can you ask the previous owners what they had in and where? main reason i suggest this is, if they've recently grown tomatos you want to grown them in a different place this year and grow something green and leafy (like cabbage, maybe lettuce) where the tomatos were (so that the soil is regenerated - if you keep growing the same thing the same place, it will take all the nutrients and it's not being replenished

check what you're planting where - if it's against a reflective surface (shed etc) - you can grow things that climb, but put something between them (bamboo screen) to stop them burning

turn your soil over REALLY well - esp if it hasn't been used for a while. make sure it's nicely aerated
plan your attack method against bugs/snails/slugs - prevent attack if you can lol

have a bit of a squiz at companion planting -it's more involved, but it talks about planting leafy herbs (like basil) close to other veg - cabbage moth will attack the herb and leave your veg alone. we haven't started this so i can't say how successful it really is

ummm - make sure you ENJOY the garden - don't let it become a chore that drags you down. if it means planting a novel plant each season to "see how it goes" - do it. last year DH planted a pineapple (which we got fruit from!) - but it seems to have suffered from the frosts dammit! it gave us something different to work around though