A little bed, a good beginning

Start small, get to know your soil, and make room for the vegetables you actually love to eat.

You don't need a whole allotment to begin. A sunny patch, a few seeds and the habit of having a look each day will take you a long way. One small bed you can care for is more useful than five that feel like a chore.

Find your sunny corner

Watch your space through a day. Most fruiting vegetables enjoy at least six hours of direct sun; leafy crops tolerate a little more shade. Pick somewhere close to water, with a path you can use even after rain.

Give the soil a gentle start

Remove perennial weeds, including their roots, then spread a layer of well-rotted compost over the surface. Avoid working soil when it is waterlogged. If it sticks heavily to your boots, give it time to dry.

Choose three things to grow

Try a short row of radishes, a few loose-leaf lettuces and some climbing beans with a support. Check each packet for your local sowing season, spacing and depth. Label the rows immediately; a bare patch has a way of looking like every other bare patch.

Keep the first week simple

Water gently so the seedbed stays moist rather than sodden. Check for seedlings and weeds every couple of days. Make a note of what you sowed and when. Your first harvest starts with noticing small changes.