2 couples seeking partners in southern Appalachian farm start up

Cimarron Layne wrote:Hi, are you still looking for land.  I have 30 acres in southwest Virginia sandwiched between TN and KY.  I tried to start a permaculture community, but picked the wrong family to start with, and it took me over a year to get them out, so I'm a little reluctant to do it again.  I'm getting up there in age, though, so I definitely need help to bring this permaculture dream to fruition.

It has about 10 acres cleared, mostly in pasture on a south to southwest slope, surrounded by hardwood trees and a few cedars that create a good buffer from neighbors, large livestock barn with currently 7 box stalls, 1 double box stall that I am using for a wood shop, and a tack room.  Also 3BR, 2B mobile home (MH) that I am still renovating, a double shed with half open for small equipment and the other half closed in for storage.  Potable spring water is pumped uphill from where it emerges down by the creek at the bottom of the holler up to a cistern in the lower pasture with hose spigot and on up to the MH and I have plans to put a 4-way mandrel in the pump house to run water to garden area, back yard, and upper pastures.  Previous owner raised and trained horses (as many as 27 at one time), but he died and his daughter inherited the place.  She gutted the MH and started to renovate but decided she'd rather travel, so sold it to me at a bargain price.

I was doing great with the renovation until the aforementioned family moved in with me, and then neither helped with the rehab nor started building their planned tiny home.  Once they finally moved out last month (Oct 5), I went back to work on it.   Meanwhile I'd built several raised beds and started a garden, bought a tractor and several implements, brush hogged the overgrown, weedy pastures, dug out a culvert at the top of the driveway and lowered it 3 ft, so I could shave that high spot down and taper it more, and graded the drive down to the road and up to the barn, built animal shelters, including a Justin Rhodes Chickshaw, bought several electric chicken fences and a solar energizer for movable paddocks, replaced part of the barn roof and trimmed the overhanging black walnut trees, excavated my first swale and started a food forest in the berm below the swale, and other projects with little to no help from my cohorts.

If the location appeals to you, we might be able to work out some way for you to lease or purchase some or all of this property to build your own homes and share the labor.  I could stay on and help you all or if we don't mesh, I can look for a smaller place for myself.  If you will PM me with your email address, I'll send you more info and pictures.

O Moore wrote:

Cimarron Layne wrote:Hi, are you still looking for land.  I have 30 acres in southwest Virginia sandwiched between TN and KY.  I tried to start a permaculture community, but picked the wrong family to start with, and it took me over a year to get them out, so I'm a little reluctant to do it again.  I'm getting up there in age, though, so I definitely need help to bring this permaculture dream to fruition.

It has about 10 acres cleared, mostly in pasture on a south to southwest slope, surrounded by hardwood trees and a few cedars that create a good buffer from neighbors, large livestock barn with currently 7 box stalls, 1 double box stall that I am using for a wood shop, and a tack room.  Also 3BR, 2B mobile home (MH) that I am still renovating, a double shed with half open for small equipment and the other half closed in for storage.  Potable spring water is pumped uphill from where it emerges down by the creek at the bottom of the holler up to a cistern in the lower pasture with hose spigot and on up to the MH and I have plans to put a 4-way mandrel in the pump house to run water to garden area, back yard, and upper pastures.  Previous owner raised and trained horses (as many as 27 at one time), but he died and his daughter inherited the place.  She gutted the MH and started to renovate but decided she'd rather travel, so sold it to me at a bargain price.

I was doing great with the renovation until the aforementioned family moved in with me, and then neither helped with the rehab nor started building their planned tiny home.  Once they finally moved out last month (Oct 5), I went back to work on it.   Meanwhile I'd built several raised beds and started a garden, bought a tractor and several implements, brush hogged the overgrown, weedy pastures, dug out a culvert at the top of the driveway and lowered it 3 ft, so I could shave that high spot down and taper it more, and graded the drive down to the road and up to the barn, built animal shelters, including a Justin Rhodes Chickshaw, bought several electric chicken fences and a solar energizer for movable paddocks, replaced part of the barn roof and trimmed the overhanging black walnut trees, excavated my first swale and started a food forest in the berm below the swale, and other projects with little to no help from my cohorts.

If the location appeals to you, we might be able to work out some way for you to lease or purchase some or all of this property to build your own homes and share the labor.  I could stay on and help you all or if we don't mesh, I can look for a smaller place for myself.  If you will PM me with your email address, I'll send you more info and pictures.

I’m going to PM you! Definitely interested if this is still an option.