Since you are talking about a piece of ground surrounded by paving, French drains are not possible. If the building is relatively new construction, it should be properly drained to begin with. You need to do a percolation test to see if drainage is an issue, before you take any drastic remediation steps. You also need to see how the hardscaped areas drain, to make sure that the unpaved area you are hoping to garden isn't in fact the drainage inlet for the entire patio or for water running off the building. If the perc test indicates slow draining, a framed raised bed is probably the best choice. If it drains well, just amend the soil for the crops you intend to grow and use it as it is.

This question seems to come up once or twice a year here. Yes, it is possible to move them. I'll copy and paste my post from here on how to transplant: Tips to use for optimum results in transplanting - assuming your destination soil is prepared and ready to go: 1) Prepare your destination location. Dig the destination holes. Make sure it is nutrient rich with up to 50% compost from multiple sources per square foot and ready to go. 2) Make sure the plant is hydrated. If in a container, submerge the container in a bucket or tub of water and hold it down until all air bubbles are out. Then leave it there for 20 minutes so it can take a good, long drink. Do not soak overnight. You'll smother your plant if you do that. Please do not keep roots underwater overnight. More plants die from too much water than from dehydration. Plants recover better from dehydration than from the roots being deprived of oxygen. Keep in mind that roots need equal parts water, oxygen, and nutrients. If in the ground, water well a good 2-4 hours before moving. Want to make it even better? Fill the bucket of water early in the day in a sunny area so it can warm up resulting in sun warmed water. 3) Move plants in the evening when the sun is less direct. Don't disturb plants until you are ready to transplant in the new location. Get them transplanted before dark and they will have one whole night to relax and adjust to their new home before dealing with light. Never let roots sit in sun or wind. 4) Move plants when it is not windy. Sun and wind are hard on roots, if even for a few minutes so avoid it if at all possible. 5) Transplant before a rain.This is the most recommended and has the highest success rate. Especially if it's going to rain the next day and you can plant the evening before. Try it... you'll see. Next best is a cloudy day. 6) Dig around the plant at least as wide as the edges of the outer leaves and depending on the size of the plant, 6-8 inches down - less if the plant is smaller, more if the plant is larger. If the plant is a small shrub like rosemary, dig around the plant a few inches further then the outer edges of the leaves. You can quickly determine where the majority of the root system is and what is best to dig out. 7) Be Gentle. Never handle young plants only by the stem (you wouldn't want someone picking you up only by your neck), always support the base (for seedlings you may handle by the leaves). Keep as much of the soil around the root in tact as possible. In addition to the root system you can see with your eye, there is an entire system you can not see called mycorrhizas which are anatomically intimate associations between fine (feeder) roots of plants and some special soil borne fungi. If you disturb the soil around the roots, you disturb this delicate system. If it is root-bound, then you'll have to gently loosen the roots so they don't continue to strangle themselves. 8) Once you get your plant where you want it, fill in with soil, and water it in (again, best with sun warmed water) so the surrounding area is moistened. That's it! You're done and you can feel confident you gave your transplant the best chance of a stress free change you could possibly do. Your plants will reward you because they've received the best TLC they could get from their caretaker. Extra Details: Do not soak overnight. You'll smother your plant if you do that. Please do not keep roots underwater overnight. More plants die from too much water than from dehydration. Plants recover better from dehydration than from the roots being deprived of oxygen. Keep in mind that roots need equal parts water, oxygen, and nutrients. The above tips were given assuming your soil is "ready" meaning you've had your soil test and made any necessary amendments. I do not recommend fertilizing at the time of transplant (WHAT?!). "Many gardeners make the mistake of over-fertilizing. This practice can lead to nutrient deficiencies because of nutrients binding to the excess elements. Restoring nutrient balance after applying too much fertilizer is nearly impossible in the short run." Many people think they have to add fertilizer and many learn the hard way that a little fertilizer goes a long way. If your soil is rich in nutrients with things like compost, you do not need to use additional fertilizer. Too much fertilizer on a regular basis can render your soil sterile of beneficial organisms, and as you discovered, burn your plants. Think of how much impact a tiny little pill for a human can make. No matter what fertilizer you use if you feel you must use any, always use half the dosage "recommended" on the package. Even less for seedlings. Consider that Mother Nature has been successfully planting plenty of things without humans coming along and fertilizing them. 1) Get your soil tested by a lab. This is the only way to be 100% sure. Don't guess. You actually save time, money, and work by only adding what you need. Check with your state's Extension Service.. They'll tell you what you need to do to get it tested. It's usually only $6.00 -$12.00 (mine was $9.00) which is what home kits cost but don't tell you nearly as much as a lab can tell you. Then you won't be guessing as to what state your soil is in or wasting money on amendments you don't need. They'll tell you exactly how much of what elements you need to add to your soil per square foot (if any). Stick with compost and natural sources of organic matter instead of fertilizers which can render your soil sterile in the long run. If you have more soil questions, browse the Soil Compost Mulch Forum Is there another way? Yes, raised beds or container gardening where you add the growing medium used in #5 below. 2) Incorporate real organic matter and shredded newspaper (not just compost) into your soil. Worms love it. If you don't have worms in your soil, the worms don't like your soil and the plants won't like it either. 3) Read about Building Fertile Soil. 4) Read about Fertilizing a vegetable garden, not so you can apply more, but so you're informed on the topic. A little goes a long way. Most experienced gardeners will dilute any fertilizer to half of the recommended strength if they use it at all. 5) Eliminate the use of anything but compost made from a variety of organic materials. Lay off the fertilizer - you don't need it if you have enough compost. If you don't believe me, look here. Then look here: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 So when I say "I do not recommend fertilizing at the time of transplant." This means get informed. Read the info provided at the links above and prep your soil well before you ever plant anything, then you won't need to fertilize. If you do - be *sure* you are not guessing or adding because it makes you feel better. If you had your soil tested, made the proper adjustments, and added plenty of compost made from multiple sources, then research the specific needs of the plant you are putting in to see if it prefers anything specific. And never add chemical fertilizers, stick to things like diluted solutions of fish emulsion, liquid kelp, compost tea, etc. Now to personalize what I've written and assuming you've read it... in your case as mentioned, try not to disturb the soil around the roots and keep it in tact as much as possible. This will create far less stress for your plants. For the corn you'll have to dig deep, they tend to have a tap root.

