Tony's allotment — raised beds, paths and a polytunnel
First Season — or Your Tenth · UK Allotment Growing

Your First Allotment

Everything you need to grow real food on a real plot

Nine practical modules covering the stuff most growers never quite get right — your soil, crop rotation, companion planting, pests, harvesting and storing, and a month-by-month plan for the whole year. Whether you're standing at the gate of a bare plot for the very first time, or you've had your patch for years and still feel like you're winging half of it — this is the proper grounding that makes it all click.

Get the course — £27 Read Module 1 free →
One payment · lifetime access · 30-day money-back guarantee
9modules
51crops covered
12months of jobs
Tony with a basket of fresh vegetables
The whole point, right here — a basket you grew yourself.
Seedlings in raised beds
Every glut starts this small.
Tony among tall leeks
Me, being quietly overtaken by leeks.
Allotment plot with a polytunnel
The plot and the tunnel — between them, something growing nearly all year.
Tony working in the raised beds
Most days it's just this — turn up, tend, repeat.
Sound familiar?

Does any of this sound like you?

You've just taken on an allotment and you're standing there looking at a patch of weeds thinking "right, where on earth do I start?"

You've tried growing things before but half of it died, half of it got eaten by slugs, and you never really knew why.

You've got no idea what to sow when, what goes where, or whether you've missed the window for the things you actually want to grow.

You end up with a mystery glut of courgettes in August and nothing to do with them — or you miss the harvest window entirely.

You've looked at gardening books but they're either too basic, too complicated, or written for someone with a massive country garden — not a UK allotment plot.

You feel like everyone else on the allotment site seems to just know what they're doing, and you don't want to look daft by asking.

If any of that hit home — this course is exactly what I built for you. Every single one of those was me, not that many years ago. And it's not just for first-timers, by the way — if you've had a plot for years but never properly cracked your soil, your rotation, or why the same things keep going wrong, this'll fill those gaps and all. And I've put everything I learned the hard way into these 9 modules.
Tony Smith at his allotment
Tony Smith North East England
Allotment keeper &
course creator

I made every single mistake going. So you don't have to.

When I first got my allotment, I didn't have a clue. I planted things in the wrong spots, at the wrong time, in the wrong soil. I lost seedlings to slugs because I didn't know you had to protect them. I had courgettes the size of cricket bats because nobody told me you were supposed to pick 'em small. I dug up my potatoes too early, left my onions in too late, and didn't rotate my crops so the same pests just came back year after year.

"Courgettes the size of cricket bats — because nobody told me you were supposed to pick 'em small." Lesson one of many

But I kept coming back. Season after season, I got better. And gradually I started to understand — not just what to do, but why. And that's when everything changed.

I make YouTube videos about my plot now, and the question I get asked more than anything else is: "where do I start?" So I decided to put everything together properly. All the stuff I wish someone had told me at the beginning. Written in plain language, for real people with real plots — not a polished book written for somebody with a walled kitchen garden in the Cotswolds.

This is that course.

The Course

9 modules. Everything you need.

Click any module to see what's covered. Work through them in order, or jump to what you need right now.

