Hey,

As I've said in a previous post, I've just aquired a new allotment... and I'm after a bit of advice!

I've not really done much gardening in the past, apart from growing a few herbs n such, so not much of an idea what I'm doing! I do however have a degree in Environmental Conservation, so I know a bit about wildflowers, habitats and soil etc... but that's about it! I'm planning to turn part of it into a wildlife friendly area with a pond, and part of it will be used to grow veggies...

It's currently in a bit of a state - there's a fair bit of rubbish and it's a bit overgrown! Other than clearing it, digging it over (when the snow has gone and the ground isn't frozen!), is there anything I should be doing *now* to prepare for growing stuff?

How do I prepare a seed bed??

Also, I'm not working atm so looking to do things as cheaply as possible. Any advice on where to get cheap/free stuff?! Currently the only things I actually own are a fork, trowel, gloves, secatures, a compost bin, a kneely thing and a few packets of seeds...

What are the best (i.e. easiest to grow!) vegetables to start me off?

Any other general advice is v v welcome!!

I feel v v lucky to have got the allotment (it came with my new house), especially as it's only a 30 second walk from my back door! so I want to make a real go of it. :)

Many thanks in advance :thumbsup:

Go to Home Bargins, they do some good priced garden things like a fork and a spade (you need these!). Preparing a seed bed involves rubbish clearing and digging it over :P The ground will benefit form having well rotted manure dug in as well (not for onions though). The time and effort you put in preparing the ground to grow now will repay you for years to come.

I'd suggest you concentrate on clearing and preparing just a single bed as soon as weather permits, rather than generally tidying the whole plot as then you can get something in straight away. Feb good time for onions (Wilkos have little onion sets really cheap £1.25 for bagful), then 1st early potatoes, garlic (again try Wilkos).

I often have a look at this site when thinking of when to do what http://www.allotment.org.uk/garden_month/garden-january.php . Freecycle may be good if you need carpet, oddments of wood or extra tools etc http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Sheffield-FreeCycle/messages .

You could also be sowing stuff at home on windowsill to put in the allotment later on e.g. Toms, chillis. If you sow lots of these, fellow allotment holders or SF members will prob swap you other young plants for them if you have a surplus. Always a good way of getting different plants to try.

Finally, get down to the library and borrow a copy of Carol Klein's "Grow your own veg"- an easy reading sort of veg book!

Where is your allotment btw?