What would/wouldn't you grow?

[cheapskate chaz]

I too am new(ish) to allotments, second year growing things, my advice? check out who had the plot last and when was it last dug over, if it`s gone to grass for a fair while ask around if there has been any wire worm problems with spuds, mine hadn`t been dug for a couple of years and when I planted my spuds, found wire worms munching through them, same again this year but not so many. You might want to think about how you would like to prepare your beds, open or raised, open means you have more produce area whereas raised gives you more control especially weeding!
Check out places like re-cycle centers for tools and stuff, local skip hire firm for any wood ( they have to pay to get rid of it) with regards to carpet for weed supression, natural stuff (wool) then it`ll gradually decay. good luck and don`t forget to take a flask of hot brew with you.
Forgot to add, if and when you buy any compost, keep the bags don`t throw them away, they have so many uses

[TrixC]

My advice would be to carefully observe the orientation of the plot for sun before putting in any permanent plantings. We got our plot earlier this year and in my excitement I immediately planted a blueberry patch in what turned out to be the sunniest, driest part of the patch, and a strawberry bed in the second sunniest place. Now I wish we'd saved those areas for plants that really need all day sun, particularly as I've also realised that my plot is overshadowed by a neighbouring house at times of year when the sun doesn't rise high in the sky.

One of the big success stories for me has been florence fennel - it's expensive in the supermarkets and is meant to be a bit tricky to grow but it has absolutely flourished on my allotment and seems to like the cooler weather.