I am in the process of moving, the new place is going to be nice but growing fruit trees may be challenging. ( like it isn’t challenging for everyone that is a member here, lol) the main struggle will be getting enough light , lots of mature oaks in the area.
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You may have to rent an excuvator!
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Indeed, I may try some blackberries to start with, they already grow wild here at the edge of the timber
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Time to buy a chainsaw and excavator. You will have lots of firewood for years to come:) you may even make $$$ to pay for all your new orchard and equipment.
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And a bandsaw mill and a wood chipper!
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With the price of lumber a bandsaw mill might be a good investment.
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I would not want to change the nature. For those mature trees, just keep them. Grow some small fruits instead.
Otherwise, you bought the wrong property.
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Is it still in SW Missouri? How many acres is it? Like Warm said, lots of timber there, you, or maybe you could maybe have someone cut it for you and make a good profit with the price of lumber nowadays.
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I only moved a few miles, this is a house that was part of my parents property. There are two hundred acres here but I only own two. It is mostly woods. I will have to figure out what will work best.
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I am thinking about putting a cherry bush on each side of the garage. I will have to find things that can make it on half a days light
I looked for years for acreage to move to from my 6000 square foot suburban lot. The house we eventually bought I’d seen listed for a year or two before I ever went to look at it. The photos showed it surrounded by mature forest like that one.
But when we got to look at it, it had been cleared for lumber. Apparently the previous owners needed the cash and probably got several thousand dollars for allowing it to be harvested.
I was happy because there’s sunlight for fruit trees. I don’t think my wife would have stood for cutting the trees down, had it occurred to me that it was a possibility otherwise.
I wish they’d pulled or ground the stumps though.
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Another option with the oak wood would be to inoculate with shiitake mushroom spawn.
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This land has all been logged with the most valuable timber removed when I was a kid. That being said some of the trees have grown quit a big in the last forty years.
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Here it’s mostly Douglas Fir, and secondary growth, I don’t know how long back it was cleared but the trees are over 100’ tall. I guess Doug Firs can live for 1000 years are are the 2nd largest species, growing over 300’ tall.
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Impressive, these trees were cut heavily in the mid seventies and then intermittently up until the year 2000. They get 60 feet tall or so, depending on how high they have to grow to hit the light. Maybe I should consider pawpaws. They grow here and I know they fruit some even as an under story tree
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Check with some lumber mills, they may come clear a acre for the trees. Or else you might get more cash if you wanted to harvest the nice logs and haul them in to the right buyer, i know a big 24" oak log in south MO can be worth over $1,000 and for specialty wood and of course small ones are a lot less valueable but it is something to check out. It will be a job to clean up the tops and burn, but if you take it slow you can use a lot of tops for firewood.
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Whatever you decide regarding the oaks I wish you the best of luck on your new adventure. How exciting!
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Thanks, I agree it is a chance to plant new things again, that is half the fun!