1 Welcome to Your Allotment
The very first thing to do when you get your plot. How to assess what you've inherited, what to bring on your first visit, and how not to get overwhelmed. Includes a 10-point first-visit checklist, the five mistakes every beginner makes (and how to avoid them), a quick-wins guide, and a plot pledge to keep you motivated.
  • First visit checklist — 10 things to do on day one
  • The 5 most common beginner mistakes
  • Quick wins to get you feeling confident fast
  • The mindset that makes all the difference
2 Getting Your Plot Ready
How to clear weeds (including those stubborn perennial ones), build raised beds without spending a fortune, lay paths, and get your plot into a proper working structure — even if you've inherited an overgrown disaster.
  • No-dig method explained — cardboard, compost, done
  • Raised beds: cost, size, materials, building them yourself
  • Dealing with bindweed, couch grass and brambles
  • Paths, structure and making the most of your space
3 Understanding Your Soil
The foundation of everything. What type of soil you have, how to test pH, how to feed it with compost and manure, and how to build the kind of soil that produces brilliant vegetables year after year without spending much money.
  • Soil types and how to identify yours
  • pH testing — what it means and what to do about it
  • Building a compost heap properly
  • Manure — what kind, when to use it, where to get it
4 Planning What to Grow
Choosing the right crops for your plot, your time, and what you actually eat. Crop rotation explained simply and without the jargon. How to plan your beds on paper before you touch the soil.
  • The best crops for complete beginners
  • Crop rotation in plain English
  • How much to sow — avoiding the glut (well, mostly)
  • Planning on paper: the method that saves months of hassle
5 Companion Planting
Plants that help each other grow — and ones that really don't get on. How to use companion planting to deter pests and get more out of your space, based on a full guide to 51 common UK vegetable crops.
  • The classic combinations (tomatoes + basil, carrots + onions)
  • Plants to never grow together and why
  • Flowers that attract beneficial insects
  • Reference guide to 51 UK vegetable companions
6 Sowing, Growing & Looking After
Everything from seed to harvest — the day-to-day craft of growing. Sowing methods, propagators, hardening off, watering, feeding, and supporting your crops. The stuff that makes the difference between a reasonable allotment and a brilliant one.
  • Direct sowing vs starting indoors
  • Hardening off — what it is and why it matters
  • Watering: how much, how often, common mistakes
  • Feeding: when to start, what to use, how often
7 Pests, Diseases & Problems
Slugs, aphids, blight, club root, blossom end rot — all the stuff that goes wrong. How to spot problems early, deal with them without panicking, and stop them coming back. Organic-first approach throughout.
  • Slugs and snails: the full toolkit (traps, barriers, nematodes)
  • Aphids, whitefly, cabbage whites — the common ones
  • Blight in tomatoes and potatoes: spots, spread, treatment
  • When to worry and when to leave it alone
8 Harvesting, Storing & Cooking
When to pick, how to tell when crops are ready, how to store what you've grown, and what to do when you've got more than you can eat. Simple plot-to-plate cooking that lets homegrown veg shine.
  • Harvest signals for 16 common crops (table included)
  • Root veg storage, herb drying, freezing without the fuss
  • The glut — how to handle it and even enjoy it
  • Simple recipes and cooking methods from the plot
9 Month-by-Month Guide — Your Allotment Almanac
January through December. What to sow, plant, harvest and do every month of the allotment year. This is the module you'll come back to every single month. Bookmark it. It's your year-round reference.
  • Every month: sow indoors, sow direct, plant out, harvest, jobs
  • Tony's personal focus for each month
  • Interactive month jump navigation
  • Written for UK growing conditions (North East perspective)
Raised beds on Tony's allotment in evening light
The plot in evening light. Took me years of trial and error to get here — the course is the shortcut.
Look inside

See how it reads before you buy

This is the actual opening of Module 1 — word for word.

Module 1

Welcome to Your Allotment

Right. So you've got yourself an allotment. Or you're seriously thinking about getting one. Either way — brilliant. Genuinely, properly brilliant. You're going to love this.

I remember standing on my plot for the first time and just… looking at it. Weeds taller than me. Soil I couldn't tell from clay. Half of it clearly hadn't been touched in years. I had no idea where to start. And I'll be honest — I stood there for a good ten minutes before I did anything, cuz it was that overwhelming.

But here's the thing. That feeling — that "where do I even begin" feeling — is completely normal. Every single person who's ever grown anything on an allotment started exactly there.

Read Module 1 free → The whole first module, free. No email needed.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to…

Walk onto your plot with a clear plan for what you're doing that day, that week, that month

Understand your soil, know what it needs, and actually improve it season by season

Grow a proper selection of vegetables from seed to harvest without losing the plot (literally)

Spot pests and diseases early and deal with them before they wipe out your crops

Know what to sow and do every single month of the year — no more guessing

Harvest at the right time, store it properly, and actually eat what you've grown

Feel like you actually know what you're doing out there — not just winging it

Have a reference guide you'll come back to season after season, year after year

From the plot

Real plot. Real veg. Real mistakes — already made for you.

Everything in this course was learned the hard way on this patch in North East England. Here's the proof.

Tony holding a big lettuce harvest
When it goes right, it really goes right.
Tony with a giant savoy cabbage
One savoy. No idea how I got it home.
Everything included

Here's exactly what you get

9 complete written modules Full guides covering everything from plot setup to month-by-month growing — packed with practical content you can actually use
Written, not video — on purpose You can read it at the plot with muddy hands, skim back to the exact line you need, and it doesn't buffer in a polytunnel
Interactive checklists and tools First-visit checklist, harvest confidence checker, pest diagnosis guides, and more — built into every module
Month-by-month almanac (Module 9) What to sow, plant, harvest and do every single month of the year — a reference you'll use for life
Companion planting guide — 51 UK crops Full companion relationships for 51 common UK vegetables — what helps, what hinders, and why
Lifetime access — yours to keep One-time payment, no subscription, no expiry. Come back as many times as you like, any season.
Works on any device Read at home, on the bus, or on your phone at the allotment — fully mobile-optimised
Get started today

Get the full course for £27

One-time payment. No subscription. Instant access to all 9 modules.

