If February is the month for tidying, pruning and planning in the vegetable garden, then March is the time to get stuck in with sowing, planting and laying the groundwork for the growing season ahead. Adding new beds to your patch to increase your yield, investing in protective cloches to propagate new delicate seedlings and nurturing areas to attract wildlife will all set you up for a bountiful year of growing your own.

Two of our editors, Lydia and Nancy, both tend their own allotments, in Devon and Oxford respectively. Here are their top buys for a productive patch.