Ian Okanogan

Can people please recommend some books, videos, articles, etc. that show/explain a case study of permaculture taking a raw, unimproved piece of land and transforms it into a forest garden or some other productive permaculture space? It would also be great if the case study not only showed in detail the improvements that were made and how, but also why. I'm interested in trying to get a sense of how to look at a piece of ground, that has its own unique characteristics, and determine how to implement different permaculture techniques in ways that are most condusive to the land as it is pre-permaculture. Thanks very much.

Can anyone give a little more advice on a tree fruit forest? I liked that suggestion from some people and have been reading up a bit. Are there any good resources people can point me to? Also, can people comment on what groupings work well with tree fruits, especially cherry/peach/apple. I'm new to the 7 layer approach od a whole food forest, so any direction is appreciated. Thanks.

If I were to consider and research some of the layering techniques that some people have mentioned, and if the land is currently in grain (essentially starting from scratch for permaculture purposes), are there some "rules of thumb" that I should know (or that you could refer me to)? Fruit production is the staple of my region, especially apples, cheriies, pears and peaches. I've certainly considered going that direction, but can people elaborate on how to incorporate these "layers" that have been mentioned; and also if there are any pairings or groupings that are particularly godd/bad. Thanks a lot Permies.

Thought I'd include a picture for fun.

Thanks for all the input. I'm in Okanogan County in north-central Washington, where it's pretty fertile. A cash srop is essentially what I'm looking to establish--it seems initially simpler to a novice like myself. Like I mentioned before, I would definitely establish a kitchen garden using permaculture principles on a few acres where i could get my bearings a bit, make the mistakes I'm going to make and then ultimately expand onto the rest of the property. In the meantime, I'm looking for a simple cash crop that will be straight forward, possibly being in a little money, improve the quality of the soil, and generally help get me in the swing of working a relatively large piece of land.

Again, thanks. I appreciate your opinions and welcome whatever else ya'll come up with.

My question is whether it is possible to combine a monocrop agricultural system with permaculture system. It's just me on 75 acres or so, and while I plan to have a biologically diverse "kitchen garden" for myself, my first reaction to cultivating the remaining 74 acres is to plant a single crop. Reasons being simplicity, work load, etc. I've never farmed on this scale before and my original reason was to maintain my agricultural zoning. Obviously, I'd also like to make a few extra bucks in the process if possible.

I've been doing a decent amount of reading/listening to permaculture resources and know there's lots of smart permies out there, so please feel free to offer any advise that could help me achieve my ultimate goal of a simple, productive acreage. By the way, crop I'm interested in planting is Quinoa, so any thoughts on that are welcome as well. Thanks.