Defiantly No dig way to go...
I do love the way that sometimes predictive text actually gives you a sensible meaning you weren't expecting...
defiantly, now that's the way to go!!
All joking aside, I agree with New Shoot's advice to dig a test hole first, as then you can see what kind of soil is down there, as this may well colour how you move forward
To add to this (from one of the varied personal opinions John mentioned!) I found that covering areas not in cultivation with a light proof landscape membrane weighted down so it did not blow away, led to almost all weeds and grass dying out over a period of about a year, allowing us to dig and aerate that area easily.
The other things which may not immediately be obvious is this: work out how you'd like to organise your growing areas ie are you having raised beds of a somewhat traditional size of just over a metre wide, or long narrow beds, larger rectangular area? Whatever it is, if you mark this out (and change it until you are happy)then you will know where the oaths are going.... and don't dig the paths, as it is a waste of energy, or mulch those areas as it is unnecessary It also means you can plan how you will walk about... is there a straight route to the compost bins from your door, for example?
Our first plot is a meandering potager, filled in the Summer with a lovely mix of flowers, fruit and vegetables. Our second is a series of beds in a grid design of sets of four beds,? and in the Summer is filled with a mix as before, and looks good. Guess which is the easiest to manage in terms of access, and crop rotation?
I hope this info helps provide some thinking points for you, to go alongside plannign any particualr growing styles