Question
 hi i usually have small garden evrey year however the last few years it hasn't happend for one reason or another so that area has become a plot to burn brush leaves ect. if i was to plant a garden there again what would be your recommondations for preping the area  

Answer
By using a plot where brush has been burned, wood ash will likely be a big portion of the soil composition.

Calcium is the most abundant element in wood ash and gives ash properties similar to agricultural lime. Ash is also a good source of potassium, phosphorus, and magnesium. In addition to these macro-nutrients, wood ash is a good source of many micronutrients needed in trace amounts for adequate plant growth.

Before planting in a soil like this, have the soil tested by an argicultural soil testing laboratory. MOst county extensions offer free soil tests to home owners, or soil tests for a nominel fee ($10-20 per test). The test will allow you to find the soil pH (which will typically be high) and the amount of nutrients. Typically these soil testing laboratories are part of larger universities (in NJ where I live, Rutgers University Cooperative Extension tests the soil using mail in bags of soil and return written reports in one week).

If the soil pH is too high for normal plant growth (e.g. ph 7.5 or above) then I would consider mixing the soil with peatmoss sphagnum bales (which has low pH value).

You probably will also have to limit your fertilizing of calcium and potassium for a while. e.g. do not lime and avoid fertilizers very high in potassium. A good fertilizer for such a plot would be bone meal and blood meal (both organic) which provide nitrogen and phosphorous but which are both low in potassium. To find out which fertilizer combination is right for your soil, however, have it tested first.