jkn wrote:
Hello all
I am constructing a couple of small raised beds (around 1.2m x 1m)
for our small garden; we want to experiment with growing a few
vegetables & salads etc. at home. I've dug over the area and put down
the frames, and I plan to fill them with a mixture of (cheapish)
topsoil, and compost from our home composters.

I'm guessing that it would be a good idea to plant a sort of ...
sacrificial ... crop to begin with, to ... erm, amalgamate the soil
properly and get it all settled in, kinda thing. But I'm willing to be
told I'm wrong!

I didn't. Last spring I built raised beds, filled them with compost and
started sowing seeds immediately. I got some good crops.

Any suggestions a to a good 'first planting' to take us through to
next spring, when we should be in a position to plan our sowing a bit
better? We're on the South coast, & the beds face south, but are
shaded from the sun for part of the day.

You could try some late crops like lettuces, or a green manure that you can
dig in in the spring.