Howdy from S. Alabama

Hey, y'all. Just wanted to introduce myself before anything else. It's been a dream of mine to cultivate a food forest since I was in high school, and now, about a decade later, I'm just getting started. I bought an old homestead and pecan orchard from the '30s, about 2 acres, half-wooded or so, down here in South Alabama, near Mobile (zone 8b, almost 9a). The house needed a lot of work, but we're towards the end of that process so hopefully I'll be in before the end of the month. Besides some mature pecans, feral mulberries, and wild blackberries and blueberries that came with the property, I've planted a couple American persimmon, chinquapin, blueberries, pineapple guava, Mexican avocados, a satsuma, Meyer lemon, goumi, and a couple groundnuts. I'm still excavating my first bed for annual veggies (digging down to clay, loosening it up, adding and mixing bagged topsoil with the native sandy loam). I'll at least grow some sweet potatoes in the garden this year. Oh, and I've got seedling heartnuts and a truck bed's worth of abandoned mulberries I saved, which I'll plant and give away after they re-leaf. That's most of what I've got going on at the moment. I haven't taken a PDC yet, but I'm interested. I've got a stack of books on permaculture I'm working my way through (just finished Perennial Vegetables, next up is Edible Forest Gardens vol. 1). I'm stoked to get to know and learn from y'all, especially folks nearby or in similar climates. Cheers.

We're in the process of searching for property in alabama and moving from central florida. We're a generational farm family and my granny was gardening like this before it was called "companion planted/food forest' We've carried on the traditions and added to the knowledge along the way. Now with moving to alabama I feel as if I have alot to learn, I've studied soil life here and learned so much over the years and with the clay up there it feels like a game changer. Down here we have what people call "black gold" soil lol. So I'm researching what clay can and can't do in comparison so that I don't start a war with it lol. What have you had the most issue with so far. I grow moringa and I know that it will grow just about anywhere plus with the "chop and drop", "composting" and "hugelkulture" it will help create the "black gold soil" for gardens.

Hi Colin, a belated welcome to Permies! Your new place sounds like it's got tons of potential, and I love how you've been researching and planning. The Edible Forest Gardens are some of my favorite permaculture reference books. It's been a few months since you posted, so I'm curious as to how you made it through the summer (always a learning experience in the south!) and how your progress is coming along. Care to share?

sam decker wrote:We're in the process of searching for property in alabama and moving from central florida. We're a generational farm family and my granny was gardening like this before it was called "companion planted/food forest' We've carried on the traditions and added to the knowledge along the way. Now with moving to alabama I feel as if I have alot to learn, I've studied soil life here and learned so much over the years and with the clay up there it feels like a game changer. Down here we have what people call "black gold" soil lol. So I'm researching what clay can and can't do in comparison so that I don't start a war with it lol. What have you had the most issue with so far. I grow moringa and I know that it will grow just about anywhere plus with the "chop and drop", "composting" and "hugelkulture" it will help create the "black gold soil" for gardens.

That's awesome! I wish I had generational experience to draw from; I'm kinda starting from scratch. Where in Alabama are y'all looking, if you don't mind saying? If it works for y'all, you might look into the Black Belt-- old prairie, good soil. So, I realized I probably shouldn't have dug so deep into the clay here (which wasn't deep). The soil here is pretty tired from years of being overworked--not much topsoil left, and most of it is near the house-- but I know places with accumulated organic matter around here have good rich, black stuff (like under old live oaks). My half-dug garden turned into a temporary pool during summer rains and I left it alone. So I didn't grow any veggies this year (besides some at my parents' and at work). I'll finish digging it/mixing it with bagged topsoil just to finish what I started, but I'll have to sheet mulch or at least smother the weeds that recolonized it. From now on, I figure I should just go up instead of down. I'm thinking it could be an interesting study to see the difference between it and raised beds, trying some of the same stuff, but I'm not there yet. I wish I had more info for you, but I'm really still in the beginning stages. I do have one little moringa that I'm hoping will make it through the winter with a good leaf mulch or something over it once it dies back.

I haven't done much on property since my first post. Although I did just plant a couple baby hybrid Castanea (Chinese chestnut x Allegheny chinquapin crosses [C. mollissima x pumila]). The site I bought them from says that chinquapin don't cross with other chestnut species (so I guess they manually did theirs) due to different flowering times (although we do have a recorded living American chestnut in the state that's got chinquapin DNA, so it has happened in the wild). Eventually I'll round out my kinship chestnut garden with some Chinese (/hybrids).

I've also got a lot of seedling American hazelnut that were still cold moist stratifying in my fridge when I first posted. In the wild, they don't grow this far south, so I do not have very high hopes for them, but they made it through summer ok in their pots. They were a gift and I'm down to experiment. Same goes for some seedlings from an Ashworth bur oak. I also have someone sending me some chinkapin oak acorns, so I'll have plenty of palatable acorn selections to play with (will probably plant them out at another site to save room here). And I've got some other odds and ends I didn't mention the first time, such as loquat seedlings, some of which I will plant out this winter-ish.

