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Soil breathes. Soil needs calcium.
The down time of the garden (between seasons) is as important as the up time. We have a short growing season here, so really it would be 9 months of soil creation, 3 months of growing.
There is an historic "failed town" up the street from here, just a little village of cellar holes from the early 1700's. I've read that one of the reasons they left was the poor soil. I have read a little bit about the histories of those who lived there. Before coming how much did they know about homesteading and gardening? Even back then I'm sure it was not a skill everyone knew.
These are the best things I know about soil. Soil needs 3 things: Minerals, the living thing and organic matter. Stone dust, kitchen garbage/manure/leaves are 3 good additions. Of course constant moisture is also needed and so a thick mulch on top is important to keep soil moist and protected. Another thing that is soil-magic is char from your fireplace or woodstove. (not that ash is bad, but char is special).
I have tried gardening in the ground and in raised beds. I always ended up with problems with mega weeds in my raised beds. I ended up preferring the good 'ole planting right in the ground. (we have a roto-tiller). Till-in last-years mulch, plant and water. Mulch-anew right away. Any plants that winter over I'd place in the very center (such as garlic) and just that area would escape the tilling.
Even in raised beds I'd end up pitch-forking the soil when planting. Soil compacts (is this what he means by not breathing?).
I got to the point that I could start up a successful garden, brand new, in about one year (of course, unlike many I had chicken and other animal manures, lots of leaves and etc.). But this was after a lifetime of gardening. This was after many failed gardens. I'd work on soil all year round, most days something would go in, even with a foot of snow it would just go on top.
For me, the bigger problem would be the constant competition from animals and birds. I bet that was hard for the early settlers, but then again, maybe they ate them! Deer in the garden? Get-thee me musket, Nehemiah! In this way, because they ate animal foods they at least lasted 10 times longer than the vegetarian-utopian failed-town just south of us. (70 years vs 7)