Your first season at a community garden is mostly about learning what you do not know yet. The soil is different from anything you have grown in before, the season moves faster than you expect, and the gap between planting and eating is longer than it looks on the seed packet. Here is what we have learned from watching new members arrive at Green Roots Collective every spring since 2017.

Start with less than you think you need

The most common mistake new plot-holders make is planting everything at once in April. By June, half of it has bolted, the courgettes have taken over, and the beans are strangling the tomatoes. Start with three or four crops you actually eat. Salad leaves, radishes, courgettes, and one climbing bean are a solid first-season combination. They are forgiving, they produce quickly enough to keep you motivated, and they leave room to learn.

Soil preparation is most of the work

Before you plant anything, spend time on the soil. If you are on a raised bed, check what it was filled with and whether it needs topping up with compost. If you are on a ground plot, dig out any perennial weeds by the root, not just the top. Bindweed and couch grass will come back from a fragment. Add a generous layer of compost and work it in. Good soil preparation in March saves a lot of frustration in July.

Watering: less often, more deeply

New growers tend to water a little every day, which encourages shallow roots and makes plants more vulnerable to dry spells. Water less frequently but more thoroughly, so the water reaches 15 to 20cm down. Early morning is best. Watering in the evening is fine in summer but can encourage slugs. Watering in the middle of a hot day is mostly wasted to evaporation.

Keep a simple growing notebook

Write down what you planted, when you planted it, and what happened. It sounds tedious and it is slightly tedious, but by your second season you will be grateful for it. Note which varieties did well, which bolted, which the slugs ignored. Maya has kept a notebook since 2017 and says it is the single most useful thing she does as a grower.

Ask the people around you

Community gardens exist because growing is easier with other people. If something looks wrong with your plants, ask. If you do not know whether something is a weed or a seedling, ask. Most experienced growers are genuinely pleased to be asked. Gerald, who has been at Green Roots Collective since the first season, will talk about brassicas for as long as you let him.

Your first season will not be perfect. Some things will fail, some things will surprise you, and by October you will know more than you did in March. That is the point. Come on a Saturday and see what is growing.