Technical Abstract: Management practices in organic vegetable cropping systems and their contributions toward sustainable farming practices can differ greatly. Soil quality monitoring may help organic farmers evaluate and choose best management practices. This study 1) assessed the sensitivity of soil biological properties under organic management systems and 2) provided baseline data for future comparisons. Data were collected from a field experiment comparing cropping systems (pasture every other year, relay cover crop, and post-harvest cover crop), tillage strategies (conventional tillage and modified tillage with a rotary spader), and amendments (low carbon chicken manure, and high carbon on-farm compost) arranged in a split-split plot design. Microbiological analyses included dehydrogenase, Beta-glucosidase, phospholipid fatty acid methyl esters (PLFA) and carbon substrate utilization. Biochemical and physical determinations included total carbon, particulate organic matter carbon, bulk density, and aggregate stability. All soil quality indicators tested, except aggregate stability, responded to short-term management practices in the second and third years of treatment establishment. Beta-glucosidase increased with relay cropping and minimum tillage later in the study. Dehydrogenase and PLFA profiles were similar in that they responded to the large differences in cover cropping systems in August 2004. Recent tillage, however, masked cover-cropping and amendment effects. High carbon amendment increased soil carbon and decreased bulk density compared to the low carbon amendment in July 2005. Understanding the changes in soil microbial properties with management may lead to early identification of differences in sustainability among farming practices.