Question
I am stating a massive garden in 2 acres. The land has not been worked for 12 years. The pH is 6.0 zero N zero K  and great on P. I want to work/till the land as little as possible. Can I just till down 6-8 inches and still grow some decent veggies?

Answer
Kevin, a depth of six to eight inches is adequate for most vegetables. I like my depth a little deeper for root crops such as carrots, onions, and beets. Although it sounds like your soil is high in phosphorus, you definitely need to supplement the soil with nitrogen and potassium, especially if you plan on growing greens such as spinach, chard, or lettuce. Regardless, the potassium needs improvement for good root development.

I always recommend supplementing the soil with organic matter. With the size of your garden, that would be very labor intensive and expensive. But unless you improve the NK balance, your plants may suffer.

One other thing that you need to address is the tilth of the soil. If the soil is comprised mainly of clay, drainage will suffer. Once again, organic materials such as peat, manure, and compost will resolve this.

In short, the quality of your harvest will be directly linked to the fertility of the soil. In this case, with the land not being worked for 12 years, the soil is most likely depleted.

Although the choice is yours, I would personally concentrate on working 1/4 of the area this year by amending the soil. This will still give you over 1/2 an acre, which is enough area to grow numerous vegetables and reap a large harvest. I would then expand the garden every year after. This will save you money and time, and still allow you to enjoy gardening with a good crop this year.

I hope this answered your question. Good luck, and please write again if I can ever be of assistance.

Regards,

Mike