New SFG not sure where to go this year

Hello,

This will be a bit long winded so apologies in advanced. 
First, I am located in the North Phx Valley
About my Garden
Last year I built myself a red cedar raised bed about 10x4 and was my first go at gardening. I am using a good quality (at least I think) local organic soil, for irrigation I have a chlorine filter running through Irri-Gator drip lines that flow at .15 gal/hr. Last year I used Agribon row covers for the garden that seemed to work really well, but unsure if I should continue using these.

Last year, being new, I had no real plan what I was growing. So I believe the end result was a hoshposh of various things that was planting with improper spacing. Last year, planted strawberries, squash, cucumber, basil, thyme, mint,tomato, mini water mellon and various different peppers lettuce and Kale, and a stalk of corn (did I mention I was over crowded)
End result was, at first all flourished really well. However, with not really knowing when to harvest very little yield of eatable items. 
Another item, was a pretty serious infestation of white flys/aphids that I had near impossible to get rid of. I did get a box of ladybugs that did seem to help a TON.

This year I want to take a more realistic approach to what I plant, to actually get some yield from the garden. Currently I have have removed everything from the garden and tilled the soil. I will notice random item popping up probably from leftover roots in the soil.

Looking for some guidance on how I should proceed with planting now. What items would be best and way to combat insects organically.

Thoughts or resources would be greatly appreciated to this point. Thanks so much.

 AZGREETHUMBEXTREME 
First things first: Since you're still using dirt, you're old-school SFG like me. Most of the peeps over here are ANSFG (All New Square Foot Gardening) and use Mel's Mix, which is soil-less. Your best bet is to get a copy of the book. It tells you everything you need to know about spacing, planting times, etc. Also, there's a wealth of knowledge here about everything. Use the search box in the upper left part of the screen and type in your favorite crop. The results should keep you busy for the rest of the day.

We love pictures, especially before and after, so that's the next thing to work on.   I'm still new -- 2nd year -- so I can't help with much, but the experts will be around shortly to point you in the right direction. Again, welcome. Looking forward to reading about your gardening adventures.

Welcome!  I would definitely head to the regional forum for your area; the experienced gardeners there can give you the most practical advice on varieties that will do well and local sources for Mel's Mix ingredients.  Did you divide your box into squares?  That will help with planning and spacing of plants when you get going.

AZ,  Welcome to the Forum from Central California!    Compost, reading the book All New Square Foot Gardening, compost, photos, and your Regional buddies.  Keep us updated on your journey.

PS: Your climate is similar to CA so feel free to join us in our chit chats, "Northern California & Coastal Valleys - What are you doing this month?"

Hello AZGREETHUMBEXTREME. I also live in the North Phoenix area. This is my 3rd year using the square foot gardening method and gardening in general. I've been lucky so far this season and haven't had many bug issues. Last year was a different story. I had an aphid infestation and I ended up planting Marigolds around the edges of my boxes and it helped a lot. I have two 4x4 boxes which have tomatoes, bell peppers, jalapeños, eggplant, yellow squash, zucchini, cantouloupe, carrots, Swiss chard, corn, kale, green beans, beets, lettuce, spinach and unfortunately a few/too many empty squares due to poor planning.