New Hampshire White mountains area permaculture?

I’m curious if there is anybody that is living in the white mountains region of NH that is also practicing permaculture. I ask because Im considering the area as a future home but I wanted to know from people with experience if it’s feasible to have a permaculture setup in that area. I have camped in Lincoln and Lancaster and noticed a majority of the trees are white spruce, birch, and hemlock which is fine but the lack of hardwoods and nut trees concern me. Anyway just curious.

I would classify the area (Littleton, NH) as: USDA Zone 4 with 1500 Growing Degree Days. Both of those numbers are at the edge of what is acceptable for alot of fruit and nut trees, esp ones that you can get from HomeDepo/etc .

For your zone 4 area I recommend getting your nut trees from https://www.nuttrees.com/edible-nut-trees/other-edible-nut-trees and also https://www.fedcoseeds.com/trees/

Would love to hear the list of plants that you would like to grow.

I would also look up conventional and organic U-PICK/apple picking farms, CSA, orchard, etc. Here is one https://pickyourown.farm/farm/solid-earth-farm-22666/  

My first reaction to a pic from Google maps is: where are the trees???

I live in USDA 4a in the Gatineau mountains. Yes, absolutely, and anywhere you can find a saddle, buy what you can. Find a way to buy a tractor or small backhoe or landscaper you can resell when you're done with it ASAP, and buy smaller walk-beside European cultivator instead, and spend your time learning all the indigenous plants, take your time and learn the umbellifers (wild carrots versus invasive parsley, hemlock, water hemlock : edibles through deadly) start some Jerusalem artichokes where you need soil broken up, encourage any brush and small trees you can, and earthwork in some nearby trees along the swales with that backhoe before it goes -- get a farmer to help you and tell him you want to restore to wild.


walk-beside European cultivator:

Theres a book written by an expert (Eastern Townships, warmer and much more fertile , Quebec) who has provided permies with workshops and has a video in one of their annual mass emissions, well for a non screen watcher: a lot
Anyway his book recommends these
You walk more, you save a ton of emissions


Add in your favorite fruit bushes
I grow a variety of indigenous bushes
And just learned of the zone 1 raspberry: Arctic " well I saw the name and has to check
Wild blueberries grow up mountains so try some up high, bring yourself a tent and set up a rain catching system while you are hauling berry plants, and a rock hammer so you can scrounge moss for cover crop
Yes, find a nice dip in the land, like you're going to make with that backhoe!

Well, I'm a very visual person

Have at it !!!

Nick Mick wrote:I’m curious if there is anybody that is living in the white mountains region of NH that is also practicing permaculture. I ask because Im considering the area as a future home but I wanted to know from people with experience if it’s feasible to have a permaculture setup in that area. I have camped in Lincoln and Lancaster and noticed a majority of the trees are white spruce, birch, and hemlock which is fine but the lack of hardwoods and nut trees concern me. Anyway just curious.

Hi, Nick Mick! Have you found your way up to the White mountains, yet? My family has grown many common vegetables, berries, apples in the White Mountains. I haven't seen any pawpaws that far up. I'm homesteading in the Concord area, a bit more south, but if you make your way up to New Hampshire, let me know! I have been connecting with NH Permies, and we have been talking about having a monthly get together for a meal and permaculture discussion. We are open to helping each other with projects, as well! Best of luck! :)

I recently purchased an acreage in the White Mountains. It is a major project. I did permaculture in Iowa and the climate seems not as cold and more wet. I am planning a greenhouse. What plants might I not know about for permaculture in this area? We used University of Minnesota cultivars for fruit trees. I think they would do well in NH as well. The land has beech trees, birch, hemlock, oaks, etc. Many need to be removed and turned into firewood.

I'd go visit this place near Rumney and see what you can learn:

https://www.streetermountainfarm.com

Used to be a more active permaculture farm community ("D acres"), seems to have shifted a bit but should still have some useful knowledge and demo's on site from around 20 years' effort.