I would work on clearing the weeds first and mint and nettles fall into this category. You'll need a good sturdy trowel and a hoe for making rows. If you plan to grow taller things like tomatoes, you'll need some sturdy stakes and some plant ties to attach them to the stakes. Start small and add something every year until it take as much time as you want to give. You're embarking on a great adventure!!

Think of the various tasks ... and check thrift stores for used stuff.

Harvesting and plant control: A small pruning cutter or clipper to cut stems, trim broken stems and harvest things.

Cleaning up and spreading things: 2 rakes, the standard garden rake for dirt and a "leaf rake" for raking up leaves and light-weight debris

Digging and planting: A comfortable hand trowel.

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that should get you through the first year.

Take your tiume, read books about gardening, and have fun.

A proper pair of pruning shears!

From when I started until now, I have found the following items to be useful for me:
pruning shears, scissor shears (to cut small green growth and be more precise), hand saw (pruning bigger trunks or branches), hand weeder or weed claw for plants like dandelions, bypass loppers for larger branches and twigs

trash ties, for lack of a better name -- get the ones that are 100 or more yards and you can cut it to custom sizes, not small trash ties that were connected to each other and you tear them apart, even though I called it like that.

some kind of thin string or twine -- jute twine is common but any other thing string is good, too

bucket or some other container - to hold cuttings or trimmings or weeds as you go about your garden business

garden gloves - I have large thick gloves for working with large branches or rough objects and rose bushes, and thinner gloves that give me a better control for working in and around smaller plants. There are times when I don't mind working with the dirt directly but other times when I think it's better to keep the hands clean.

garden boots or shoes -- whatever you are comfortable with wearing. I wear sandals but my mom has boots, when doing gardening. I think in our cases, it depended on how big the garden is. My mom has one large enough that she walks in and among her plants, whereas I can typically handle my garden area from the outsides of the growing area.

Be careful with fertilizer. Too much can burn the roots and kill the plant. Don't fertilize tomatoes until they start to bloom or you may have all leaves and no fruit.

Regarding re-purposed items: Cut off the legs of ruined panty hose and use those to tie your tomatoes to stakes. If starting seeds, remove the cap and cut off the bottom of soda bottles to make a small "greenhouse" for the seedlings.

Growing up saves space and keeps your veggies up off the ground where they're safe from many pests, free of soil, and easier to monitor and harvest. Instead of purchasing trellises/tripods, make them yourself: place three stakes of appropriate height firmly into the soil, gather them together at the top, and hold together with an overturned terra cotta pot. (Plastic pots or twine or zip ties work just as well, but the terra cotta pot lends a nice cottage-y air.) If you want to get fancy, paint the bamboo stakes and/or pot any color(s) you like.

Thanks to everyone for all of the above replies! There are so many helpful tips listed and I really appreciate all of the good advice. Thanks again to this great gardening community who are willing to help newbie beginners like me. :)

This might be helpful, too! http://www.frador.com/landscaping-ideas-for-beginners.html

Caitlin, is that company one of your marketing clients?

@rhizo_1 - Yes it is. If it's not OK to post, I can certainly remove it.