M Green

I bought mine at Whole Food in the fresh produce section. They are still going strong 7 years later. Melissa's Organic brand in a plastic bag.

Congratulations! That sounds amazing.

We are trying to do something similar with 20 acres. The pine was logged 4 years ago. There are hardwoods on one side of the property and there were oaks, maples, and sycamore mixed into the pine.  Everything is coming back naturally.  We are cutting the pine and selectively leaving the larger hardwoods every 10 to 20 feet for a more open feel. We have been brush hogging trails and have noticed an increase in deer. We do have to worry about when to cut so we don't remove the late fall flowers for the monarch  butterflies.  The birds of prey hunt our scraggly mess and there are lots of small bird nests in the saplings and brambles.  The scrub would make for great goat forage but we are not on the property full time so no goats, only machines for keeping things down.

It might be easier to log the pine and work with a clean slate, IMO.

Melissa

I think you will have an easier time just getting flowers.  I have a vine that produces fruit and beautiful flower.  I got it from a friend.  It was her fourth or fifth attempt at finding a passion fruit that would produce a fruit in zone 7B.  The common name here is "Maypop".  My husband says the fruit is nothing like the passion fruit he grew up with in New Zealand.  Seeds are fairly large and hard.  They reseed amazingly well.  We now call it devil weed!

Lots of good advice here....my two cents...whatever you want to do or think you should do, do it quick. My mother and her partner fell under the influence of a criminal caregiver.  We got them out of the situation but it was very scary for both of them. They were traumatized by her treatment and threats. After it was all done, my aunts, my sister,  and myself all had regrets about not following our instincts early on and acting sooner.

Sending good thoughts and strength.

That looks lovely! I don't think it was as nice here on the coast. We've had rain and clouds the past couple of days.

Just a quick update....we spent a few days on the land this weekend.  We found an old road that is mostly bramble free which allows us access to a portion of the interior.  Just as several of you suggested, the stumps will be a problem as will the giant holes filling with water.   Not sure what the giant holes are from but there were quite a few.  There was a very heavy downpour on Saturday night so it was easy to see where the biggest problem areas are.

I have read through an older post thread started by Artie about land clearing options.  I think a week with a trackhoe to gently reshape the major piles and holes will be necessary as will popping the stumps out.  I also got an insane quote for bush hogging where by the end the guy was offering to scrap everything and burn it.  That's not the gentle approach I was hoping for.  So we are getting a Honda ATV and a Swisher 44 in to make access trails.  Hopefully this will help us identify the really rough areas that will need the most smoothing.  I'll let you all know how it handles this terrain.

Thank you Ruth.  I hope I can get over the analysis paralysis and just begin.

Thank you Artie.  That was very helpful.  We go up again tomorrow morning to get our first quotes and I'll ask about the stumps!  Slow and steady DIY maybe our best option...only option possibly.

Cheers,

Melissa

Thanks for the info everyone!  I will look into forest shredders as well.  I would love to use goats to clear the brush but it's just not possible at this time.  

Sorry for the brevity.  I have rewritten this post about five times.....I have been looking for land for so long, the reality of owning and starting the rejuvenation is overwhelming right now.  

Cheers,

Melissa