I've seen some videos where people turned some fairly awful looking dirt into really nice soil. Mostly it was your advice, but they also mixed up what they grow a lot. The natives of Canada had something called the three sisters - corn, beans and squash, which thrived together. Beans also attract nitrogen fixing bacteria. Further they would mix waste into the soil to make it better. Modern farming usese chemicals and science which also works, but costs a lot more.
Yes, the three sisters way of growing is being used by many people - and works very well.