Allotments 4 All

Firstly, wishing all of the great people on this site a fantastic New Year...thanks for all the advice over the last 12 months.

Well, Ive just been down to the allotment for the first time in almost 3 months - a broken hand didnt help - and surprisingly, the plot isnt the disaster I thought it was going to be.

First job after the general tidy up was to dig over a 20' x 10' bed that had produced lovely sweet corn and broccoli in the autumn.  Well the soil is just about as good as Ive ever had - light structure but not too fine (it was lightly manured at the beginning of the year).  What's the best way of keeping it in this condition for sowing in the Spring (I was thinking of using it for first earlies and main crop) - cover with plastic, leave it to the elements, or...?   

Thanks for all the advice

I'd leave it be for now - nothing much is going to move for the next two months..
You could try a green manure but it is a bit late in the year now.  Maybe a covering of manure come Feb...

I would maybe reconsider the spud option - spuds will cope with some rough old soil and are good for breaking up hard ground.

i cover it with weed fabric to keep weed seeds from blowing in