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[TaintedWalrus]

So I recently started a new embark and I've heard that you can build farm plots on sand. Is this true? And if so, what are other things you can put plots on? If that question is answered, is it better to have those various things or to irrigate your land?

[Loam]

You can build farm plots on any soil - sand, loam, clay, or silt - indoors or outdoors. There's no difference between any of them, since things like soil nutrients aren't in the game (yet). Irrigation currently only turns a stone floor into a muddy floor, allowing farm plots to be built on it: it's no "better" to use irrigated land than regular soil, but soil's much easier, since you don't have to prepare it in any way.

Basically, farming is very easy.

[Niddhoger]

Both sand and clay count as "soil layers" and can be planted on.  They'll also grow grass/shrubs/saplings if underground and exposed to cavern spores.  However, farming is in serious need of an overhaul, as all farming options are identical.  Sand, clay, soil, ooze from the bottom of the ocean, and muddied stone are all considered equal for farming.  Irrigation might be the best method, as it allows you to place farms wherever you want (secured deep in your fortress).  However, the trade off is that you have to set up some waterworks first.  So if you can easily plant on soil, defend it, AND keep travel times low its less work.  Otherwise, you'll need to either secured some cavern land or irrigate stone.  Once set up, they all produce the same amount of crops.  Irrigation is permanent as well- you never have to re-irrigate to increase nutrients or refresh the mud. 

[PatrikLundell]

There is one caveat, though, namely the biome. All underground biomes behave the same when it comes to farming, but above ground is different. Different biomes support different above ground crops, so if your embark has two biomes, farm plots on adjacent tiles in different biomes can support different ranges of crops (and the mountain biomes do not support above ground farming at all).

Badland deserts completely devoid of vegetation is an interesting case. Farm plots support a range of crops nevertheless, and if the soil depth is deeper than the top layer, you can channel down one level and it will quickly be covered with grass, supporting pasturing, but I've never seen either herbalism harvestable crops nor trees in such areas.

My current standard embark strategy is actually to channel out an area that I use as a pasture/above ground farming/refuse pile area and I then deck it over. That way of producing a courtyard requires less work than building a wall. Badlands typically(?) have surface clay, which gives you an easy infinite access to building materials for your decking.