I have a piece of land next to my house which I intend to use as an allotment. It is quite large, probably around 15 sq m.

There is long grass and weeds growing as it hasn't been used in a few years. My friend advised me to mulch the land to stop new vegetation coming through. She said I can do this by placing a sheet of plastic over the land until I am ready to start digging. I don't want to use chemicals to kill off the vegetation as I'll be using it to grow veg etc.

Can anyone offer some advice about the best way to start my allotment? I would really appreciate some help as I am a complete novice. Also, what sort of time should I start digging, is it too soon now as there are still frosts?