[rat]

Why the desire for manure or poultry litter if I may ask? You have ready access?

Analysis of these materials can be really variable. IMO, you can much more easily control what you are applying by using synthetic custom fertilizer blends.
The "green manure" crops will help to build soil as henry says. The soil type and texture which is probably already mapped like hanni says will tell you a lot.
The NRCS site will allow you to access soil surveys of your area and give you a prety good idea.

 

[rat]

The synthetic fertilizer wont do anything to bulk up soil volume or tilth. That is going to come from directly incorporating organic matter as with what Henry and wildbio have suggested. All I was suggesting is that it will be more accurate and more convenient for fertility rather than using manure sources. Manure has an entirely different set of problems as opposed to pelleted fertilizers. You can blend exactly how much NP&K you need when you get the soil test report back.

 

[rat]

[rquote=2750495&tid=190866&author=trapperBR549]Keep in mind that if you plant something like rye or groundhog radishes you don't have to disc it under to incorporate organic matter. The roots are already "incorporated".
I am by now means an expert like these other guys but just by liming, fertilizing, and planting things like rye, radishes, and clovers you will be building your soil. [/rquote]
agreed and I dont think there is a wrong way.. Sometimes the shoots of certain plants can be fairly high in nutrients that the roots lack and incorporating them is a way of not only forcing the shoots directly into the soil horizon but also aerating the soil should you have any compaction. You also get the added benefit of having shoot matter break down and contribute to the physical properties and OM of the soil in addition to the roots.
Either way is fine and knifing in the green tops is certainly not a requirement.