If you are pining for new flower beds but are reluctant to start digging the soil because it makes you sweat, maybe you should go for a form of permaculture gardening (which is, according to the dictionary, a system of cultivation intended to maintain permanent agriculture or horticulture by relying on renewable resources and a self-sustaining ecosystem).

healthy soil

Simply put, the idea is to build healthy soil over time without the need for digging or tilling. An added bonus is that it reduces the amount of weeding, too! Here is how to go about it: Spread several layers of moistened newspapers on top of the soil, cover it with straw, and let it sit for several months to smother the grass.

You can do this in the fall in preparation for planting in the spring, or in early spring for summer sowing.

Once the sod (i.e., the ground, especially when covered with grass) under the newspapers has died and begun to decompose, you can plant. Push aside an opening in the straw and poke a hole through the newspaper (which should be starting to decompose). Fill the opening with rich soil from your garden.

Plant seeds or transplants and care for them as you normally would.