Food Forestry

Another aspect of homesteading the new parcel is transitioning its arable acres into a sustainable food forest. Hugelkultur beds construction using fallen branches, leaves and compost has already begun while house design is underway. By the time construction begins on it, the first beds will be laid out and planted with nitrogen fixers like beans, peas, spinnache, lettuce, radishes. After they do their biomagic stabllizing the soil then small fruit-bearing trees, bushes, vines and some basic root crops can be planted. Five years later . . .

. . . the beds will be producing appreciable amounts of foodstuff while stream-side plantings and orchard development are progressing along, becoming a multi-layered sustainability.

By the tenth year they should be bearing plenty of greens, fruits and root crops to satisfy.

And the pecan groves already established here will be bigger and healthier to produce well.

By then, a fruit orchard will begin producing at capaciy as well, providing more than needed.

As growing, tending and harvesting plant foodstuffs progresses, poultry farming can happen.

Quail seem a good way to start that, before bringing in chickens, ducks, geese and pigeons.

And unless extreme drought prevails, some aquaculture might be a worthwhile undertaking.

What dinner table doesn't welcome froglegs, crawfish etoufee, turtle soup. . . even escargot?

Then livestocking can commence with heifer, her calf, and a good bull to perpetuate a herd.

After-harvest processing for storage will be a pleasurable activity for an aging foodforester.

Especially considering how guests might occasionally stop by to share the bounty together.

Particularly appreciated guests . . .

Confirming wisdom of planning, preparing, planting, and nuturing the food forest of dreams.

Which might just grow and expand beyond even my wildest expectations of what it can be.

So I can expire on it–thoroughly, appropriately composted into the soil from which it came.