Restart a garden from an old one?

A lot depends on when you want to start your vegetable garden. Here in central Florida, prime season to start seeds is already over except for a few heat hardy types until fall, when our cycle starts again. If you want to plant fairly soon, I'd till and then pick out the big parts, add a lot of organic matter (such as composted horse manure you can usually get free at any local stable), and peat which is inexpensive, organic and helps hold water. When you put plastic on top to kill weeds etc. it takes at least a month in warm sunlight to get hot enough, so if you live in a climate that you won't be starting anything outside soon it's a great idea (our home extension service says to use clear plastic, it works better and faster, and I also suggest you call your local extension service for questions on what is best for your location). If you have time, there are plenty of seeds you can start indoors or in a cold frame before it's warm enough to transplant them outside- good luck!