Ten things I learned in my first year on the plot

A year ago I took on a plot that was mostly brambles. Here is what I wish someone had told me.

1. Clear one bed at a time, not the whole plot.
2. Grow what you actually eat.
3. Slugs are not a phase.
4. Water in the evening, deeply, not every day.
5. Courgettes multiply. Two plants is plenty.
6. Label everything, because you will forget.
7. Your neighbours know more than any book.
8. Leave a wild corner for the frogs.
9. Write down what you sowed and when.
10. Some years the beans just fail, and that's fine.