ahhh well my intial plan was to go straight from bin to bed this year and then think about what happens after that

I've worked out i need approximately a cubic meter of soil to fill my raised bed i've been granted some access to some manure but i don't think my car could handle a tonne and a half of horse poo.

flattened cardboard sounds good i've got more than a few pieces spare after the move!

I'm planning to pick the runners using a trampoline........no i'm kidding i'll just pop up a ladder, i'm not too sure that i'll get to many runners this year as the plants been savaged by ants and black fly. How deep do most people make their raised beds? I've got about a foot of sandy loam under the bed and i was planning to fill above by another 20cm with horse manure, do you think this will be enough?