Plan an allotment in four beds and it almost runs itself

A good allotment plan is mostly about rotation and access. Split the plot into four main beds that swap crops each year, put permanent crops to one side, and make sure you can reach everything without walking on the soil.

Start with a sketch

Measure the plot and draw it to scale on paper. Mark the things you can’t move: the shed, water trough, compost area, trees and any shade they cast. Note which way is south, since tall crops should go on the north side so they don’t shade the rest.

Divide it into beds

Beds about 1.2 m wide can be reached from both sides, so you never need to tread on the soil. Paths of 40 to 50 cm are wide enough for a wheelbarrow. Wood chip or grass paths both work, but grass needs regular edging.

For most plots, aim for:

• Four rotation beds of roughly equal size, for the annual vegetables.
• A permanent area for fruit bushes, raspberry canes, rhubarb and perhaps asparagus. These stay put for years, so give them the end of the plot that’s least convenient for digging.
• A compost bay of at least two bins, one filling and one rotting.
• A small nursery bed for raising leeks and brassicas before they go into their final spots.

A simple four-bed rotation

Bed	Year 1	Year 2	Year 3	Year 4
A	Potatoes	Legumes	Brassicas	Roots and onions
B	Legumes	Brassicas	Roots and onions	Potatoes
C	Brassicas	Roots and onions	Potatoes	Legumes
D	Roots and onions	Potatoes	Legumes	Brassicas

Squash, courgettes and sweetcorn fit wherever there’s room, usually alongside the potatoes or legumes. Add compost or manure before the potatoes, and lime before the brassicas if your soil is acid.

Clearing a new plot

Don’t try to clear it all at once. Cover most of the plot with black plastic, cardboard or old carpet that’s free of synthetic backing, and work on one bed at a time. Dig out perennial weeds like bindweed and couch grass by the roots. Potatoes are a classic first crop, as earthing them up and digging them out breaks up the soil.

What to grow first

In the first year, pick reliable crops that give a lot for little effort: potatoes, onion sets, runner beans, courgettes, beetroot, chard, salad and a row of sweet peas. Add fruit bushes in the first autumn, when bare-root plants are cheapest.

For more on rotation, see crop rotation for beginners. For the timing of each crop, the easiest vegetables to grow guide is a good starting list.