A Simple Allotment Layout That Feeds You All Year

If you’re planning an allotment, the first few questions are always: how many raised beds do I actually need, what should go in them, and how do I rotate crops without it getting complicated?

Of course, the exact answer depends on what you eat, how many people you’re feeding, and how much space you have. But for an average-sized plot, this layout gives you food all year, keeps things manageable, and works beautifully with crop rotation principles.

How Many Raised Beds and What to Grow:

For most allotments, eight raised beds is ideal. Beds about 1.2 metres (4 feet) wide are easy to reach across, and leaving wide paths makes moving around and working the plot simple. Here’s a breakdown of each bed with suggested varieties:

Bed 1 – Potatoes: This is where I start the rotation each year. Early potatoes like ‘Charlotte’ or ‘Maris Peer’ go in during spring, and once harvested in early summer, the bed can be replanted with leeks or winter kale. Keeping potatoes in the same bed each year would deplete the soil, so rotation is key.

Bed 2 – Onions, Garlic, and Shallots: Garlic varieties like ‘Solent Wight’ are planted over winter, while onions such as ‘Sturon’ go in during spring. Once harvested, I often sow quick salad leaves or spinach to make the most of the space.

Bed 3 – Root Vegetables: Carrots, beetroot, parsnips, and radishes grow well together. Varieties I like include ‘Autumn King’ carrots, ‘Boltardy’ beetroot, and standard parsnips and radishes that mature quickly. Roots are low maintenance and ideal for following leafy crops in rotation.

Bed 4 – Leafy Greens: This is your cut-and-come-again bed. Lettuce ‘Little Gem’, spinach ‘Giant Winter’, chard, and rocket can all be harvested regularly, giving a continuous supply of fresh leaves throughout the growing season.

Bed 5 – Fruiting Crops: Tomatoes, courgettes, peppers, and cucumbers go here. Reliable choices are tomatoes ‘Alicante’, courgettes (I use any F1 variety), and standard sweet peppers and cucumbers. One or two plants of each is plenty for a generous harvest without overcrowding.

Bed 6 – Beans and Peas: Broad beans like ‘Aquadulce’, peas, and French beans such as ‘Purple Queen’ thrive in this bed. These crops not only feed you but also enrich the soil, making them perfect for following leafy or brassica crops in rotation.

Bed 7 – Brassicas: Cabbage, broccoli, and kale belong here. I favour ‘January King’ kale and ‘Calabrese’ broccoli for hardy, reliable growth. This bed usually needs netting, but once protected, brassicas are low-maintenance and productive well into autumn and winter.

Bed 8 – Herbs and Pest-Control Flowers: This is one of the most important beds on the plot. Perennial herbs like rosemary, thyme, sage, and chives are mixed with flowers such as calendula, nasturtiums, and marigolds. These attract pollinators and reduce pests across the rest of the allotment, supporting your overall crop health.

Rotation and Seasonal Highlights

Crop rotation keeps your soil healthy and reduces pests. I keep it simple: each year, move crops to the next bed. Potatoes shift to the root veg bed, roots move to leafy greens, leafy crops go to fruiting crops, fruiting crops follow beans, and beans then move to brassicas. Herbs and flowers usually stay in their dedicated bed.

With this layout, your plot works in stages: spring brings salads, peas, and broad beans; summer produces tomatoes, courgettes, and beans; autumn is perfect for roots and brassicas; and winter provides leeks, garlic, and hardy greens. You’re never trying to grow everything at once, but there’s always something to harvest.

Making This Layout Work for Your Plot

This plan is a starting point for an average allotment. Every plot is different, so adjustments may be needed. But make sure you enjoy every second on your plot, accept that some crops may thrive and some may fail, but thats nature! Most of the time, it cant be helped, so don't beat yourself up over broccoli chewed by aphids - trust me, i've been there SO MANY times!