I would like some links provided about various aspects of vegetable
gardening.  What to plant when?  How to grow them?  Diseases to be
aware of and possible treatment etc. I am new to gardening and so
would like the information targeted at a beginner's level.  I am not
interested in purchasing equipment.  I live in the UK and so would
like the information to be relevant to my climate.

Many thanks.

Hi dodgybob,

As you can imagine, gardening is a vast subject and the problem is not
finding links but rather keeping them within manageable limits and in
an understandable organization. Another priority is to be careful not
to rely too heavily on commercial websites which although can be very
informative, their main concern is not education but rather profit.
Following are some links which should help to get you off to a good
start. It won't be easy sifting through it all and I suggest that you
just browse through the material gleaning what is important to you,
but in the end, just jump in and start digging! Start small (it's easy
to cultivate a gorgeous garden in your mind but reality is another
matter), don't expect alot, and chances are you will be pleased with
the results. If you start big with big expectations, you also increase
the chances of becoming very discouraged. Let gardening grow on you as
you are watching your garden grow. Books, seed catalogues, and seed
packets are all a wealth of information, don't rely on the internet
alone.


GENERAL

Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) 
Ten easy vegetables
"For a relatively easy vegetable garden go for plants that can be sown
directly where they are to be harvested with little or no thinning.
Cut and come again salad leaves are ideal for this providing a
succession of leaves. Vegetables with large seed, such as beans are a
good choice as they are easy to sow. Radish are hard to beat for the
speed from sowing to harvest, but many of the suggested veg can be
harvested in three months from sowing..."
Pumpkins, squash
Early potatoes
French beans
Runner beans
Broad beans
Beetroot
Lettuce
Radish
Courgettes and marrows
Garlic, shallots
http://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profiles0601/easy_veg.asp

BBC: How to Be a Gardener - The Complete Online Guide
Module Seven: The Productive Garden
* The kitchen diary
Watch video clips on:
* Basic principles of growing vegetables
* Growing seasonal vegetables
* Making a vegetable plot
* Making a compost heap
Interactive
* Learn how to build a compost heap with our fun game, Hurl-a-heap.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/htbg/

Click on the links at the following website for down-to-earth
instructions for each vegetable.
»  Asparagus
»  Bean - Broad
»  Bean - French
»  Bean - Runner
»  Beet (Leaf)
»  Beetroot
»  Broccoli
»  Brussels Sprouts
»  Cabbages
»  Carrot
»  Cauliflower
»  Courgette
»  Cucumber (outdoor)
»  Edible Flowers
»  Garlic
»  Herbs
»  Kale (Borecole)
»  Kohl Rabi
»  Leek
»  Lettuce
»  Marrow
»  Onion
»  Parsnip
»  Peas
»  Potato
»  Pumpkin
»  Radish
»  Rocket
»  Salsify
»  Scorzonera
»  Shallots
»  Spinach
»  Squash
»  Swede
»  Sweetcorn
»  Tomato (outdoor)
»  Turnip
http://www.keirg.freeserve.co.uk/diary/indexveg.htm

Plot Rotation
http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/grow_your_own/getstarted_plotrotation.shtml

CALENDARS

UK Sowing and Harvesting Chart
http://www.allotment.org.uk/vegetables_and_herbs/Sowing_and_Harvest_Chart.php

Gardening Calendar
http://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/calendar.asp

Gardener's Calendar - May
Click "Fruit & vegetable garden"
http://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/months/may.asp#Fruit

Month by Month - Your Online Veg and Fruit Diary
http://www.gardenaction.co.uk/fruit_veg_diary/fruit_veg_index.asp

May in the Fruit and Veg Garden 
http://www.gardenaction.co.uk/fruit_veg_diary/fruit_veg_month_may.asp

A Vegetable Growing Calendar
http://www.keirg.freeserve.co.uk/diary/tech/calendar.htm

Job Calendars
http://www.keirg.freeserve.co.uk/diary/tech/jobcldr.htm

COMPOST / ORGANIC GARDENING

Organic UK
Click "Start Here"
A Resource for those new to fruit and vegetable growing.
We will bring you a series of articles on topics that will get you off
to a good start. The basic advice is to have a go, don't be too
concerned about doing everything exactly right.
http://www.organicgarden.org.uk/

How to Compost
"From beginners to experts this web site is designed to be a hub for
all composting information. No matter what your interest is, you'll
find something here worth you time. Our goal is to be the best
resource on the internet for composting information.
On our site you will find articles and links covering all topics about
composting and organic gardening..."
http://www.howtocompost.org/

Gardening Basics
Growing vegetables
http://www.ukgardening.co.uk/basics_vegetables.asp

HDRA Step by Step Organic Gardening Series
(Illustrated booklets 8-16 pages)
http://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/publications/pubslist_sbs.php

