We took on ours last spring. We have a toddler (now 2 and a quarter), I was doing a college course (and the OH was teaching one parttime this year), we both work fulltime, and the plot (12' x 50') was uncultivated for a number of years.

We did what we could, dug and planted just under half last year - but followed the spuds with summer brassicas (bought as plug plants) and some carrots, followed the other summer brassicas with autumn sown onions, followed the summer onions with winter brassicas, and I put a number of little bits of peas, salads, and some broad beans into little spare patches.

In the autumn, we strimmed and then sprayed the back half, and covered it for the winter. We have dug a fair bit of that at this stage (spuds are in there now) but even what we haven't can be easily tackled as it is still covered so not actively growing.

Our aim is to get to teh plot at least once a fortnight (I know a lots of plot holders reckon this is terrible, but we managed to keep everything we grew last year OK with that kinda committment) for a couple of hours. We go (either together with the toddler or one of us alone) more often if we can, but can't a lot of the time. If you are careful about what you grow, then it is much less worry certainly in year 1. I am planning on more crops that may need regular harvesting this year, but also hoping to go with the toddler on the way home from work a couple of evenings a week now that she doesn't need a HOT meal exactly at 6pm - she is happy with cold picnic stuff and timing is a bit more flexible, especially if she has her spade for digging - she LOVES going to the "other garden", but isn't always happy to spend hours there.

This year I've also managed to get more plants sown at home, but even buying plugs is more economical and more enjoyable than buying veg from the shop. And might be safer with littlies taking a very keen interest in the "baby plants" - but then again, I have had pot saucers of garden soil placed very carefully on our dining room windowledge (where I have a lot of seeds started off), as someone has sown "matoes and ur-gettes", and then "mushrooms" in another - cos bold mammy wasn't growing any of the toddler's current favourite veg!!

If you do get one, crops I'd recommend with littluns are peas, cherry tomatoes, baby carrots and sweetcorn in particular. (Even if you don't get a plot, try a hanging basket of cherry toms in the agrden - there is nothing nicer if you get any yourself but our toddler used to insist last summer on being lifted 5/6 times a night after her tea, to get some off the plant almost like a desert, so we only got a few ourselves).

I hope that helps, and that I didn't go round in circles too much. In case this was too muddled, I'd recommend trying it out.