Emily Brown

Do you know what state you want to be in?

You can look at all sorts of websites (don't forget craigslist) but your best bet when you've decided on a state is to talk to a realtor. a good realtor will set you up with a searchable online MLS database with all available properties within the state. Their list will be more complete than any other website.

Are your parents buying their acreage in Southern Maine (around Portland) or in central/northern Maine? In Southern Maine the market is great but the land is expensive. I'm in central Maine where every other town has a farmer's market and all my neighbors have a garden. The land is cheaper up here and the community is more connected. I grew up in Southern Maine in a place where gardens are posh but not particularly productive. You had to pursue the community and even then it was always shifting. Choosing between rural and urban Maine will make a world of difference and is a largely personal choice. Most of my closest friends love the urban and suburban life so there must be something to it that I'm not seeing. Just don't come into it assuming it's all rural.

When we bought our land we had a chunk of ground where nothing could grow. For reasons I cannot comprehend, the previous owners had buried a ton of tiles right there. Some were broken and others were not. Dig around. There might be something there blocking any roots from getting established.

Yurts are popular in Alaska so I imagine they would be fine in Michigan. There are quite a few in Maine too. They are super efficient to heat because the warm air can circulate easily and doesn't have to go round corners. They have a strong resale value as well.

Hi Julie, thanks for bumping your thread so that more people could answer. I highly recommend this resource:

http://www.pfaf.org/user/plantsearch.aspx

You can do a search for a shade tolerant tree or shrub with high edibility rating in your zone. I did a quick search for zone 6 and it said that there were varieties of pears, plums, peaches, cherries and many berries among other things that will thrive in full or partial shade where you are. You might also want to look at edible climbers.

Here is the thread of TEFA (textured earth, food all-year):

https://permies.com/t/16894/paul-wheaton-farm/tefa-textured-earth-food-year

It has the image that was used in the presentation and a much more info.

I'm on chromium and can't vote. I tried it in internet explorer too and couldn't vote. I want Helena Norberg-Hodge. If someone who could vote could tell us what they use for a browser it might be helpful.

You might want to do some googling before assuming there is no clay near you. If you have a pottery supply store near you, they will have a clay source. They would probably be happy to order large amounts of building grade clay for you.

If you are in the US you will need to see if the area is protected wetlands before you do anything.

http://www.fws.gov/wetlands/Wetlands-Mapper.html

I use one like this:

http://www.amazon.com/Ames-True-Temper-Deluxe-1945000/dp/B00004S1RZ/rs12-20

It sounds like it might be a better choice for your property than a scythe. It works kind of like a scythe too. You swing it like a golf club. I've hit mine against more than one rock and the blade is fine.