New to homesteading/ Kinda

We are in the process of building a Walipini. We are just calling it our pit greenhouse. Right now the hole is just over 6' deep and approximately 32' wide and 80' long. At about the 36' width, he hit rock at about the 5' depth and couldn't go down any further so we are going to "finish out" an area about 32' wide and 36' long. If he can get past the rock it should be 32' x 80' when it's complete. If he can't get past the rock we'll probably use it as a varying level pit and not worry about it too much.

Silver Laced Wyndotts and Buff Orpingtons will do well in MN. They are good egg layers. The neighbors raise Cornish cross for meat birds.

Plant fruit trees that are winter hardy and produce fruit you like to eat. Try Honey Crisp apples. They are borderline hardy but I love the taste. I have one that is surviving here. Others that are hardy and have good fruit are Haroldson, Haroldred, Wealthy, and State Fair. You can't grow sweet cherries but the tart ones will work. Evans Bali are sweeter than most and mine produce well. Toka and Pipestone plumbs can survive the winter. So can Ure and Golden Spice pears but they have not produced any pears yet. You should put down some well composted manure for each tree. The sandy soil here drys out quickly so you have to water a lot.

Blueberries like acidic soil so plant them where there were pine trees.

Habitat For Humanity run Re-Use stores in Brainerd and Minneapolis. Sounds like you are halfway between them. They have lots of used building materials cheap if you are going to fix up the old house.

There is a non-explosive alternative to blasting rock these days, that might be handy for you. You drill the holes, mix the powder with water and pour it in. Come back next day and the rock is all cracked up. Here is a demo;

http://www.dexpan.com/dexpan-how-to-...-breaking.aspx

I think there might still be one outfit out there that will give a free sample case of a similar product if you pay the shipping.

Not as much fun as the way we used to do it at the quarries and mines, but you don't need a shotfires certificate......Joe