Idiot's Guide to Owning an Allotment - Starting Off

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Allotment Know-How
As a new allotment owner, one the first things you will realise is that you are always learning.  New techniques, new crops, new difficulties, changing weather - especially in this day of global warming. 
One of the best sources of help and sound advice is from your neighbours on the allotment.  They will know the soil type, best veg to use etc.  So be-friend them, it will certainly be to your advantage.

Assessing Your Allotment
Initially you will want to assess your site.  Has it been well cultivated already?  Has it been previously set out?  Of course, if it is veritable wilderness, your first job will be to clear it.  Whatever its condition, from the outset you need to decide what features you want to discard or keep. Take note of the direction of your plot as this will ultimately dictate where the best growth potential will be i.e. planting according to conditions of sunlight or shade.  Is it on high ground, is it on a slope?  How much sun does it get during the day? All these things are relevant to success or failure.  An important point is to check out what your neighbours are growing.  If their  plant are strong and successful , chances are yours will be too.

What Type of Soil Have you Got?
One of the  most important factors to note are the type of soil and climate. Is the soil heavy like sticky clay or is it light, sandy and free draining?  How fertile is it?  Most soil is in-between.  Is it acid alkaline or neutral?

Measuring the Ph of your Soil. 
For this you can purchase a testing kit from your nearest garden centre.  Test different areas of the plot.  Unless the soil is very acid or very alkaline the ph is not usually a problem as most fruit and veg are quite tolerant to most soil conditions.  Acid soils are low in calcium, add lime or lime-based compost such as mushroom to create a more alkaline environment.  Alkaline soils are high in calcium and are more tricky to deal with, to improve acidity add composted sawdust, pine bark, or pine needle leafmould.