Joseph, thank you for the offer, I will take you up on that! I'll PM you this afternoon.
Dan- very good info, thank you, especially for the links.
At this stage I'm trying to line up my priorities and get my ducks in a row. In something this grandiose I expect things to not always go as planned. I'd rather get my seed sources lined up before the land purchase, versus sinking $10-15k into land, then wasting valuable time trying to track down sources.
Based on the bulk providers which Dan provided, I would want to do a split planting. I could start some seeds here in Florida where I currently live, and that will get me a 6-8 month head start, but then when i relocate I'd plant some straight to the ground.
I anticipate utilizing a few different methods to ensure germination and fast initial growth. One thing I will be doing is lots of deep pipe irrigation.
In my line of work I can get all the scrap pipe anyone could want, so accumulating 2" pipe 5-7' long is something I'll start doing.
I also am working on establishing sources of shredded paper and wood chips. Both could be a free source (granted requiring transportation to my location) which are biodegradable and could provide excellent mulching benefits. Gabe Brown says soil at 70° utilizes all the moisture for plant growth. By 100° only 15% is utilized, the other 85% transpired or evaporated. While I'm sure there is some wiggle room with those numbers, it demonstrates the importance of protecting the soil. In my yard I consistently notice a 14-17° difference in bare soil vs 4" of mulch covered soil.
I've also been following much of Elaine Ingram's work. I can reliably create compost and therefore compost tea which meet her recommended standards for proper levels of bacteria/fungi/micro arthropods/etc. An $85 microscope will teach you amazing things!
Keep the info coming, I'm taking copious notes from all you who have more experience than myself!
