I made some huge progress on mine today, but I don't have time to write it out at the moment.
Edit: Okay so today was the big day we budgeted for. The main project was tearing out these MASSIVE bushes that died hard as fuck due to an unseasonally hard freeze. There was three of them and I was really skeptical we would be able to remove them but my girlfriend absolutely proved me wrong. We ordered some otto luyken cherry laurels to put in the space and I think they're going work out great.
Last season we built two small raised beds and one larger bed, and we also have one additional small patch near our patio that was bricked off. The two smaller beds received a bit of fresh soil, fertilizer and my neighbors turned two of their trees into a community mulch pile which helped a lot.
Bed 1 (herbs): basil and thyme seedlings with dill and thai basil seeds. I also got italian parsley but the seeds said to sow after soaking overnight so they're going in tomorrow.
Bed2: habeneros and two wildcard pepper seedlings that looked really healthy. Last summer I got into fermenting and this summer I think I can perfect my hot sauces. Last year I didn't get the peppers started until May so I'm hopeful the yields will be nicer.
The bigger bed, we're saving for next week. I'm going to grow some amaranth bc it's super easy and I think they look alien af. We've got room for a couple other plants in the bed and haven't really decided what we want to put in it yet. Maybe tomatoes, maybe just more peppers ¯_(ツ)_/¯
My girlfriend set up a flower bed, can't remember their names but she likes them a lot so that's good enough for me. We also found some lavender, a nice small marigold, and a curly-cue rush to put in outdoor pots, a hanging flower of some sort, and a polka-dot pothos looking dude for the bathroom.
It's been a super rewarding day tbh, and I'm really lucky to live in a warm climate.
I've got a established lavender plant growing in an outdoor pot, any tips beyond watering only once the soil is thoroughly dry?
Lavender generally thrives on neglect once it's established, you're probably good just doing what you're doing and maybe feeding once a year or adding compost to the container after the blooms have died back.