Designing a 1 acre farm

[US Constitution]

Hello,
Does anyone have a suggestion on how we should develop a 1/2 acre wooded lot next to our 1/2 acre yard. I like John Seymour's "The Self Suffucient Life" one acre farm schematic. My problem is that my 1/2 acre lot is heavily wooded plus I have no and do not want to spend the money on fencing in the 1/2 acre.
I would like to somehow incorporate the trees into the farm somehow. Maybe leave them standing and have a forest type farm.
Thank you for the advice,
Jim

[wyld thang]

first off learn how to thin the trash trees and id the good trees. Save the trash trees for firewood and you can make fencing. I think it's called a jack fence that's made with saplings and doesnt' require in ground fenceposts. There is also a fence you can make by putting in some fenceposts, then weaving slash and branches though the fenceposts. You can also use living tree trunks for fenceposts with this, it won't hurt them.

You can grow low light stuff like cabbage and lettuce and greens in the woods, but you need to thin it pretty well for it to work. Probably best off now treating it as a woodlot, then eventually as you thin it out you can expand how you use it for food garden.

[wyld thang]

PS, dont' know how big your trees are, but you also need to address fire danger and blowdown range on your buildings.

[mekasmom]

Are there any good hardwood trees in the bunch that you can sell? Walnut trees can sell for $1500 a piece. And they will cut them down for you.

[Katey]

Possibly you should look into permaculture. The idea is to have a managed ecosystem based on perennials where every plant is doing two or three jobs. Many of the early books on permaculture were based on sub-tropical plant combinations, but there are getting to be more written for temperate climates.

Are you looking to grow crops for sale or simply to raise food to sustain your family?

[US Constitution]

Originally Posted by Katey

Possibly you should look into permaculture. The idea is to have a managed ecosystem based on perennials where every plant is doing two or three jobs. Many of the early books on permaculture were based on sub-tropical plant combinations, but there are getting to be more written for temperate climates.

Are you looking to grow crops for sale or simply to raise food to sustain your family?

Hi Katey,
I would like to raise food in order to sustain my family. I will look into permaculture.
Thanks,
Jim

[US Constitution]

Originally Posted by wyld thang

PS, dont' know how big your trees are, but you also need to address fire danger and blowdown range on your buildings.

Hi Wyld Thang,
I will look into fire dangers, thanks.
Jim

[US Constitution]

Originally Posted by mekasmom

Are there any good hardwood trees in the bunch that you can sell? Walnut trees can sell for $1500 a piece. And they will cut them down for you.

I will definitely get some prices, thanks.

[Patt]

I would recommend looking at portable electric fence for a goat or 2 or a hog. They would do well in forested land and help clean it up for you.

I would also recommend joining your local freecycle, free fencing comes up sometimes.

[Freeholder]

I agree with the permaculture recommendation -- check out Gaia's Garden (hate the stupid title, but the book is really good).

Kathleen

[US Constitution]

Originally Posted by Patt

I would recommend looking at portable electric fence for a goat or 2 or a hog. They would do well in forested land and help clean it up for you.

I would also recommend joining your local freecycle, free fencing comes up sometimes.

Would the forest sustain a couple of pigs raised for food each (spring through fall). I would love to raise a couple of pigs in this 1/2 acre forest each year.

[FarmboyBill]

No, likely as n ot it wouldnt. Might take care of one pig till a month to when you are ready to do it up, where youd close it up and cram the corn to it.

[ronbre]

if you NEED fencing you could incorporate the trees themselves into rustic fencing if they are close enough togehter..use any down lumber or branches and weave them between the trees ..wattle style...and make a free fence..you might have to fence in smallish areas at a time first..and then move them out as you are able to find enough material to expand them..but the trees themselves will be your posts..also if you are able to bend smaller flexible trees down and together espelier style, you could make it fancy smancy..with arches and gates etc..still free..

obviously this is going to adjoin your property..and you are talking of a forest type garden..you can research the companions for the type of tree that is growing, and then plant understories, and herbal layers and vines..in any spaces that are open..thus bringing in food to the forest.

I would suggest that if there are any sunny edges, such as on the east, south or west, that you utilize that for any of the things that might need more sun..and then if there are clearings..you can thusly use those..

if you do do a woven fence..you could also plant barrier plants along the wattle, such as blackberries,raspberries, grape vines, espelier fruit trees, etc..even roses if there is enough sun.

hope this helps a bit

[Patt]

We strictly pasture raise ours, no corn needed. You will probably need some suppliment though, what sort of trees do you have? Do you have lots of nuts and acorns? Could they spend time in your yard too eating grass?

[ronbre]

i also recommend buyinig the book Gaia's Garden..you can get it at the bottom of this site..thru Amazon..and some of the $ benefit the permaculture people

www.permies.com

[juju_mommy]

Thank you all for the Gaia's Garden recommendation. I added it to my ever-growing Amazon wishlist.

For fencing, why not just do barbed wire? It would literally give you more flexability as far as working around existing trees, structures, etc. on the property but would be much cheaper than other fencing alternatives, I think. And I like the idea that you can grow things at the fencing line if you want.

I'll admit... no actual experience in fencing at all. But just thinking "out loud". =+)

[Wags]

barbed wire can do a lot of damage to animals especially if the space they are contained in is small.

The book "The Backyard Homestead" shows various plans for small properties. The only info they leave out is Nigerian Dwarf goats. A couple of them would do just fine in wooded acreage and provide you with some very rich milk too - up to a 1/2 gallon a day.

[Windy in Kansas]

Will this be used as a woodlot to provide firewood? If so it might be necessary to use the aid of a forester to learn what species of trees would replenish rapidly, how soon they can be harvested, how close together, etc.

For the gardening aspect of it you will also need to consider the drip zone for the trees you have.

[fishhead]

Fencing usually means animals in or animals kept out. Electric fencing works well for that and is much more flexible and faster to put up than barbed wire.

I think you are going to need some of the woods cleared for a garden. Most garden plants require full sunshine for at least part of the day.

[US Constitution]

Thank you to all for the good replies. I will read, process, research and absorb all of the posts.
This farm will be easier thanks to your help.

Jim