pgh wrote in message ...
I went back to the book to see if I got the facts right.
It acknowledges that use of the technique, referred to as
"double digging", amounts to a formidable job. It states
that it "is the classic technique for creating raised beds".
It has been in use for 5,000 years. The book is not dogmatic
about this, and it approves of other soil preparation
techniques (but it still leaves you with a feeling that
double-digging is the "right" way).

The book is The Complete Vegetable and Herb Gardener: A Guide
to Growing Your Garden Organically, by Karan Davis Cutler.

The book is dogmatic about it. If your soil is loose (sandy or loamy)
you do not have to double dig. The harder your soil is, the more you
have to double-dig. And yes, double-digging is backbreaking. The
result that you want is soil that is loose all the way down to 2
feet.

There are ways to get around it, if you have patience. The best is
probably to go ahead and plant your beds the first year, then once the
plants are up to some size, cover the beds with a few inches of
leaves. Over time (but less or of order two years) the worms will do
your digging (if you have cold winters, they will go way deeper than 2
feet). As long as you replenish the leaves they will keep multiplying
and giving your soil structure. The leaves also are a good mulch, and
they provide modest fertilization. You will have to save them and pile
them in the fall. Manure is a worse mulch and a much better
fertilizer, but does not attract and keep nearly as many worms as
leaves.

Finally, worms do a much better job than a spade at making the small
air pockets that plants need.