A distant neighbour has had a serious stroke, leaving his wife to try and
keep the allotment going, a task she is not really interested in, or has
much time to spare for.

Hoping that he will recover enough to renew his interest in the plot at a
later date, the idea is to try to grow some simple ground cover to keep the
weeds at bay with the mimimum effort from his wife.

I saw some time ago some japanese corgettes growing in someones garden. This
seems to fit the bill. Fast growing big leaves that spread quickly, but have
one base point that can easily be dug up.

would anyone have any other suggestions?

Also where might one be able to buy japanese courgette plants or seeds in
the london area? Thanks for any advice.