And so to bed

Taking shape - the first two beds we built

Other than getting rid of the weeds and giving it a good dig over, the first job was planning what we were going to grow where on the plot once we'd cleared it. Sketching out different layouts, we decided to incorporate beds to plant in, because it seemed easier to tend and manage our crops once they were in the ground.

Eighteen months on, I'm glad we did. They allow you to cultivate soil without walking on and compacting it. Perhaps, in hindsight, we made the paths between them, which were mulched with woodchip, a little too wide at the expense of a few square yards of growing space when you add it all up.

But for the sake of another row or two of onions, the beds allowed us to embark on simple crop rotation, and make the most of the limited time we can devote to weeding during the week, ie five beds on the main plot means hoe one each evening from Monday to Friday.

There are downsides - buying new treated timber set me back around £15 a bed when I built them, but they should last a few years. Some opponents reckon they harbour pests like slugs, but since slugs are endemic on most allotments, you're still going to have to control them whether you build beds or not.

Looking ahead to this year's growing season, we've got three beds planted with a mixture of different varieties of autumn-sown garlic and onions (above), one manured ready for the early potatoes and one which has been limed ready for brassicas, carrots and parsnips.