10 essential allotment tools and kit (Video)

In this No Fuss Guide, Alan Titchmarsh runs through the essential kit you need for vegetable growing. He recommends 10 pieces of basic equipment that will help you create a productive vegetable plot with ease.

Alan covers everything from dealing with different types of soil and the best hoes to use, to the importance of using a garden line for sowing, and a kneeling mat to enable you to work for longer and more comfortably. He even stresses the importance of having a trug basket at the ready, to harvest your crops and enjoy for a homegrown lunch.

Are you properly equipped for growing fruit and vegetables? Find out with our short video guide.

Keep your tools in tip-top condition – our experts have put together a round-up of the best garden sheds so you can buy with confidence and store your equipment safely and securely, protected from the elements.

Smaller than a digging spade a border spade lifts less soil so it’s easier to use and allows you to work for longer.

For help on choosing, see our border spades buyer’s guideand check out our reviews of border spadesthat we’ve put to the test. 

A border fork is great for digging over stony or clay soil. You can also use the back of the fork to break down clods of earth to create a finer tilth.

To help you find the best border fork for your allotment, our experts have compiled a useful guide to the best garden forkson the market, tried and tested.

Buy border forks on Amazon

The perfect levelling tool a rake is run back and forth across the surface of the soil to create a fine tilth for seed sowing.

Buy rakes on Amazon

There are lots of different types of hoe. A swan neck hoe is good for slicing