Suggestion to original poster for additional sources of compost materials: browns: dried grass clippings (once dried can be stored until used in compost), collect your household papers from junkmail, paper napkins, & facial tissues (without cleansers) When I added a 2nd trash next to each trash can for compostables our compost building doubled. I line the compost trash with a paper sack as a reminder. Our house guests often ask which trash or why are there 2 in the bathroom. Regular guests know the routine. I also added a shredder in our kitchen for the papers. When I didn't have the shredder the household paper was put in a box or basket for later. It's much more prolific to shred as you go. greens: food waste from friends if you can get them to put in the freezer for you. You give them the container & ask them to keep in the freezer to fill up. Find a source of rabbit manure to build up your compost quickly. Second choice would be chicken. Third choice sheep, llama or alpaca. Final choice would be horse, cow or goat if that's all you can get -- & prefer it to be partially composted before you get it so your job is faster, but it all works! I was biased against horse manure for many years, but once I found a source that fed alfalfa hay, beet pulp & oats ONLY with no grass hay...... I began to use it with abandon. Wow, did my soil build up quickly. I do keep it covered with mulch & have not had a weed problem. I patrol for weeds & any errant seed that germinates is quickly removed. Not sure if those are blown in weeds or come with the horse compost & bedding. If you are concerned about odors do a small quantity in your pile & turn often. I live in a rural location, but do prefer to spread in fall for less odor. I forgot your zone, so don't know if you plan to plant right away in your garden beds. Manure will take some time to compost, so don't burn your plantings. I plant right away with alpaca, llama or rabbit manure, but I don't over do it and prefer to use it as a top dressing on top of the soil or just scratched in the surface a bit. Then covered with the dried grass clippings as mulch. It disappears in a few months. If doing greens like lettuce & spinach that you're not cooking, don't use manure until fully composted. You can look that up. Wishing you the best on your new gardening adventure. SFG & diy composting do work together rather well. Enjoy gardening!

A raised bed makes the garden look like something that belongs there. At a basic level, a raised garden looks neat, especially if you are starting out. It gives your eyes a clear separation between weeds/lawn and veg bed. Placing cardboard around the outside of the box extending one foot outward and topped with generous amounts of wood chips works to keep weeds at bay... otherwise they'll be growing wild alongside and into the raised garden, greener and happier than most. I have used relatively thin wood of cedar, and they last 2-3 years easily. A raised bed of 8 inches needs some reinforcements to stay upright. If you "Google Image" "diy raised garden beds" you'll quickly get a good idea of how you can do this with either a drill/wood screws or nails and a hammer. You do not need to fill a new garden bed to the top with top soil and compost. You could fill it a quarter or halfway the first year, and just keep building it up over the years. If you do decide to buy compost, you may want to check out the compost first hand before you order it, see how broken down it is, and what their practices include (organic, etc). If you are thinking about starting a compost pile for the first time, you can just pile up leaves without having to think about it. Your grass seeds will definitely germinate in the future, and you can save yourself some hassle and not put grass clipping in your compost. A compost pile consisting partly of kitchen plant scraps is more likely to attract animals than a pile of leaves. You may want to ask your neighbor what kind of chemical products they've used in their garden before coveting their bags of yard waste for your compost pile. For a compost container I recommend the Geobin compost system... Some state governments (MD) give them out for free in certain states, otherwise they are cheap and flexible (resizable). I have a few of these and they work great.