I've just found that all my aches and pains are due to a bulging disk in my neck and other structural problems, so I'm thinking of trying no-dig gardening to reduce the amount of heavy work involved.
Obviously it's too late for this year, but I'd thought lasagne gardening looks possible. The idea is to block out weeds with wetted cardboard or thick newspaper, then add anything that will rot down and cover again. You build up a layer of about a foot, then let it rot for about a year, add soil or compost on top and plant straight in.
Another idea would be to start that process but leave the cover thin, using compost bins to rot everything down then put that on top next year and plant in.
Which would be best? Is it as simple as it sounds? Does it work in cold, wet places? Do you get mice/rats by putting unrotted material down? So many questions. Does anyone have any advice?