15 Years to Improve Your Bottom...What next?

Don't know what you envision having on that land/using it for fifteen years down the line, but if it was mine, I'd figure out what useful trees, shrubs, and other perennial plants would grow well there and get busy planting a permaculture forest. There are some kinds of fruit that should grow well there, just maybe not the standard apples, pears, etc. There may also be nuts that would grow well (black walnuts? northern pecans? hazelnuts?); trees that would be good for firewood, lumber, and fenceposts, shrubs that bear edible fruit, and so on. Could plant ginseng under the trees in a few years, and maybe some other useful (and saleable) herbs. Maybe put in a pond, too, and plant edible/useful stuff around and in that. I can think of quite a few things that *I* might plant in such a place, you just have to think about what suits you.

Don't know that I would want to rent part of my land to the government, though.

Kathleen

Hmmmmmm. Doesn't really work to the taxpayer's benefit, now does it?
You know, just because you CAN, doesn't always mean you SHOULD.

I'm just saying 15 years is a long time - and your plans may change. If they do, you are stuck with the remainder of the contract. And if you end up trying to sell the property for some reason, just try selling it to someone who can't do anything with it until the contract is up.

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Michael W. Smith in North-West Pennsylvania

"Everything happens for a reason."

I'll admit...the first thing I thought after seein' your subject line was some smart donkey answer ...."My wife already thinks I look good in Wranglers!"...then I read your post. I don't know your age, but 15 years is a long time for someone else to tell you what you can't (not can, but can't) do with your property, especially the government. I'm in the older generation, so no way would I sign away any rights to my property for even a year. If you're young, don't live on the property, and have long term plans for retirement to the property, etc., it might be a viable plan. Otherwise, I'd tell the government to take a hike. They already have too much control! JMHO
John

So dont harvest. let the fruit fall to the ground for a few years. In the meantime you are establishing a pretty good orchard and I am quite sure the government wont care if the deer and other wildlife "harvest" those wind falls.

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"Nothing so needs reforming as other peoples habits." Mark Twain

There seems to be a lot of interest in Pawpaws. Seems to be some good money in selling the trees themself. The map show that you have them in a lot of counties in your state.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asimina

http://www.rockypointblueberries.com/page2/page2.html

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1042731/

Maybe try some ginseng underneath those Pawpaw trees. The ginseng's root ought to be a nice size after 15 years.

I just read that pawpaws are poisonous to some things. They might kill the ginseng, lols.

It dosent? LOL well that would be far abouve my pay grade but yes honestly I think the taxpayer will get far more than his moneys worth.
My farm is located at the bottom of a large drainage of very good soil that is intensively farmed and seldom in any cover crops.I think it will filter a LOT of sediment out of the flood waters. IN fact I think there is a chance that if I do things right it may not flood at the end of the contract due to sedimentation!
As for selling it with the contract in place around here that seems to be a positive.

I'm guessin if it is bottom lands it is already fertile, but you could plant green manure crops (things like Buckwheat and winter rye) to be turned under to improve the soil? Plant legumes to fix nitrogen in the soild. These could be planted under the quise of food plots.

I have been working on improving my bottom for a lot more than 15 years. I think I may be stuck with it.