Gardening newbie

Being from South Ga, or even just Ga in general, people might assume that I have a green thumb. My parents do, each one having mastered successful vegetable gardening techniques. When we moved into this house (being our first real house and all, not just a townhouse with a maintained yard) I decided to try my luck at potted plants and vines. The vines mainly to cover fence and sheild us from our neighbors. I've found what potted varieties grow best where and my vines have done amazing. My favorite is my alabama crimson honeysuckle (being a dawg fan this made it hard to love this plant but it is so pretty when it is bursting with it's red suckles!). Pretty easy task and I think I've managed it pretty decently. Now that I've got that under control I'm ready for my first real garden. Jackson loves tomatoes and I love the zinnias that my mom has growing at her house all summer long- so that's what we are starting with: A tomato garden bed and a separate bed for zinnias. Sounds easy enough, eh? Well, being a novice, I'm just going to follow Southern Living's March issue on how to build and prep garden beds. I wish one of my knowledgeable parents were here to help me but I'm too far away. Maybe I'll gain some deep rooted satisfaction of knowing that I did this all on my own. Wish me luck! I hope as summer goes by I can post lovely photos of my creations...