In the past two years I have turned into an advanced amateur gardener. I followed the principles in the "Back to the Garden of Eden" film. The below are the most important steps to succeed at your garden with minimal effort.

1. Put 4"-6" of wood chips in the garden area several months before you plant. The wood chips will kill grass & weeds. This will fertilize the soil for future crops. Additionally it will soften the soil, making it perfect for worms and other microorganisms to flourish. They will participate in breaking up the soil, which will make it nutritious.

2. All food waste ( except salt, vinegar & oil ) should be placed under the wood chips. The soil under your compost pile will be the most fertile soil in your garden. Therefore this needs to be inside the garden. Insects will become a problem if you leave the food waste uncovered, so use the wood chips as a cover. 

You will be amazed at the number of worms in the decomposing food. The worms will bring birds to your property, and everything will spring to life. Additionally, the food waste will provide free seedlings. We have many free peppers, tomatoes, watermelons, cauliflower, and kale  from seeds.

3. Use a firepit to create ash ( for compost ). Additionally put some soil in the fire pit. Burnt soil work like magic, I had a tree grow a 1-2 feet not long after I placed burnt soil to its bed.

4. Most plants grown commercially are genetically modified. This means they may have pesticides placed into the genetic makeup of the plant. Buy non-GMO seeds, a popular site is www.rareseeds.com, however many seeds are sold out due to the pandemic. Buy your seeds early, there is no guarantee they will be available in the season.

5. Seeds must be planted in the soil ( not in wood chips ). They need a small covering of wood chips, as they grow you will need to move more chips to cover them.