It depends on how sandy your sandy loam is...an initial tilling of organic matter into the soil may help it's structure in the long term if it drains quickly.

It's an easy soil to manage no-till once you get your first foot of soil "conditioned."

You also might want to get a soil test to see what you're working with as far as pH in case you need to amend to adjust the pH, especially since it's such a large plot (and large amount of time/labor investment).

I think it's more sandy than loam. Without using any tools, I can get down to about 6" or so just using the tip of my shoes. Look fairly rich I think, as the color get darker or blackish the deeper it goes.

"jjust cover the future plant site with horse manure and wait a season or so then just plant into the manure?"

That's how I would do it.. Kill the grass/weeds, and make a raised bed and plant in that.. If that truly is virgin ground, your one lucky gardener! People would kill for that! I wouldn't be sonquick to till it up.. I would try no till raised beds, if you don't like it, worst comes to worst, you could till it up.. Now if you just till it all up with thinking twice, that ground Is no longer virgin, and it is tilled, tilled ground is tilled ground.. Even if you dondecide to till, at least leave a section where you could leave it be or do no
Till and compare the results... Don't take tv virgin ground for granted!

Joe

I am quite sure that it is virgin because the it was part of a large ranch before subdivision about 20 years ago. Never built during those 20 years. When it was part of the ranch, no known agriculture was done at the ranch.

The only way to know what is in the soil you have is to look. A good, reliable soil test for soil pH and major nutrient levels is a good start and these simple soil tests can help as well.
1) Soil test for organic matter. From that soil sample put enough of the rest to make a 4 inch level in a clear 1 quart jar, with a tight fitting lid. Fill that jar with water and replace the lid, tightly. Shake the jar vigorously and then let it stand for 24 hours. Your soil will settle out according to soil particle size and weight. For example, a good loam will have about 1-3/4 inch (about 45%) of sand on the bottom. about 1 inch (about 25%) of silt next, about 1 inch (25%) of clay above that, and about 1/4 inch (about 5%) of organic matter on the top.

2) Drainage. Dig a hole 1 foot square and 1 foot deep and fill that with water. After that water drains away refill the hole with more water and time how long it takes that to drain away. Anything less than 2 hours and your soil drainsâ too quickly and needs more organic matter to slow that drainage down. Anything over 6 hours and the soil drains too slowly and needs lots of organic matter to speed it up.

3) Tilth. Take a handful of your slightly damp soil and squeeze it tightly. When the pressure is released the soil should hold together in that clump, but when poked with a finger that clump should fall apart.

4) Smell. What does your soil smell like? A pleasant, rich earthy odor? Putrid, offensive, repugnant odor? The more organic matter in your soil the more active the soil bacteria will be and the nicer your soil will smell.

5) Life. How many earthworms per shovel full were there? 5 or more indicates a pretty healthy soil. Fewer than 5, according to the Natural Resources Conservation Service, indicates a soil that is not healthy.

Whether to till that soil depends on what is growing there now and whether smothering will not accomplish the same purpose.

The only way to know for sure is to have a professional soil test done by your state aggie dept or university. The results could change what you will grow there. I would say if nothing is currently growing there - there is a reason.

Since I learned about raised bed gardening I no longer till anything. Read up on SquareFoot or Lasagna Gardening.

Cover 3/4 of an acre? How thick? Maybe better do some arithmetic and see what volume you come up that will need to be moved.

Kimmsr: Currently not much growing there, just some sage type, see pic.

pnbrown: Planning on 6 inches on "beds" of 4'x8'. Neighbors all got horses, but it will still take awhile to get enough manure.

Too much shade could be the reason nothing is growing there?

Agree with nc, one original tilling will speed up organic matter penetration. Then none. But in sand you have to add huge amounts with the till to make any difference, one foot of organic matter or more.
I had a garden in sand, one foot of wood chips and manure later, it was still sand, with two inches of very sandy loam on top. Others will tell you the same thing.

You may be better off excavating the beds and burying all the trees (hugelkultur) in manure. This will prevent tilling, the manure will give you a decent crop the first time around, long term you will have much better water retention due to the logs. If I remember correctly, you will not be at the site. No way that soil does well on one watering a week. I think you are more or less forced to do hugelkultur, or heavy mulching, or find other ways to add feet of organic matter, or a combination of these three.

Appropriately-adapted food crops will be key without doubt. Tepary bean might be a good candidate for legume.

Thanks guys for advices. hugelkultur was my original plan, it's still on the table and probably will go for it. Just exploring in case there are better ideas.

On that note, since I am really intrigued by growing grapes, would hugelkutur work well with grape vines? or those actually thrive with poor sandy soil? I am thinking of growing about 1/2 acre of grape and 1/4 acre of vegetable.

Perhaps I can amend/hugel the vege patch and leave the grape bit virgin?

If people knew what vegetables you plan to grow that would help. I have never grown grapes myself but I think they want FULL sun as do many vegetables.

Full sun for everything, Tof. Not clear how to answer the grapes thing because labrusca prefers acid soil (concord and other eastern grapes), vinifera has some varieties that do well in chalky soil. Generally they do well in sand, better than in clay. Let us know what the soil test says, but my advice is to grow only what grows well. I have chalky, and my potatoes and melons are bought, my tomatoes are average and my grapes get sulfur. But my other root crops, greens and alliums are the best. It is what it is, and you can bend it up to a point, and only in exchange for more work.

Instead of digging huge trenches with excavators for hugelkulture.. I would instead spend your time and energy building soil on top.. I would mulch heavily with leaves(which should be prevalent where you are) and wood chips(free from tree service)... Watch the back to Eden film to get a better idea..

Being able to dig 6 inches down doesn't necessarily mean it's more sandy than loamy. It means that the soil is not compacted. yay.

I have 86% sand and I can compact it to be damn near hard as concrete.

glib :
Thanks for remembering, and yes, I will live there part time probably from June to Nov or so, although I will visit weekly during the off season. Wifi controlled irrigation and webcam will have to be my best friend.

gumby_ct:
Currently leaning towards salad green, tomato etc plus potato and Asian vege. Some fruit trees but no common crops like wheat, corn, rice, etc., For our own use only and give away to friends etc.,

Some greens can in fact make it in part sun and even full shade if you have the patience and they are well watered. So can certain stalk vegetables such as cardoon and celery, although these two do very poorly in sand. But it is a pain to rotate only amongst greens, and most of them prefer clay anyway. You might test carrots in part sun.

The site is actually fairly sunny, where planned for planting. See attached pic. Some trees will be removed.

oooops, got the wrong img.

" or those actually thrive with poor sandy soil?"

Grapes thrive in the extremely impoverished excessively-drained sand of the area in central florida I am familiar with. FWIW.

Don't forget your windbreaks out there.

pnbrown

May be I will hugelkulture the vege beds and leave the grape part untilt. I was told that grapes have deep roots, so the top soil isn't that crucial.

Though in Florida the main growing season for grapes roughly coincides with the rainy season, whereas for you it will probably be nearly opposite.