Hi! I live in Stapleton and I was looking for information on what kind of plants to grow in a permaculture. We have 4 acres, but it's mostly oak trees. I am really interested in starting some plant guilds but I'm not sure what people grow down here? I grew up in a big city so I'm new to planting.  I'm glad to read this thread and these suggestions!

I know this thread is a few months old now, but I'm also in the east-bay area.  We have got a house in Daphne, in the hunt to buy 5-10 acres somewhere in Baldwin County right now.  I'd love to meet up with anyone and see what kind of operations they've got going.  We have a ton of plans and motivation and we've been learning everything we can, but have next to no experience as of yet.  I figure it will take us a couple of years to build up the supplies we need to actually have a good operation going, though, so that's plenty of time to experiment.  Still, I can only imagine what I could learn form yall!

Hi to all,

Great to see all this activity in Alabama, I am looking intensely for 4 acres unrestricted. I am presently hopping between New York and Mississippi right now, and after some time to compare, Im liking AL more and more.  My optimal hopes are for a mixed food forest/pasture system rotating a couple of mini-Zebus and Nigerian goats. I also like tree plantings to yield gazebos, geodesic domes, natural fences and other protected areas. Im definitely looking for community and networking in the region. Best-Mike

By the way Colin, since you are doing alot of subtropical agriculture--do you have any Lychees? I love them, tart, sweet and fragrant. They're in season now, if you want to plant some they are definitely suited to your climate (10 is best but 9 protected will do.) Let me know, I'll send you a few seeds and you can experiment. Best..M

Howdy neighbors, we are across the bay in Mobile County.  We are building an off-grid farm in Citronelle and would love to get together with some local folks and have some coffee/convo/chow.  We are just getting going so it will be a few months before we could host but we will be harvesting a lamb soon and would love to do a get together.  It is exciting to find out we have other permies close by!!!

That's great to hear there are so many so close!  We are closing on our 6 acres on June 30th out in Robertsdale, if nothing goes wrong between now and then.  It's going to take a long time before we have anything actually growing aside from scrub pines and thickets, but I'd be happy to host as well and make some BBQ!  Do we gulf coast area permies want to look at scheduling someting in late July, enough time for everyone to see this who might want to come and get coordinated?

I am glad to have found the thread. I am in Auburn and beginning my journey into permaculture on a wooded lot in a older neighborhood.

Did everyone met up this summer?

Hello Mark,

Unfortunately this thread kinda fizzled, and as far as I know there have been no meetups.  There are some really good foraging groups in north Bama on FB, they have meetups, as well as a very active mushroom society.  We had some stuff going down south but Corona has weirded everything up.  Welcome to permies and much luck to you on your journey.  If you are ever down Mobile way do holler and we can at least do lunch!

Hello!  I'm late to th party but us folk in SouthEAST Alabama are like that...  I just moved from the city to a few acres south of Dothan.  Property needs a huge amount of work, building a house there, moving my bees and starting a small heard of ND/Pigmy crosses.  Would love to share and see what others  have going on!

Hi Joe and welcome to Permies!  I wish you much success in your endeavors.  We are still working on getting moved onto our property but we have sheep and bees.  They are awesome.  This forum is a huge collection of resources for homesteading, it has changed my life.  I do not know anyone in your area, but there are some fb groups for foraging and living off the land specific to Alabama that might have members that are closer.

Hello permies in my area!  I live on a 3/4 acre lot in a suburban area in Mobile.  I am really excited because my Loquat is blooming for the first time ; hope to have fruit late March.  It is an integral part of my plan to have fresh fruits and veggies year round.  My next big project will be directing and saving rainwater, then starting a chicken coop in Spring.  
I am wondering if any of you use anything but air conditioners to manage the heat down here?  I have an old system and am looking into geothermal but it is pricey!  I have considered a shade house on the north,northeast with a house fan also.

Hi Mary welcome to Permies!  My husband and I are not far from you.  We don't use much ac unless it gets above 95F.  We are in the woods with a lot of shade and we have security screen doors and use fans to direct air around the house.  Screens are very necessary due to mosquitoes and flies.  These past 2 years of la nina weather pattern for our area have been wet and much cooler than normal.  On the years we have heatwaves ac is really nice to have.  Shading, overhangs, lots of greenery, and air flow really help with cooling.  Due to the high humidity swamp coolers and similar things are not very effective.  I would like an attic fan which would vent heat and pull in more cool air than the fans, and if I were to ever build a house it would be in the design.  The house came with the husband and it was almost a deal-breaker, lol.  If you cruise through the historical district downtown you can get an idea of some of the old ways of cooling, transom windows, turret towers for air draw, built on piers for air flow and to prevent heavy rains from intruding, large porches with overhangs, lots of greenery and shady spots.

Thank you: I will look into the attic fan!  I have a crawlspace that is having to be enclosed due to moisture damage to the subfloor.  I am thinking that it will end up being cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter so want to use it for air too; maybe a fan to pull the air upward. Also thinking it may be good for some food storage. I did have trees growing over the house and had to trim them back in order to get homeowners insurance; as soon as I have it they will encouraged to grow back as I have noticed how much they moderate the temperature.  Sounds like you may not have that problem with your property!