house walls and airbricks
Wet or heavy ground
Puddles that linger after rain.
- A raised bed helps, because the root zone sits above the wet
- Fork the base deeply and add coarse material at the bottom
- Do not build where water collects from the rest of the garden
- If water stands for a day after rain, the site needs drainage first
A bed for easier access
For a bad back, a wheelchair user or gardening seated.
- Decide the working height by sitting or standing at a table and measuring what is comfortable
- A bed at that height holds a great deal of soil, so it needs bracing or a proper structure
- Leave firm, level, wide paths on every side you will work from
- For a bed much above knee height, consider a ready-made raised planter on legs or a professional build
THE JOB
How to build and fill a raised bed, in order
Choose the spot and mark it out
30 minDo the ground checks above, then mark the outline with pegs and string. Check the corners are square by measuring both diagonals; they should match. Leave room around the bed for paths and a wheelbarrow, and keep it clear of the house, drains and manhole covers.
- Orient a vegetable bed north to south for even light where you can
- Keep beds out of the shade of trees and fences
- Check that you can reach the middle from the side
Mistake to avoid: Building a bed over a manhole or against the house. Access is lost, and soil against a wall brings damp in.
Prepare and level the base
1 hrLift turf or clear weeds inside the outline, then level a strip under where the sleepers will sit. Use a long spirit level on a straight board. On a slight slope, dig the strip into the high side rather than packing up the low side, which settles.
- Stack lifted turf grass-side down; it goes back in as a fill layer
- Fork the soil inside the bed to break up compaction
- Check level in both directions
Mistake to avoid: Building on unlevelled ground and expecting the sleepers to sort it out. The bed twists and the joints open.
Cut the sleepers to length
30 minMeasure and mark each cut with a square, then cut with a sharp hand saw, supporting both sides of the cut so the saw does not jam. For a 1.8 × 0.9 m bed, the long sides use whole sleepers and the ends use halves.
- Measure twice, cut once
- Treat cut ends with an end-grain preserver to protect them
- Wear gloves and a dust mask; collect the sawdust
Mistake to avoid: Cutting on the ground with the sleeper unsupported. It pinches the saw and splits the end.
Lay and fix the first course
1 hrLay the first course of sleepers on the levelled strip in a rectangle, overlapping the corners so the long sides run past the ends. Check level along each sleeper and across the bed, and square by the diagonals. Drill pilot holes and screw through the corners.
- Bed the sleepers slightly into the soil so they do not rock
- Tap them into line with a rubber mallet
- Pilot holes stop the timber splitting
Mistake to avoid: Fixing the first course before checking it is square and level. Every course above copies the mistake.
Build the second course, staggered
1 hrLay the next course so its corner joints overlap the ones below, like brickwork. Screw down through each sleeper into the one beneath at intervals along its length and at every corner. This interlocks the bed so it does not push apart when full of wet soil.
- Stagger the corners from course to course
- Drive screws at an angle at the corners for extra grip
- Check level again before fixing
Mistake to avoid: Stacking courses with joints in line. A full bed pushes the corners apart within a season.
Brace a longer or deeper bed
30 minOn a bed longer than about two sleeper lengths, or three courses deep, fix a vertical post inside each long side at the midpoint and screw every course into it. For long beds, add a timber cross-tie between the two long sides just below the soil surface. Wet soil is heavy, and the long sides are where it pushes hardest.
- Use offcuts of the same sleepers or ground-contact posts for the braces
- Sink the post a little into the ground below the bottom course
- Fit braces before filling; it is far harder afterwards
Mistake to avoid: Leaving the long sides of a deep bed unbraced. They belly outwards in the first wet winter and the screws pull out.
Line the inside walls
20 minStaple a permeable lining fabric to the inside faces of the sleepers, from the top edge down to the ground. Leave the base open to the soil below so water drains and worms can come up.
- Fold the corners rather than cutting them
- Keep the fabric below the top edge so it does not show
- Use staples or short screws with washers
Mistake to avoid: Lining the base with plastic. Water cannot drain, the soil goes sour, and roots drown.
Fill in layers
2 hrPut coarse prunings and small branches in the bottom, then the upturned turf or rough garden material, then a layer of half-rotted compost, then finish with a mix of topsoil and good compost to the top. The coarse layers drain the bed and break down into food for the crops over the years.
- Keep woody thuja, yew and other conifer prunings out; they make soil acidic
- Keep perennial weed roots out of every layer
- Water each layer as you go so it settles
Mistake to avoid: Filling with garden subsoil or builders' rubble. Plants struggle for years in it.
Settle, top up and level
20 minWater the full bed thoroughly and let it settle for a few days to a week. Top up with soil and compost, then rake the surface level and fine.
- Expect the soil to drop noticeably in the first weeks
- Leave the top a little below the rim so water does not run off
- Do not tread on the soil; work from the paths
Mistake to avoid: Planting straight into a fresh fill. As it settles, the plants sink and the roots pull.
