Establishing No Till Permanent Growing Beds

Here's what is needed to establish a healthy no till permanent grow bed:

1. Carbon layer for sheet mulch
2. Manure/compost
3. Shovel, pick with adze, and and metal rake
4. Wheel Barrow
5. Wood chips (a lot)
6. Trace mineral amendment if you know your soil is lacking. Glacier dust is great as is Kelp.

Once you have what you need you can then begin to think about creating your grow bed. A few considerations should be made when choosing where to grow.

1. Aspect: south and east are the best aspects. West works in climates where the sun isn't blazing hot in the afternoon but is still less desirable then east and south. South is ultimately the most productive aspect especially for sun loving crops i.e. (tomatoes, peppers, corn, sunflowers, melons, cucumbers). East takes my vote for greens and root crops. East also has advantages in areas where you have limited water because it doesn't cook in the afternoon sun therefore retaining more moisture in the late day.
2. Slope will determine the direction your grow bed will run. Generally speaking on a slope a terrace is more ideal as it intercepts energy flow and prevents erosion. Energy flow being water. So having a basic understanding of contours will help here as your grow beds should be either on contour or close to it in order to collect and store excess energy flow. If land is flat have beds run north south so you can grow tall plants on the west side and gradually shorter as you go to the east, creating a solar trap. If rows are east west then you can grow more tall crops throughout as the sun will track in line with the beds.
3. Relation to home. You want your growing area to be close to your home. This will increase the amount of care and harvesting ease. If the garden is far away from the house you are less likely to monitor and use it as much.
4. If you are growing around trees remember the aspect advice and avoid the north side as well as stay outside the drip line of the canopy as tree roots often compete and hinder nutrient uptake by annuals. Don't grow annuals underneath the canopy.

OK now we can begin the establishment. If the ground has grass growing on it that is a bonus which would eliminate the need to break up the surface. If the ground is compacted and hard it will likely need a little encouragement to breath. This means breaking up the top 6 inches to increase energy flow. If the ground has not been trammeled and is growing vegetation there is no need to do anything to it. If there has been serious machine work that has compacted and damaged the land you may consider double digging to expand root zone.

Figure out your beds by marking out where they will be. I suggest 4 foot wide by as long as you can go. 4 feet is ideal for harvesting because you can reach 2 feet in from either side. 2 feet in between rows is adequate space for the path way. It is nice to keep good wide pathways as plants tend to creep in onto the paths and shrink them considerably. 2 foot wide beds are nice when only able to access from 1 side.

Get all your materials near your site so they can be worked with easily. Then the process is relatively easy and only need to be done once in its entire existence. Let's get started. Be sure the soil is in good condition to be worked. Not too wet, not too dry. Ideal conditions are a moist, not muddy, but more crumbly. If too wet you get compaction, if too dry you ruin structure and loose fine particles that are important. Water the area, including pathways a day or two before working in dry conditions. Wait to work if conditions are wet.

• Beds are marked width and length. Earth has been opened by loosening the surface if it has been compacted. 
• Add sheet mulch layer: This is a very important step as it is a life sponge that will absorb energy beneath the surface. Be sure to add enough to smother underlying vegetation. 6-10 inches of carbon matter is adequate. Newspaper can be thinner though I recommend using hay straw and leaves for best results. Again don't skimp here, it is this layer that will allow you to get by with less water as well as increase yield on the bed. Sheet mulch the whole area that you are to grow in.
• Now for the soil-lens layer: The soil lens is exactly what it sounds like. Basically you bury the sheet mulch with the top soil from the pathways excavating the pathways shovel and or pick with adze. When on flat land use 1 foot of pathway (top 6 inches of soil) from both sides of grow bed. If establishing on hillside excavate uphill side dirt only, creating a step or terrace in the land. If the pathways have grass and roots be sure to flip and break it up so it discourages continuation of growth. Now's a good time to add kelp meal or glacier dust (a thin layer). The soil lens does several things, 1. It compresses the sheet mulch so it is not so airy. 2. Provides a medium for roots to develop. 3. It adds more soil to the grow bed increasing the root zone.  
• Now for the manure/compost layer: This layer will be the final dressing and the most rich and nutrient filled. This is saved for the top so the nutrients can sink into the rest of the bed with time. Be generous with this layer. for every 3-4 feet of grow bed I use a full wheelbarrow load. This is a lot and requires some effort but is well worth it. Be sure that if you are going to plant immediately after creating that the manure/compost layer isn't hot. If manure is fresh it can be put on but you will need to wait a while before planting in it. If manure has been sitting for over a month it will likely be safe for planting.
• Once sheet mulch, soil lens, and manure/compost layers are finished you the can rake the bed out so it is uniformed and level on the top. You should have what looks like a raised berm that will slowly settle as the season progresses. I  create two growing rows on each berm.
• The Final step to create the healthiest garden is to go back and mulch the pathways with a fat layer of wood chips, the more the better. Ideal if you can mulch deep enough to leave only the tops of the grow bed exposed. That is it for establishment. All that is left is irrigation and planting and/or transplanting.

Maintenance for permanent grow beds is needed when you expect to continue production from that space. This way of growing is not commonly practiced so proper care of such systems differ greatly from traditional tilling based farm and garden practices. Main differences in management are as follows:

• Never pull roots out of grow bed when crops are finished, instead cut plants at just above ground level leaving roots intact. The exception to this is root crops when you have to in order to harvest. Once plants are cut bury the stems in fresh layer of compost and replant.
• Treat pathways as long term composting areas. Each year as pathways break down the composted mulch can be added to the grow bed. As years progress the grow berms should get bigger and bigger. More life will move into the area and materials will be consumed more quickly thus creating more fertility for plants and soil.
• Management of garden requires adding new mulch and compost as needed. Winterizing garden beds can be just adding a fat layer of hay or straw over the bed to protect the soil from exposure and nutrient leaching or planting in cover crop for warmer climates. Never leave soil bare.
• Never again do you go and break the ground up. It is the goal on No Till growing to increase and maintain a mature soil structure that promotes increased activity in the soil ecology. To disturb the top soil  layer is to destroy the structure that is the soil's ability to breath and maintain health.
• Whenever there is expectation of production from a grow bed there is a expectation from the steward to replace that which is taken away. This means actively composting continually so you are able to always give back.

Good luck on your journey of growing food with respect for the earth. You can expect to face challenges as each area has it's own strengths and weaknesses. You can also expect that advice from most gardeners and farmers will not be valid in this method as most people are trained early on to believe that pulverizing soil is the only way to grow veggies. The important thing to remember is the more you care for and observe the more likely you can troubleshoot and be rewarded with success. By growing food you engage in communication with the most basic elements of existence, you begin to understand the language of cycles and you enter the pathway of being connected to your home, The Earth.