Very excited newbie with pressure on to make plot colourful.

[elsie-scot]

Sow a few plants of nasturtium and/or calendula (English marigold) as they will add lots of bright colour and you can eat the petals with salad. Don't do what I did though. I edged a climbing bean bed with sturdy nasturtium seedling and they started to run up the canes - they were a climbing variety!
Oh yes, and read the packets!

I'd say watch with any nasturiums, my aunt and uncle put some tom thumb ones under their sweet peas, and nasturtiums ended higher than the sweet peas

[Kittypickle]

I'm not quite sure I'm doing carrots as I seem to be rubbish at them but will definitely plant french marigolds if I do.

Rainbow chard seeds have now arrived so they will definitely be going in and I've a packet of sunflowers lurking so the DC's will be doing them.

Flowersofshona, that is very kind, I'm just by Wimborne so not far. I've been consolidating my seed packets into a new tin and have a fair few, so if maybe you fancy doing a swap that would be lovely.

Have started battle of the couch grass, DH has covered over a fair bit of it with weed suppressing membrane and we'll continue chipping away. The other half of the plot has been dug over which is great though will need me getting down on hand and knees when weather improves and give it a really good going over.

All hugely exciting and my broad beans and peas have germinated in my plastic green house thingy.

[Snadger]

I try to keep my plot colourful but struggle to give it a random cottage garden effect.Mix veg with herbs and flowers and definately make room for a pond.

As well as colour you need focal points and height. Cane wigwams can give height and large edibles like Cardoons or walking stick kale can give focal points of interest.
A few sunflowers dotted around the plot also give height and colour. Mundane plants like potatoes can have a beauty if the right varieties are purchased. The foliage of Red Duke Of York with it's purple hues can give many a pot foliage plant a run for it's money.
Crimson flowered broadies are a joy to behold and have wonderful flavour and scent. Sweetcorn surrounded with cornflowers are also a joy to behold. All the various kales especially Toscana de niro have wonderful varied and interesting leaf forms . The list goes on and on and on!

Allotments don't need to be boring rows of boring veg!