I think the secret is to start small. Here’s what I’d do. First, I’d research the things that will grow well in your zone. (I’m Zone 8b, so I don’t know much about 7a!) I know for sure things like brassicas will do well where you are and other cooler-season crops. Don’t grow things you don’t like or eat.
I’d cover at least half your patch in cardboard and then mulch over the top of the cardboard with flakes of straw, leaves or whatever other natural material is around. Just let it sit fallow for awhile. Your garden can grow as you get more comfortable with managing it.
Take a soil sample and make sure you add the required amendments. Best gardening advice I ever got (or give): Take care of the soil, and it will take care of you.
Plant your perennials first, so they can get started for you. Asparagus is the first thing I plant everywhere I’ve ever lived. Plant it in a sunny spot with good drainage and it will reward you almost forever. Strawberries are next.
For the rest of your little garden, plant small but intensively. For spinach, lettuce beets and/or carrots, for example, scatter the seed in little one or two-foot plots rather than rows. Thin as they grow. The plants themselves will crowd out most weeds. Mulch any exposed space that you can’t cover up with a crop. Helps retain moisture and lessens the need for weed control a lot. Plant two tomato plants to start. Next year, you’ll want half a dozen – and after that, the world is your oyster!
Got a head of garlic that’s sending up green shoots? Break it apart and plant the cloves.
Direct-sow as much as possible. Save yourself the work of transplanting. I even direct-sow tomatoes and get excellent yields.
Leave the intensive crops out of the equation to start. Don’t bother with potatoes or corn, for example. Both are heavy feeders, take up lots of room and are attractive to critters.
Speaking of critters, another reason to keep it small is how much easier it is to protect your garden if you get an invasion. If I’ve got deer, raccoons or squirrels doing damage, I throw up a quick protective “hoop house” using some tent stakes, 8-foot lengths of PVC pipe and some bird netting. Tap the stakes into the ground at an angle, fit the PVC pipes over the stakes, then throw the bird netting over and secure with whatever you have handy: Spare bricks, milk jugs filled with water, whatever. This keeps your plants safe until you can deal with the varmints. I don’t like to use this method for long-term protection because snakes can get helplessly caught up in the netting. It’s horrible for you to deal with and even worse for the snake.
Plant “easy” crops such as beans and pumpkins. If they’re in soil they like, they’re almost literally just plant and harvest with only watering in between. Mulch between rows of beans – 1 small row will do to start! Pumpkins will create their own shady “mulch” with their leaves. They do need room to grow, but you can plant them amid your other crops and train the vines to go where you like. Plant half a dozen pumpkin seeds and you’ll be shocked at how many pumpkins you’ll get. Same for winter squash.
As you get more proficient, the mulched part of your garden will be ready for you to use.
A little attention every day is far better than a lot of attention rarely done. Spent 15-20 minutes each day checking plants for insect damage, hoeing out the little weeds and harvesting instead of hours every two weeks and you’ll be far happier.
Hope this gets you started!