Mrs_footsie:
If you're going to be leaving the area you plan for a garden for a year or two anyway, you might want to think about adjusting the pH now as well as adding any other amendments you might need and then leaving the field fallow to give the amendments time to work. If the soil is too acid, the adding lime would be a good choice.
You didn't say whether the soil was sandy or clay, and that will also affect any attempts to adjust the pH. If the soil is too sandy, it will take a bit more time to overcome the acidity. Adding organic matter would help. Try tilling in that moss and leaves, or even add some sawdust or manure to the soil when you add the lime. Work it all in well then leave it rest to give the microbes time to do their thing.
If you have too much clay in the soil, adding sand as well as the lime before tilling will improve the drainage and airflow of the soil and help to give you a more stable pH as well. And of course, adding organics like leaves, moss, or manure will help in this case too. And just as with the sandy soil, once you have everything worked in well, then leave it be and give nature time to work on it. Over-tilling or cultivating will only hinder the process.
Good luck with your garden.
