chickens in the garden, how to do it succesfully?

Hi,
I currently have 6 birds, with a coop and good sized run, who I like to let out in the afternoons and weekends. They spend a lot of time pooping on my porch! So I'm looking for a way to still let them out but keep them a little more contained. I'm also planning out a good-sized garden and am toying with the idea of moving their coop closer to it.

A lot of advice is to simply not do it, or to wait until the growing season is over and let them strip the garden.

But has anyone successfully done it? I'm thinking of making raised boxes and surrounding them with chicken wire cages, are there any other ideas? I'd love to see some pictures!