[wumbo]

I recommend a hybrid approach.

Till a new yard. It probably has chunks of concrete and other garbage from previous owners. It’s worth taking the garbage out of the ground.

Then smother the whole yard with cardboard. Then layer wood chips on that.

Dig out individual holes for plants and absolutely murder the rest of the ground with mulch.

In those holes, add compost, then plants.

With good layering, cardboard can even smother the bermuda grass menace.

[CuriouslyC]

You want to lay cardboard over tall green stuff, then mulch that. The improvement in fertility compared with tilling and laying cardboard over soil is huge.

Sheet mulching is amazing for eliminating ivy and other invasive species as well.

[IneffablePigeon]

It’s often better not to compost under a new plant because it encourages it not to spread its roots. Instead mulch with it and the rain and worms will bring the nutrients down.

[camillomiller]

What about the ink and chemicals in the newspapers sheets that the author is using? Wouldn’t that stay in the soil and pollute the crops?

[the_gastropod]

As far as I understand, most commercially-used inks these days are soy-based, so shouldn’t pose an issue.

[CuriouslyC]

The microbes and fungi in the soil act as remediators for most organic compounds. Shouldn't be an issue, but you can always grow perennials in the bed that take time to grow rather than fast growing annuals if you're concerned.