brand new, green-field plot - what to do?

I have just got an allotment plot (my first ever) at a brand new council site - it is just a grassy field at the moment.  I have the option of getting it rotovated, but I'm not sure whether this is a good idea as presumably they'll just rotovate the grass into the soil which will then come back as weeds

I was thinking that the best thing to do would be to take the turf off myself & then dig the plot by hand - a lot more work, but hopefully a better end result.  presumably I can chop up the turf once the grass it dead & mix it into the compost bin a bit at a time?

also, what should I be putting into the soil when I dig it over?  I'm not entirely sure of the soil type, it's quite waterlogged at the moment, but I don't think it's heavy clay.  the site is quite low-lying (it's on a slope & I picked the highest plot I could) & with all the rain lately it's pretty squelchy.  hopefully when it dries out a bit I'll be able to get a better idea

any advice much appreciated

Andy

I would slice off the truf and stack it greenside down covered whith black polythene.  I will make lovely compost in about 18 months time.

Hand dig the rest over if you can and remove as many weed roots as possible.  Check that the water logged areas are not panned below the surface. break them up with a fork if they are.

Good luck and have fun.

EDIT: snap to some of Yorkies post

If you have a very large area of turf you might want to consider hiring a turf lifting machine. They are huge heavy beasts and difficult to control but take the turf off very evenly and are fast! You still need to cut it up into manageable lengths and stack it...

thanks for the tip.  I only have a half-size plot, so I think I'll turf, dig & plant a bed at a time so that I can stagger things a bit

Andy

You'll be able to tell if you overdo it cos the staggering will come from the drink you'll need after   

good luck with your plans.