Plant and water in
45 minPlant or sow at the spacing on the seed packet or plant label; in a raised bed, rows can be closer than in open ground, but not crowded. Water in well and mulch around larger plants.
- Thin seedlings once the first true leaves appear
- Put tall crops on the north side so they do not shade the rest
- Avoid planting members of the same family side by side
Mistake to avoid: Sowing too thickly to fill the bed. Crowded crops are smaller and more prone to disease.
The mistakes that undo a raised bed
- Building on ground that is not level and square
- Courses stacked without staggered, screwed corners
- A plastic base that stops drainage
- Building against the house wall or over a drain
Stop here and get a raised bed builder
- The bed would hold back a slope or bank of soil, which makes it a retaining structure
- It would sit against the house or raise soil above the damp-proof course
- You want tall beds that need footings, bracing or engineering
- The ground is waterlogged and needs drainage designed and installed
| WHAT YOU SEE | WHY, AND THE FIX |
|---|---|
| Sides bowing outwards | Corners not staggered and screwed, or no internal brace on a tall bed. Empty the end, screw the corners properly and add a cross brace. |
| Soil level dropping | The fill settling and the bottom layers breaking down. Top up with compost each spring. |
| Bed waterlogged | A plastic base, compacted ground beneath, or a low spot that collects water. Remove any plastic, fork the base, and move the bed if water runs to it. |
| Plants yellowing | Poor fill, subsoil, or acidity from conifer material. Test the pH, dig in compost, and lime only if the test says so. |
| Timber rotting at the base | Untreated timber or no lining. Line inside, treat cut ends, and replace rotten boards with ground-contact timber. |
| Soil drying out fast | Raised beds drain freely. Mulch the surface, water deeply, and consider a soaker hose on a timer. |
| Slugs and snails thriving | The bed's edges give them shelter. Check under the rim at night and pick them off; encourage birds and hedgehogs. |
| Weeds coming up through the bed | Perennial roots in the fill or below. Dig them out by hand whenever they appear; they weaken with repeated removal. |
WHAT YOU SAVE
What it costs to do it yourself
| Six ground-contact sleepers | £144–£168 |
|---|---|
| Timber screws, pack of 25 | £8.70–£9 |
| Topsoil, one bulk bag | £109 |
| Compost, four 50-litre bags | £20–£34 |
| Spirit level | £13.50–£20 |
| Hand saw | £5–£8 |
| Gardening gloves | £2–£5 |
| Total, one bed | £302–£353 |
| DIY total | £302–£353 |
Guide prices compiled by the Locufy team from published Irish and UK provider price lists and 2026/27 cost guides. Updated 2026.
A layered fill cuts the soil cost; a kit bed cuts the timber cost. The tools serve every bed you build afterwards, and a second bed beside the first costs only the timber, fixings and fill, because the site is already set out and the level and saw are already in the shed.
RATHER NOT?
Raised bed builders near you, with prices shown
The ones who cover your area, nearest first, with one score from every review. No account needed to look.
Or post the job free and let them come to you.
Add a layer of compost each spring; the bed settles and the crops use the nutrients.
Treated timber offcuts and turf you do not use go to the household waste recycling centre or the council's garden waste collection respectively; never burn treated wood.
Move crop families round your beds each year so pests and diseases that build up in one family's soil do not meet the same crop again, and rest a bed every few years so the soil recovers.
Look at the corners and the base each autumn; tighten screws and treat any exposed cut ends.
Building and filling a raised bed: questions people ask
For salads and beans, 150–200 mm of good soil is enough; for root vegetables, 300–400 mm. On paving or concrete, go deeper because roots cannot reach the ground beneath.
Layers work well: coarse prunings at the bottom, turf or rough material, half-rotted compost, then a mix of topsoil and good compost on top. Keep conifer prunings and perennial weed roots out.
Line the inside walls with a permeable fabric to protect the timber and hold the soil, but leave the base open so water drains.
Modern pressure-treated sleepers made for garden use are widely used for food beds; line the inside walls and avoid old creosote-soaked railway sleepers. Wear gloves when handling treated timber.
On a gentle one, yes, by digging the bottom sleeper into the high side to level it. If the bed would hold back soil on a real slope, it is a retaining structure and needs a professional.
The Locufy UK price guide puts raised bed building at £40–£600 per bed, typically £300. Materials, soil and access move the price most.
MORE GUIDES
More DIY guides
Sources — checked October 2026
- HSE — manual handling: good handling technique
- STIHL — filling and planting a raised bed
- Forest Garden — top tips for easy product assembly: pilot holes, lining planters
- Forest Garden — base preparation guide: treated timber handling
- Rolawn — calculating topsoil requirements: depths for vegetables
- GOV.UK — dispose of garden waste
- Wickes — price check: garden sleepers
- Wickes — price check: timber screws
- Wickes — price check: topsoil
- Wickes — price check: compost
- Wickes — price check: spirit levels
- Wickes — price check: hand saws
- Wickes — price check: gardening gloves
- Wickes — price check: raised bed kits