Personally I'd give potatoes a miss if that is all that has been grown on the allotment for several years... You need to dig in lots of well rotted manure, compost or other organic matter but not where you will grow your root crops as they like a lean, sandy soil with a very, very fine tilth.

Because you are just starting on your new allotment i would risk planting potatoes on a quarter of it and practice crop rotation with the other crops you want to try. Until you have grown something you won't know the state of the plot until you see some results. You could of course get the soil analysed but that might be a bit expensive. Do you have a source of good farmyard manure or even a compost bin. You will be able to find these things out from other plot holders. It would be a shame to pay for the allotment and not grow fresh veg. A green crop at the end of the year dug in before it seeds will also be a good idea. Put a good book on allotment planning and preparing on your birthday or Christmas list. Good luck.

Sorry Scotsgran I disagree. We all know it is a ad idea to grow potatoes on the same ground year after year. A normal 4 year rotation is potatoes, roots, legumes and brassicas. But for this year I would drop the potatoes. Then start a proper rotation next year.

We'll just have to agree to differ then. If you take Mg's advice you could grow some potatoes in pots just for this year. Rotation is certainly the way to go.

You will probably get lots of "volunteer" potatoes among your other crops anyway. I had some last year under my runner bean tripod and beans and potatoes both did OK.

Legumes (peas & beans) are the usual crop to follow potatoes. They will put nitrogen back into the soil. If you want roots try parsnips and carrots (unless the ground is heavy) but don't manure where they are going.

Agree with steragram - Volunteer potatoes are well worth growing on, and if they do well, don't see any reason not to grow potatoes in same plot. Previous owner needs to be honest about blight and bugs - can you ask? If no blight or bugs, then go ahead and enjoy your first home grown potatoes!! Also agree no need for nitrogen rich manures if growing root crops.

Avkq this is an allotment... planting tatties in the same ground for years risks disease, not just for the person planting the tatties but or all the other allotment holders. Given that most folk seem to think that blight etc. is a joke go ahead!

Blight is no joke you are right Mg. The site secretary will probably be an allotment holder and should know what is going on but the trouble startas if you do get it. To be on the safe side grow the potatoes in pots. Black cut flower bins from the supermarket with holes in the bottom will be adequate for one seed potato. If you can get a hold of some peat use some Growmore to fertilise it because peat has no special nutrients but you will get lovely clean potatoes. It was developed during the war to help householders grow for victory. The peat can then be spread and dug in.

No joke moon growe at all!! If there has been no problem with blight in the area ... what's the problem? Steveg1966 can be super safe and not grow any root crops at all, or if the site secretary says all is safe, take the chance he is honest and go ahead. If the crop fails, steveg1966 can make a complaint. The site secretary will be aware of this. I also repeat that nitrogen rich manures are not good for root crops, producing lots of top leaves but very little down below.

Avkq we will hav to agree to differ on this...

Thanks all we have decided to move about a ton of soil and rubbish from an area that we were not going to use this summer. And grow spuds there we have got some free labour to help with this job

Well done. Thank you for letting us know and I'm sure we all look forward to seeing your progress over the next few months.

Hope all goes well Steve, keep us posted.