I would point out that there are multiple no-dig methods. I would also agree that if you watch the BTE video you will learn that he did initially plant in the soil and top dressed with mulch. I think the mistake which was made in this initial entry was asking for "soil" at all. In many places you can get compost supplied in bulk. I have attempted a no-dig garden and was successful considering what little light was available--and my naivety of attempting to plant in a rat-ridden city like Chicago. My other thought about the BTE method is that he does mention that the soil got better year by year. He also did dig out his beds initially and amended them, so what success he did have initially might be attributed to the amendment of compost in the soil--even if he did initially ruin the soil structure by digging or double digging.
The best advice on no-dig actually comes from Charles Dowding of England (
https://charlesdowding.co.uk/). To start, he suggests laying down cardboard to start and then covering that with several inches of compost or what he calls a compost mulch (I'd say at least six inches). In his case, he makes his own compost, which is typically a combination of wood chips mixed in with other waste (kitchen, garden, yard, and sometimes including maunure). His own compost he generates in very large piles (multiple cubic meters) so that it reaches high temperatures. He recommends ensuring the pile gets to between 55 and 70 degrees centigrade (131-155 F), which is hot enough to kill off pathogens and weed seeds, but not so hot that you would kill off fungal life in the compost. When starting a bed, he lays down a layer of cardboard and then the compost "mulch," and plants into the compost over top of the carboard-- he does not cut into the cardboard to plant in the soil. I think he calls his compost a compost mulch because he doesn't screen it. In the preparation of his compost, he turns it only once--again this is to avoid disturbing some of the good microbial life that is build into it. He does not further aerate the compost. He advises, for gardeners who do not have an already mature compost pile, that they can replicate this process by purchasing compost--even a decent quality bagged compost--as a planting medium to place on top of the cardboard. I think one could probably combine this method with BTE for a good approach--cardboard down, then compost on top. Plant in the compost, then top dress with wood chips/green leaves (such as from an arborist). You could conceivably keep top dressing long into the future without ever starting a compost pile. Charles Dowding top dresses his beds in subsequent years with a 3-inch layer of his compost mulch around Christmas each year and then does little else. To avoid the nusance of slugs, he removes the lower leaves of his cabbage plants, etc--really any leaf that is in heavy contact with the ground.
I have heard that straw and hay can be detrimental to your garden if you cannot guarantee that the straw/hay have not been sprayed (with something like GreenWave, etc.). That stuff is an herbicide and it can really hurt your garden for multiple years running.
I second the idea of the compost tea, but why not get more bang for your buck and aerate it into some biochar?
In one's present situation, why not plant a crop of legumes to add nitrogen? Once you harvest the beans, cut the plants down at the base, leaving roots entact in the soil thus avoiding distrubing the strata and microbes; cut up and leave the residue on the soil as a mulch. The beans don't need the nitrogen since they will pull it from the air with the help of bacteria and myco life that is probably already present. (And if you wanted to be sure, you could always purchase innoculated bean seeds). In the next year, the soil will improve. Plus, if you accidentally leave a bean behind, and you get a volunteer plant, there aren't many other plants that dont grow well along side legumes.
Also--I agree! Excellent job on the wattle fence! Looks great! Keep up the good work! And really don't worry about one year of set back, the soil will rebalance itself out and all will be well soon enough! That's reason enough to love gardening, isn't it? I think watching soil systems and biologic systems do their miraculous work is enough to inspire awe and joy--especially when there are veggies involved!
