Emily Wood

I just bought some property that has been terraced. Along the flats are fruit trees and grapes and on the slopes are various berry canes. I'm in Western North Carolina and the ground on these terraces is very soft. Several of the fruit trees are leaning due to the spongy ground, and when I walk along the slopes to harvest berries or grapes, the ground sometimes gives way under my feet. I would like to plant perennials with deep and wide root systems to keep the ground intact. I'm thinking lavender, but would love other ideas. Thanks!

Thanks for all the input! I am starting out from scratch, so as of now have no animals to speak of. I would love to use chickens to till for me, I just wonder how long it would take. I won't be able to touch the land til first of August, so I am not sure if they will have the land done before it gets too cold. I eventually want pigs, which I feel would be a great job for this, but I am a beginner farmer and am hesitant to invest in pigs quite yet. The neighbor has a tractor, so maybe at first I'll hire him to till for me, plant some buckwheat and winter rye maybe, and wait for winter to come, after which I can add compost and till again after the soil thaws. Then in the future I can plan to use chickens or pigs, which won't be such an ordeal since the land won't be so overgrown. Does this sound like a reasonable plan? Thanks again!

I am in the process of trying to figure out how to convert nearly 2 acres of overgrown pasture land into a market garden. I obtained my PDC a couple of years ago, and understand the importance of not tilling, but I can't imagine the prospect of sheet mulching that much land. Is tilling my only option? I know the land has been tilled in the past, and lots of organic amendments added to rejuvenate the soil, as it was used to grow tobacco for years. Is this a lesser of two evils mentality, where tilling is the only way? Thanks for any and all help.