Year one is harder. Years two onwards are considerably easier
Year one
Cardboard over the existing ground, then about fifteen centimetres of compost on top. That is roughly a cubic metre for a small bed.
Years two onward
About five centimetres of compost a year, spread in autumn, and no digging at all. Weeding drops to a fraction of a dug bed.
Where the compost comes from
This is the real constraint. Municipal green waste compost is cheap in bulk and is what most no-dig gardens actually run on.
