No, really, a true beginner

Hiya and welcome
Get a bike to get tot he allotment Just kidding!
Have a search through the allotment board, there are load sof threads that deal with first steps etc, that should keep you busy for a while

Take some photos first!

Green manure is a crop grown purely for being dug in or left to rot on the surface.

It's almost time to be ordering proper muck though! Ask on your site where they get it from.

There's plenty you could be planting from now.

Tackle it in stages (Although covering as much as possible to stop rampant weeds)

This is a good read and gives lots of info aimed at the novice grower

Grow Your Own Veg (Rhs): Amazon.co.uk: Carol Klein, Royal Horticultural Society: Books

First thing is to relax.

Make a cup of tea and browse this forum.

Second, as soon as you dig over a patch, pop some cardboard over, or sow some green manure - both will protect your soil between now and being able to get some crops in.

Perhaps start with picking some things you like to eat - potatoes are great for new starters as they are very easy to grow and take up alot of space leaving you to concentrate on other things. Cucurbits [pumpkins and courgettes] are also good as they usually grow really big and cover lots of space.

If I were you I'd decide on about 4-10 things to grow next year, grow them well and learn about them and your plot - and then in the year after you will have amassed a huge bank of knowledge yourself on how to grow things.

Note - the instructions are usually available on packets or online.

welcome digger,exiting this growing game,like our zazen says,1 step at a time,if you were to dig over a small area now,you will be in time to put some sensui overwintering onion sets
and garlic in,just to break you in gentle,have a look on here for info to get you pointing the right way,and ask away all you like,they so easy to do,it would give you a good start and something to eat next year,there are other things to,but,crawl first,then before you can cough,you will wonder what you worried about,all the best to you

Hello Digger and a very warm welcome to the Vine. We all had to start somewhere, just like you, you'll soon learn and be giving advice to someone else. Good luck with it and take it gently

Biggest mistake you can make is to try to grow everything, trust me i know from experience. Grow things that you enjoy eating, that are not cheap to buy or that are hard to get hold of, or that taste better home grown. Pick a hand full of veggies to grow, then get several varieties of each one and grow those. That way you can find a variety that you not only like the taste of, but that also grows on your soil.

Hello Digger and welcome from me too! We've all been through the learning process so understand how it feels. You don't sound like someone who will let it stress them out, so learn it, a bit at a time. Read some of the posts on here, there are lots of new gardeners - its a bit like your own support group So ask for advice and someone will come along to help. The only thing we won't do is dig for you

Welcome aboard, Digger.

I entered the crazy, exciting and sometimes frustrating world of veg growing earlier this year. With the help of the members of this forum (known as - The Vine) and reading elsewhere on the interweb, plus through the experience of actually getting on and growing stuff, I've gained quite a lot of knowledge in a relatively short space of time. There's obviously still loads for me to learn and, to be perfectly honest, if I did know all there was to know about growing veg I'd probably get bored and move onto my next 'new' thing, but my point is that however daunting it may first appear to be - you can very quickly become quite conversant with all these names that mean nothing to you now.

Some of the more complicated sounding names are really a lot less complicated than they first seem e.g. Brassicas. I'll put this in layman's terms to show how simple this is... a lion is a type of cat, a cat is a type of animal...a cabbage is a type of brassica, a brassica is a type of vegetable. Tigers and pumas are also types of cat, whilst cauliflowers and broccoli are also types of brassica. So Brassicas are a 'family' or 'type' of veg. Umbelliferae include carrots and parsnips. Alliums include onions and garlic.

You'll soon get the hang of it all, well maybe not 'all' but before you know it you'll be wondering why it seemed so convoluted and complex at the beginning. Just enjoy the learning process and prepare for the thrill of seeing the rewards of your labour, especially when you get to eat those rewards.

Hello, and welcome to the Madhouse! Watch out for some of the in-mates, they're harmless, really.

Helloo from me ....
Listen to what Zaz says .....she's clever ....

Hi and welcome Digger.

First things first. Tell your plot neighbours that you have been advised to poor petrol all over your plot and set it alight to clear the weeds! Don't actually do it, but that'll make em sit up and take notice! Tell them that you are new to all this malarky and they will advise you better than anyone on here could, for your particular site. Eg, what grows well, what doesn't, what you may need to add to your soil etc, etc.

Don't try to do everything to fast, it's a hard but enjoyable hobby if you take your time and plan things thoughtfully.

Have fun reading through the site and don't be afraid to ask. There are some very knowledgeable members on here. Best of luck to you.

Chris

Hey all, wow, I will have to visit here more often, smilling as i read thru some of the replies, som thanks all.
I have been given some parsnip, onion, bean seeds, and a rather large bag of mustard(which says grren manure on outside.. ahhhhh. starting to follow this)
Also, filled my car with bags of horse manure from avery nice lady who seems just as keen for me to take it away as I am to cover myself in it. But....er... there may be goat poop in it, is that a problem ... please no 'just kidding' jokes.
Also, again not knowing this forum, should i be 'posting somewhere else now as not introducing myself.
I will pop down and take pictures
Again big thanks all

Welcome to the vine DJ, Take some photos now as this time next year you will not recognise your plot nor will you believe what you have achieved in 12 months. There are different sections to the vine depending on the topic you wish to talk about or ask question on. Don't worry too much about that as we have great mods who will move it to the right section. Most of all enjoy & try not to get overawed by it.