When we put in a garden, we do think...GROCERIES, fresh ones and we make the best of what works that year.
We fortified the soil with manure and soil and mulch last year, what a great year. We started sheet composting in another garden space for this year too. Then, because we lost so many plants to sand hill cranes, bunnies and deer...once things came up, yum those tender seedlings, we put a temporary fence around the garden. We just stuck sticks around 4 feet tall in the ground around it, and strung some chicken wire around it. That helped immensely.
We overplant in double rows and put cardboard in between the rows, that helps with MOST of the weeds. We started some of our plants from seed in the house.
We had BEANS--still have a lot in the freezer and canned, pea pods, used those in chinese the other night. Tomatoes, peppers--green and hot. Tomatillos, still have frozen base for salsa. BASIL, still have it ground up with olive oil in the freezer to make pesto which is SO good. (I made some the other day, the first day it was SO HOT from garlic, then it mellowed, it's a beautiful thing.)
And we planted a garlic garden in the fall, and it will come to fruit next July, I'm excited to see how it did.
All in all, I'd do it all again. I think the composting makes the soil rich, the plants do better, the fruits of your labor are delicious.
If you can't get into it, then just do the parts you love, if it is tomatoes, then do them well, water and put a mulch around them. Good luck