Big-name growing courses run £95 and up. Professional qualifications run into the hundreds. This is £27 — because I'm one bloke with an allotment, not an academy. I'd rather it was in people's hands.

Tony Smith in his polytunnel

My No-Quibble Promise

Read the whole thing. If it doesn't save you at least one ruined crop, email me within 30 days and I'll refund you — no forms, no fuss. — Tony

Complete Course
Your First Allotment
The complete UK allotment course — all 9 modules
£27
One-time payment · lifetime access
  • All 9 complete modules — instant access
  • Month-by-month allotment almanac
  • Interactive tools, checklists & guides
  • Companion planting guide — 51 UK crops
  • Mobile-friendly — read anywhere
  • Lifetime access — yours to keep forever
Get the course — £27 →
Secure checkout  ·  30-day money-back guarantee

Or get all three courses

Allotment, polytunnel and container garden together. £81 if you bought them one at a time — £59 together.

Get all three — £59 →

Questions? Here's everything people ask.

I'm a complete beginner. Is this course right for me?
Yes — that's exactly who it's for. It assumes you know nothing, and builds from the ground up. You don't need any prior experience, just a plot (or the intention to get one) and the willingness to have a go.
I've had an allotment for a couple of years but I still struggle. Will I get anything from it?
Almost certainly, yeah. Most people who've been on a plot a couple of years still have big gaps — soil science, crop rotation, companion planting, knowing when to harvest. The course fills those in properly.
I haven't got my plot yet — is it too early to buy this?
Not at all — it might be the best time. Module 1 covers exactly what to do when you first get your plot: how to assess what you've inherited and where to start. Read it while you're on the waiting list and you'll walk on for day one already knowing what you're doing. Half the battle is the plan.
Is it video or written?
Written, on purpose. You can read it at the plot with muddy hands, skim back to the exact line you need, and it doesn't buffer in a polytunnel.
How long will it take me?
As long as you like — it's not a race. Some people read it front to back over a weekend; most dip in and out as the season throws things at them. The month-by-month almanac is designed to be picked up again and again, all year round.
Is this relevant to my part of the UK?
Yes. It's written for UK allotments specifically — varieties, timing, soil types, common pests. The month-by-month guide does note that sowing times shift a little across the country (Scotland and northern England are typically 2–3 weeks behind the south), so you'll just adjust slightly for your area.
How do I access the course after buying?
Immediately after purchase you'll get a confirmation email with a link to your course welcome page. All 9 modules are there, ready to open. No apps, no logins — just click and read, on any device.
Will it be updated?
Yes. Lifetime access includes updates — when I improve a module or add something new to it, you get the new version automatically. No extra charge, ever.
Can I buy it as a gift?
Yes — Gumroad has a gift option at checkout. Just tick "Give as a gift" and pop in their email address. Sorted.
What if I'm not happy with it?
Then I'll refund you, no questions asked, within 30 days. Just drop me an email at tonycsmithallotment@gmail.com. I want people to actually find this useful — if it's not right for you, fair enough.
Do I need anything special to read it?
Just a web browser — Chrome, Safari, Firefox, anything. Works on phone, tablet, laptop, desktop. No software to install, no app to download.
Why only £27?
Because I want people to actually buy it and use it. I've seen courses charge £150+ for less content. This has 9 proper modules, an interactive companion planting guide, a full year's almanac — the lot. I'd rather it be in more people's hands at a fair price than sitting on a shelf at an expensive one.

From the plot, most weeks

A free email about what to sow now, what's working and what I've ruined lately. No spam, unsubscribe whenever.

Right. Let's get you growing.

Everything I know about allotment growing — written up properly, in plain language, for anyone who wants to actually understand their plot — first season or tenth. It doesn’t have to be a guessing game. Let's do this properly.

Get the Course — £27 →

This course is £27. Or get all three — allotment, polytunnel and containers — for £59.