Organic Vegetable Gardening
http://www.keirg.freeserve.co.uk/diary/organic.htm

A Beginner's Guide to Organic Pest & Disease Control
http://www.organicgardening.org.uk/organicgardening/gyo_pdc.php

GARDENING CLUBS / Societies 

Gardening Clubs and Societies links
http://www.letsgogardening.co.uk/Information/Clubs.htm

National Vegetable Society
http://www.nvsuk.org.uk/

uk.rec.gardening
http://groups.google.it/group/uk.rec.gardening?lnk=rgh&hl=it

U.R.G.
"uk.rec.gardening is an internet newsgroup dedicated to the discussion
of gardening in the UK. As a part of usenet, it can be accessed via a
dedicated newsreader program or by using the usenet link opposite.
urg, as it is known, is chock full of friendly folk asking and
answering gardening questions, chatting about garden life, and
generally having a laugh. Why not 'lurk' for a while to familiarise
yourself with the group and join in the fun when you're ready? New
'urglers' are always welcome."
http://home.clara.net/tmac/urgring/urgrsrce.htm

PUBLICATIONS

Growing Vegetables (Royal Horticultural Society's Encyclopaedia of
Practical Gardening S.)
Tony Biggs, The Royal Horticultural Society
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/1840001526

The Kitchen Garden Yearbook: Month-by-Month Guide to Growing Your Own Vegetables  
Daphne Ledward
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/1861051670

The Fruit and Vegetable Gardener: The Complete Practical Guide to
Kitchen Gardening, from Planning and Planting to Harvesting and
Storing
Richard Bird
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0754812804

Complete Guide to Vegetables, Fruits and Herbs: Planning, Planting,
Growing, Harvesting
Denny Schrock
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/089721501X

Grow Your Own Vegetables  
Joy Larkcom
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/071121963X

The Vegetable Gardener's Bible  
John Story (Foreword), Edward C Smith
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0715317814

Kitchen Garden
The UK's No 1 for growing your own fruit & veg
June issue now on sale only £3.30
http://www.kitchengarden.co.uk/

Vegetable Guide
http://www.letsgogardening.co.uk/Information/Vegetables.htm

SEED SUPPLIERS

UK Seed Suppliers
http://www.allotment.org.uk/vegetables_and_herbs/UK_Seed_suppliers.php

DISEASES / PESTS / WEEDS

RHS Help and advice problem solver
Top Pests
Top Diseases
Weeds
Problems
http://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/problem_solver/index.asp

Pests and Diseases
http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/htbg/module6/common_pests1.shtml

Pests of All Kinds
http://emilycompost.com/pests.htm

HDRA Organic Weed Management
http://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/organicweeds/index.php

Weeds
http://theseedsite.co.uk/weeds.html

LINKS

Allotment Growing links
http://www.allotment.org.uk/

URG links
http://www.tmac.clara.net/urgring/urglinks.htm

I enjoyed working on this for, I hope it's not too overwhelming. If
you have any questions, please post a clarification request and wait
for me to respond before closing/rating my answer.

Thank you,
hummer

Some Google terms used but I mostly followed links found at websites such as RHS:
starting a vegetable garden uk
vegetable gardening uk guide
vegetable gardening uk beginner
vegetable gardening uk tutorial
vegetable gardening uk how-to
gardening uk weeds
gardening uk pests

Hummer,

great information. thanks very much.  it is slightly overwhelming
because I didn't realise there was so much to consider but I guess you
have to start somewhere.  really pleased with your response though,
thank you again.

Dear dodgybob-ga,

I used to have an allotment before a disability forced me to give it
up, so I speak from experience. To be honest (and I?m doing myself out
of a research job here) I had a look on the internet and although
there are some sites which give information, you would be much better
off getting a book such as Vegetable and Herb Expert by
D.G. Hessayon. These are part of a series of books on gardening and it
is relatively cheap (amazon at £6.39) for the vast amount of
information it contains. Although it says expert in the title, it is
perfect for the beginner. The advantage with the book is that you can
refer to it while in the garden, unlike your computer!

You may find the customer reviews helpful. 
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0903505460/026-8836177-5509256

The only other piece of advice I can give is get composting! It will
make all the difference to your soil quality.

answerfinder-ga

Dear dodgybob,

Thank you for your nice note, rating, and generous tip, I appreciate
them all and would love to hear when you eat your first tomato!

Can you handle three more links? :)  I neglected to give you a plant
hardiness map plus the uk.gardenweb is a good website for you anyway.

Plant Hardiness Zone Map for the British Isles
http://www.trebrown.com/hrdzone.html

Hardiness Zone Map: UK & Ireland
http://www.uk.gardenweb.com/forums/zones/hze1.html

Some more links to browse (sorry!):

Perry's Perrenial Pages links:
http://www.uvm.edu/~pass/perry/linksgen.htm

Sincerely,
hummer