I ended up with a 33/33/33 mix of Loam, Clay and Compost in the beds I dug about 2 feet deep. Sara suggests saving some of the clay for making an outdoor oven. Since I've only used a small portion of the available space that is totally possible. This stuff dries up as hard as a brick when left exposed.
Which brings me to getting stuff into the ground. I've started a few trays of cucumbers, tomatillos, lettuce, melons and even watermelon (Lex's favorite so I figure I'll start an early batch and see what happens). In order to support these early sprouts I gotta have a greenhouse. I used a very vermicompost (yay to my wroms!) rich blend to start off with to give them an early boost. As with most of my stuff I rely on gleaming from my REAL farmer friends the practices they employ to run productive, vibrant farms. Soil Born Farms has tomato seedlings that are apparently growing fast.
We've had lots of sun so I can imagine those trays basking in a warm, humid greenhouse while they take root. I've got the spot picked out against a South facing wall of the house and will be 4'x7'. I'll use PVC to build the frame and then have stand alone shelves for trays.
It's just the beginning so doing a lot of reading and listening to those wiser then myself. My first attempt at growing a garden last season did pretty good so expecting to be even better this year!