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First allotment

Got your first allotment? What to do first

The short answer

Read your tenancy agreement first, then clear the plot in sections rather than all at once. Most councils expect about 75% of the plot to be cultivated, often within the first year, so aim to have part of it growing within a few months. Plan beds and paths before you plant, and start with a handful of easy crops you like to eat.

A new plot is usually more work than it looks, and the rules that come with it matter as much as the soil. This is the order that the RHS, the National Allotment Society and several council handbooks agree on.

The first weeks, in order

  1. Read the tenancy agreement. Check how much must be cultivated, and whether it limits fruit trees, greenhouses, polytunnels or sheds.(RHS)
  2. Find the water. RHS says dip tanks filled from the mains are the most common arrangement on allotments; plan to collect rainwater in butts too.(RHS, Mole Valley District Council)
  3. Divide the plot into sections and tackle one at a time.(National Allotment Society)
  4. If it is badly overgrown, clear half in the first year so you can start growing, and cover the rest.(RHS)
  5. Test the soil for pH and nutrients, to decide on lime or fertiliser.(RHS, National Allotment Society)
  6. Plan beds and paths before planting: paths, the number of beds, somewhere to sit, water butts and a compost area.(RHS)
  7. Grow something early. Potatoes, courgettes and squash smother weeds, so RHS puts them in the weediest parts of a new plot.(RHS)

What your tenancy is likely to expect

How much time it takes

  • A half plot might need eight hours a week for an inexperienced gardener, and half that for an experienced one.(RHS)
  • Little and often is far more effective than occasional large efforts.(National Allotment Society)
  • Half a plot is adequate for most people and ideal for beginners.(RHS)
Where the sources differ
QuestionRHSOthers
Hours a weekHalf plot: about 8 for a beginner, 4 for an experienced grower.National Allotment Society: half plot 2 to 4, full plot 4 to 8 in the main season. Preston: 5 to 8 every week.

What to grow first

When each one can go in: what can I sow now?

  • Grow what you like to eat.(RHS)
  • Easy starters the National Allotment Society lists: beetroot, broad beans, chard, climbing French beans, leeks, lettuce, onions, oriental vegetables, radish and perpetual spinach.(National Allotment Society)
  • Potatoes help clear the soil and need little maintenance.(National Allotment Society)
  • Err on the side of growing too little.(RHS)

Put your plot on the plan, free

Add your beds with their sizes, roughly is fine, and Vercro draws them to scale, keeps a record of what grew where, and shows what each empty bed could take next.

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Where this comes from

The growing advice on this page comes from the published sources below, each linked beside the point it supports. Where two good sources disagree, we show both rather than choosing the convenient one. Reviewed 19 September 2026.

Council rules differ from site to site. Your own tenancy agreement is the one that applies.