Hi there, and welcome.
For complete newbies the first answer lies in the soil.
I'm a bit late to this thread but you should first dig over the area you want to plant and get the weeds out. How you accomplish this will depend on the types of weeds present.
If you are going to use pots, use good potting mix which has 'crystal rain' added. These are water-holding granules.
Once you have the soil prepared then you plant stuff ...
Using seed is more tricky than planting seedlings.
Seed should be sown at a depth of twice the size of the seed.
Seedlings should be soaked thoroughly in their existing pots or bags then tipped up gently while supporting the plant to remove them from there and then planed immediately while hadling the roots carefully. You would normally plant to the same depth they were at, water well and firm the soil gently around them with the palm of your hand.
Cheers!