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New Allotment, advice please!!
Hello all you experts out there, I'm in the very fortunate position of getting an allotment, but never having had one before I'd love some advice please!
Its been cleared and I'm raring to go!!
what to grow,
where to buy seed from,
what equipment would you consider essential?
all posts gratefully accepted!!
Thank you 
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Posts
Grow, onions, parsnips, peas,broad beans, runner beans, a corner for rhubarb, another corner for composting, a SHED !!!!!! fruit canes, greens, ie, purple sprouting broccoli, red cabbage, whatever and wherever your whim and fancy take you. Patience is the watch word. Seeds come up as and when they feel like it ! Don't peep to see if they're doing anything ! If you have the space, some seed trays, pots and more pots and trays !!!!
Tools: string, dibber, a long-ish plank or board to walk upon when sowing or planting. Netting and short canes for supporting the netting. containers for storing the seed packets, a trowel, fork, spade, netting for runner beans, sweet peas, a corner for a bee hive, scavenge, liberate, beg borrow or steal anything, and become a true allotmenteer ! Make friends with a stable, farmer who has plenty of muck fresh or otherwise. You can brew it up on your place if it's too fresh.
Buy seed from any reasonable shop. Even Wilko's at a stretch., but More Reasons, Homebase, wherever. All the seeds are much of a muchness.
Go by the simple acronym, KISS...... keep it simple stupid.
Have a wonderful time, and slow down. Let it all happen !
Best bit of advice I was given when I got an allotment - never be afraid to ask
The other allotmenteers are full of information and experience of the soil and conditions that you have to work with - and most people are so flattered to be asked for advice
And one other tip - don't try to do it all at once - but remember that Nature abhors a vacuum so if you've got bare soil the weed seeds will find it, so read up a bit on green manures - different types for different times of the year - and don't be afraid to sprinkle a few green manure seeds on part of the allotment and keep that bare soil covered
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
my advice would be, adding to the great advice already offered: when you've had enough, give up. Never let it become a chore, a burden. When you're tired, GO HOME. If you can't manage the whole plot, cover some of it and leave it until next year. Remember, it's fun, not a chore. Nobody will think badly of you if you have a 1/2 allotment which is lovely , compared with a whole allotment which is a bit shabby.
Try to find lots of free pallets to make a compost heap.
Best tools for me a spade, hoe, hand held cultivator for weeding rake
Raised beds are good
http://www.youtube.com/user/rickvanman?feature=watch He makes good allotment videos bit by bit
as a allotment holder for many years I agrea with most things said ,but I do buy a lot from wilko and have found it ok.the main thing is go steady and do abit at a time ,when things don't grow just right or the slugs have gone to town and eaten a lot then just say there is always next year.dont grow to much of one thing, I now have 3 freezers at home.enjoy and good luck
Grow what you like to eat. Simple
Carol , when we got our first allotment the ground was a field,we cleared the top and had to import about 11 tons of top soil so you can understand we meant business,, the best 2 things we did were 1 got a shed 2 talked to everybody and anybody on the allotments,after seeing the hard work we put in, the most knowledgeable allotmenteers waited till we put the kettle on and came to say hello,from that cup o tea came loads of info and loads of " i got to many these have you got room for them on your allotment" ), spuds, rhubarb,you name it we were given it, now we do the same in return, dont forget you only make mistakes in a hurry Enjoy and good luck.