How to Convert an Existing Garden to a No-Dig Garden Building new gardens from scratch is one thing, but it doesn't happen very often. More often we encounter a tired, run-down garden bed where the soil is depleted and compacted, where nothing much grows in it other than weeds. It's even easier to ‘retrofit' and existing garden, to renovate it and convert it into a no-dig garden. You can even use this technique to transform a fully planted garden bed into a no-dig garden