My grandparents bought a 10 acre lot in the 1960s, that was a old farmers field with depleted soil. They built a house in the front, and a rental apartment with 4 units in the back. Then grandpa went to work on his one acre garden. He brought in tons on horse manure, and spent a lot of time behind his rototiller. He then hauled in a lot of compost from a farmer friend that had a two generation farm and lots of compost. He built two large worm beds that looked like oversize coffins. All of their food scraps of household garbage wen in there, except cow bones.
After two years he started planting his vegetable garden. All the organic plant material went back into large compost piles. After just a few years the soil was transformed into soil so rich you just plant something and jump back because it started growing.
OK slight exaggeration.
This is him in the corn area of he garden. With corn as high as an Elephant's eye like the song. The apartment is in the background. I remember going back there to pick my own ear of corn, walk to the compost pile, shuck the corn, walk inside and grandma was ready with boiling water to cook it. Damn that was good corn. My brother and I often went back out to get a second ear to gobble down.
Grandpa raised so much that he fed have the church, and all his neighbors with his harvest.