I had joined this forum several years ago, which was in so many ways, a whole different world than I live in now. I went from a really sandy piece of property, where I used to whine that it was all sand. I made it into a beautiful place, but sold/moved in 2018 to a place that is a narrow 10 1/2 acre parcel full of various changes in soils and elevation. The front 3 acres is a high water table full of heavy black soil (RICH!) that goes down about 18 inches and then hits solid clay (michigan clay) Its great land, except for years like 2019 where my yard was literally saturated all Spring/summer/fall and even til today. Standing water everywhere. This land continues back a bit til the back of a pasture I attempted to have which has a change of elevation. There is a swale there as well. This section moves from the heavy clay/soil to sandy higher area. It could be a great place for a pond. The higher land is a nice loam which would be great for some fruit trees I think. Then farther back a little more it begins mixed forest, mostly a lighter sand with oak trees and some autumn olive. Then we run into the very tall overhead power lines that cross my property there and just past that the elevation drops a good 20 feet or so and we get into a very heavy muck/mixed forest that leads to a year around flowing creek. This creek is super cool as it even contains some fish. Seasonally we have even gotten Salmon and some trout. Likewise, in the fall when the Salmon run, in comes some cool Black Bears.
My elevation through property is up and down. Its beautiful, but some more simple ideas for drainage of my front property is complicated because I am not sure where else to have the water drain-yet theres my house! and it is a mess with the sump pump/crawl space. Water water everywhere when it rains even in a normal year and it takes 2-3 days to dry. 2019 was never a dry day and it was such a mess.
So that is why I have returned to Permies
I need help to try and best handle my new to me property to get it up and going in the best way that is economical and eco-friendly. I want to work with nature and not against it. I have honeybees and I do garden. But i want to work on a bit of a food forest as I do desire to grow most of my own in the long scheme of things. I started planting some orchard trees the first year I was here, though we will see if they survived after this years flooding. I need to do more of a food forest out back where the sandy loam that is higher in elevation could work with them, though I might become angry with the local white tailed deer population
Though I could move a lot of that sand out back and move it up forward, but then I would have to replant my trees.. Not against the idea, but I may need to do a lot of scraping of soil and adding soil.. blah blah a lot of work just to pull the water away from the house. Anyways in time, as we get into the year more, I will add pictures so that I am better understood and I can get the best help.
I am a widow/single woman in my late 30s so I will be utilizing some equipment and teenagers to help me with my projects, but not a man to do do my work..
in between working, college and homeschooling my kids lol but yes, I have the time to work on my land- so much depends on it.
So here i am!! Now to go get working and reading up on what others have done with similar situations the best that I can.
Amanda