I bought a homestead | Page 4 | Food Production and Preservation | Forums

great find, man! i really hope the closing went smoothly for you. please update us on what happened.

the first thing that came across my mind when i saw the pictures was thin those trees out! if you have a university near by with a forestry extension, use them. my father in law made the mistake of cutting healthy trees and leaving sick trees. his cutting decisions were based on aesthetics and spacing, which is important but not the most important. you'll get a ton of mulch, firewood, and maybe some wood for a hugelkultur bed.

you mentioned permaculture and you might consider laying a hedge between the trees around your property. you can incorporate soft fruits and nut trees into your hedge, giving you food, and habitat for all the critters that would be part of your habitat.

my biggest suggestion would be to sit down and write out a 1, 2, 5, 10 year,etc. plan for your property. the first year at my new house i went balls to the walls renovating the house, landscaping, and gardening while still working full time and being a husband and dad. i burned out after about 9 months with a bunch of projects started and not completed. i didn't get much done the second year. now it's the beginning of year number three and i've just now made a list of things i want to get done, prioritized what's important, and when they need to be done. we took our first vacation in years, and i still feel like i've accomplished a ton already this spring.

good luck. keep us posted on your progress. this could be a cool 5, 6, 7 or more year thread.