Best advice for 2018.

[Miss Mousetrousers]

1) Don't go rushing out to dig or sow seeds - wait until the weather has done its worst because if you don't, you'll make a wet soil even worse and seeds won't take very kindly to that either.
2) If you're just starting gardening, don't buy cheap tools - go to places like farmers' and other auctions, so-called antique markets, household sales etc as they can cost a lot less and usually are of better quality.
3) Ignore the hype some seed catalogues give in their descriptions - buy those that are well-known for their stamina, your soil type, and most importantly for flavour.
4) Take all advice on board - then do what your instinct tells you to do.
5) Gardening is a labour of love - take time to rest on your hoe and look at what you have achieved, not what you haven't.

[Lumpy]

If you have the space try and include some bug friendly plants and flowers. Many bugs hunt pests and/or pollinate your crops.

Seeing loads of bee's on the flowers really is a sight worth watching.

Slugs will always be there - you will never win the gardener V slug battle.

[burnie]

Enjoy gardening is the my key advice

[rary]

1) Don't go rushing out to dig or sow seeds -
5) Gardening is a labour of love - take time to rest on your hoe and look at what you have achieved, not what you haven't.

Don't look at it as a need to do thing, try to look at it as, I want to do, and picture in your mind, how you would like it to look, and start working towards that picture, and as lumpy said, encourage some insects, which will bring other interesting life into the garden

[bikermike]

my advice
it doesn't all have to be done this year
spend as much as you can sensibly afford on a few good tools and look after them
compost compost compost
you'd be amazed how many pots/tubs you can generate from kitchen packaging
take lots of pics
time spent at the end of the day with a beer/tea/whatever in your hand looking at the plot is time well-spent

[Nicos]

Try to be as environmentally friendly as possible....

[Bren In Pots]

Always have seedling in modules/pots ready to fill those gaps.

[Greenleaves]

Remember the sowing dates on the seed packets are a guide, we have lots of weather variations in the UK

[Cadalot]

Keep a weekly record of everything you do and grow. Compare your allotment and its produce year by year. Spot your mistakes and learn from them. Enjoy your successes.

A Journal (or in my case my blog) is my best place to work out plans for the future

[WPG]

Advice I didn't take in 2017 and suffered for it .......If you feel a twinge in your back, then stop heavy work for the day. Preferably avoid back injuries in the first place by lifting slowly from the knees, asking for help, using a trolley, digging carefully, never lift while twisting around etc.

[Small pumpkin]

Expect the worst. Then you won't be disappointed.

[Deano's "Diggin It"]

Give up gardening altogether and take up "Chess" or even "Dart's"

[Paulie]

Realise that sowing seeds and growing stuff is often a gamble - it will always be a mix of success and failure. Therein lies the joy of it. Take the risk and sow the seeds...as my late father used to say, "Ships are safe in harbour, but that's not what ships are for."

[Nicos]

Remember that you will never be able to control nature.
Maybe manipulate it a tad....but never control it

Expect successes and failures.

[JanieB]

I was talking to a professional gardener friend yesterday (might be the day before if I don't post this quickly) who was complaining that his bosses wife buys in plants ready grown and expensive when they could have been cultivated on site far more cheaply. His point was that she can't be bothered to wait and wants immediate results. I find the fascination of gardening is planting seeds and watching them grow from something that looks so small, dry and dead into beautiful living plants whether to eat or for their flowers and sometimes both. It requires patience and care, a bit like bringing up a family.