I will have to add photos later, but my no plow, no till and hardly any weeding style of gardening eliminates much cost and time for gardeners. Most of my inspiration comes from super gardeners Masanobu Fukuoka and Ruth Stout. I just adapted some of their ideas to fit my location and available resources.
Here's how I do it: First I just clear and mow an area. Then I put some wood ashes down followed by some compost or manure to start healthy bio-activity. Because of my clay soil, I put about 3-4 inches of crushed sand on the whole garden. Planting is done by making a furrow that touches the compost/manure level. Seeds are covered to appropriate depths, or a little more. Unless it is very wet, I lightly mulch with some very old or rotting hay that I get from local farmers - they discard them. As plants grow I add mulch as needed. If there are weeds, I add a heavy mulch layer. If weeds grow through the mulch I use a five-tine fork to lift the mulch up and set it back on the weeds - they eventually become very spindly and weak. The sand tends to be dry and keeps new weed seeds from germinating. Also, the sharp dry sand seems to discourage slugs. When the hay rots into the sand it creates a nice loamy soil condition. The garden, and produce, stay mud free and there is no need to till because sand does not compact. The key is to keep refreshing the sand layer to keep the weeds at bay. Sometimes I need to water if the plants aren't big enough to reach the moisture holding dirt level . Planting vertical loving varieties makes the process even easier too.
