NOW is the ideal time to take over a new allotment and start preparing the ground for planting up in the spring.

Traditionalists will swear by digging over the ground thoroughly to aerate the soil and expose any pests to the birds.

But there is a new group of gardeners who believe digging can actually damage the earth and follow a ‘no dig’ method, so you’ll need to decide which path to follow.

Having almost broken my back digging over my plot this autumn, I am seriously considering the ‘no dig’ method next year. Whichever route you choose, a good way of improving your soil is to add ‘organic matter’ to it, which will improve its fetility and drainage.

This includes things like home-made garden compost, well-rotted farmyard or horse manure, mulches or ‘green manures’.

Horse manure is a popular choice, but there have been concerns raised recently about weedkiller residues being found in these types of manures. The weedkiller is used on pastures and injested by the animals when they graze but can still be found in their manure and can ruin crops.

Green manures are an increasingly popular choice – they are plants grown in the soil and then dug in when they are still young to replace certain nutrients.

Different crops are high in different nutrients but here are some popular ones:

Alfalfa – deep-rooted, hardy perennial that fixes nitrogen.

Buckwheat – tender annual, deep-rooted, smothers weeds, easy to dig in and copes with poor soil.

Crimson clover – fairly hardy perennial, nitrogen fixer loved by bees.

Fenugreek – semi-hardy annual, possibly best for speedy growth and nitrogen fixing, good weed suppresser.

Lupin – deep-rooting, nitrogen fixing, but poisonous.

Mustard – tender annual, rapid and weed-smothering, needs moisture but will grow in any soil.

Phacelia – semi-hardy annual, plant after frosts and grow for couple of months.

Ryegrasses – hardy annuals for overwintering, but tend to re-sprout once dug in.

Trefoil – hardy biennial, fixes nitrogen and copes with shade and drought but dislikes acid soil.

Winter/broad beans – hardy annual, fixes nitrogen, excellent green manure.

Winter tare – hardy annual, fast growing, weed suppressing, can overwinter.