First, I want to emphasize that I have never tilled these beds- they started as pasture with that awful "pasture grass" (quackgrass) we found so hard to deal with. This method works! Here's how to establish no-till vegetable beds from scratch: -In spring set heavy cardboard on top of the grass/area in the size you want. -Edge the bed with wood (not treated) to keep materials in place (we started with used 4' x 4' boards that eventually rotted leaving simple mounded beds). -Add 3-4 inches of a soil-manure mix and about 2 inches of compost on top of the cardboard. -Wait a few weeks and then plant. (NOTE: I planted beans, corn and potatoes (using the straw method and setting the tubers on top of the new soil) on the new beds and by the time the roots needed more depth, the cardboard had softened and the roots grew as they needed. We had a great crop that first year, which actually surprised me since I thought the beds would need a year to really establish.)