Ok here goes.
We live in North East Spain - maritime zone 9a with about 400-500mm of annual rainfall. Slightly sloping 7 acres sandy and rocky (limestone) soil. Vicious winds in the spring, never freezes and can reach 40 in the summer.
Currently have about 200 olive
trees, 15 almonds and about 20 carob trees.
Solar powered well which produces a bit of
water for house and irrigation. Aside from my various vegetable beds and house, I have about 6 acres that I need to repurpose.
New (to here) bacteria Xylella Fastidiosa is going to hit the Spanish mainland in a number of years and require that all my olive and almond (together with all citrus) are pulled up and burnt. The list of plants affected is pretty diverse and lengthy.
I would like to get ahead of the curve and cut down my trees for
firewood now, before they have to be burnt, and replace them with a food forest.
Problem being that I have limited resources and water, and no clear direction. I have already mapped out swales and likely guilds but I am being overwhelmed by the scale of the
project. This is a major repurpose operation of the
land.
Would welcome any advice on any potential ‘watch outs’ or 'gotchas’ before I commit, and any general comments that anyone would care to make.
My requirements will be
Food for the house
A nut crop
A cash crop to replace the olives
Firewood
An oil crop
I have pretty much got the basics mapped out but am daunted by the scale and would appreciate someone telling me I am not mad.
Thanks in advance - Chris.