Potatoes
4 × 5 m (13 × 16 ft)
Earthing up and lifting potatoes breaks up the soil, so this is a good bed to start a new plot with.
| Crop | Rows | Plants |
|---|---|---|
| Potato | 8 | 104 |
Allotment planner
This opens on four 4 × 5 m (13 × 16 ft) beds, one for each group in a four-year rotation. Change the sizes and crops to fit your plot, and add beds for fruit or anything else.
Bed size, shape and units
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Start from a layout
The four beds
Peas and beans
4 × 5 m (13 × 16 ft)
Runner beans and sweetcorn at the north end, with a row of courgettes. Peas and beans leave nitrogen in the soil for next year's brassicas.
| Crop | Rows | Plants |
|---|---|---|
| Runner bean | 1 | 20 |
| Sweetcorn | 3 | 24 |
| Courgette (zucchini) | 1 | 4 |
| Pea | 2 | 114 |
| Broad bean (fava bean) | 2 | 40 |
Brassicas
4 × 5 m (13 × 16 ft)
Net them against pigeons and cabbage white butterflies, and firm the soil well before planting.
| Crop | Rows | Plants |
|---|---|---|
| Brussels sprout | 2 | 12 |
| Purple sprouting broccoli | 2 | 12 |
| Kale | 2 | 16 |
| Cabbage | 1 | 8 |
Roots and onions
4 × 5 m (13 × 16 ft)
Sow carrots and parsnips where they're to grow, as they don't transplant. Garlic goes in in autumn, and onion sets in spring.
Laying out an allotment
- Rotate every year. Move each group on to the next bed, so nothing grows in the same ground two years running.
- Keep paths narrow. 40 to 50 cm is wide enough for a wheelbarrow.
- Perennials at one end. Fruit bushes, raspberries, rhubarb and asparagus stay for years, so keep them out of the rotation.
- Clear one bed at a time. Cover the rest with cardboard or black plastic until you're ready for it.
More in how to plan an allotment and the crop rotation planner.
Questions
How do you lay out an allotment?
Split it into four beds for a rotation of potatoes, peas and beans, brassicas, and roots and onions. Put fruit and other perennials at one end, leave room for a compost bay, and keep the paths narrow.
What is a four-bed crop rotation?
Crops grouped into potatoes, legumes, brassicas, and roots and onions, with each group moving on one bed every year. Pests and diseases that build up in the soil don't find the same crop there the next year.
Can I plan more than four beds?
Yes. Add as many as you like with + Add a bed, for fruit, a nursery bed or a row of cut flowers.
Save your allotment plan in VegLog
VegLog keeps every bed you plan, tells you what to sow each week for your frost dates, and keeps a record of your harvests. Free for your first growing space.
