Yesterday I dug a 2 foot by 8 foot patch in my backyard that I plan to use for a small veggie/herb garden. The soil is in reasonably good condition and looks to be sandy and clayey. I plan to add some organic material from my compost heap when it produces some more hummus.

Other than that, is there anything else I need to do with the soil to ready it for planting? I don't plan to plant anything fancy, just some basil, rosemary, mint, oregano, tomatoes, strawberries, blackberries and a few other things. I'm just concerned because I've never gardened before.

The spot I've picked gets lots of sun 10-plus hours a day. I plan to start small and add on if my first fruits are successful. Any tips on knowing when the soil is ready to plant?
Someone has said my garden isn't big enough. I can make the garden as large as I like. I just have to get the mattock out of the shed and start pounding away. Unfortunately, that doesn't answer my question as to what to do with the soil.

Jeff,byren is right you will need a little more room to grow what you want.do a soil ph test .till in the compost and use a mulch to keep down the weeds and hold moisture in the soil .good luck and green side up !!