Felix de Rosen

A super simple question. I am starting a small vegetable farm (1.5 acres) in southern California on land currently covered with grasses and small shrubs. See the attached photo. The soil is decent, with plenty of water available. I know there are issues with tilling (it breaks up soil integrity), but would tilling make sense initially just to loosen up the soil and break up the grasses/shrubs? Are there any alternatives to tilling for a 1.5 acre piece of land? Of course, I'm familiar with sheet mulching but that only seems possible for smaller scales. Any help welcome! Thank you!

Hi everybody!
I'm designing a vegetable/fruit farm for a upcoming eco-lodge in the mountains of southern California: 4,400' elevation, zone 8b, an ample supply of water, and good soil. The main challenge is daily temperature variation. During the summer, it can be in the mid 30s at night before rising to the 80s during the day. My question to all of you is, what strategies (other than greenhouses/hoophouses) are you aware of to keep the ambient temperature more stable on an acre of land? My instinct is to use perennials (tree + shrubs) around the perimeter to block wind and hold moisture. I'm also interested in ponds as heat sinks but don't know much about the subject, so any help would be great!
Thanks,

Félix