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Ulla Bisgaard wrote:I have a sayin: “An observation a day, keeps the problems away” and l” observation before design, saves money and time”.
It’s very important to spend the first year observing. I know it’s hard, but like the other says it’s a big risk to take. That doesn’t mean, that you will spend a year doing nothing. During that first year you need to find out a lot of things about your grow space. What wildlife do you have? from what direction does storms usually hit? Are there spots, where there is a lot of shade? Are there spot that are always wet or one that stays dry?
That said, if you can’t wait, I suggest you put up some nursery beds. Nursery beds are beds, where you start perennials from seed or small cuttings. Here you can baby them until the year has passed. Once that year has passed, you will have trees and shrubs, that are a lot larger and has acclimated to where you live. At that time you will also have more information about the land, the seasonal changes and its inhabitants. That’s how you save money.
If you haven’t already, you might also look into polyculture. I grow over 50 different kinds of herbs, teas and spices, and many are medical plants and flowers. What I have found, is that medicinal herbs and flowers, like sharing space with vegetables, and fruits. My strawberries are growing with onions, sage, marigolds and perennial root vegetables. If I were you, I would spend that year learning about companion planting and poly culture.
R Scott wrote:I second everything Jackson said.
As to the turning pasture to garden, it depends! The type of grass really makes a difference in timing and method, but don’t expect your first try to work—you might kill some of the weaker species but your soil seed bank is probably so full you will need multiple cycles to get to a manageable level for weeds in a veggie garden. The YouTube channels no till grower and advancing eco agriculture are the top two I can think of for details.
Are you going to have any machines? Tiller, tractor, riding mower, etc? Are you solo, have a partner, going all in 24/7, still have a job, etc. ? A homestead will suck 120% of all available time and money, so plan in small steps so you don’t have a thousand half finished projects (learning the hard way).