Bob Jenkins

I don't exactly have super specific questions as I'm not entirely certain what to ask.

So I have more land than I can reasonably maintain.  What I'm hoping to do is set aside part of the land for occasional clearing.  But I'd like to set it up in a permaculture style so it can be utilized in between cuts.  I also want to try daisugi methods w/ some pine and cedar.  That said I spoke w/ some local mills and they said it's either not really worth it or shoot for Canary Island Date Palms and Black Walnut.    I'm hoping I or maybe my kids can make some decent cash in 25-30 years.  

I live in FL zone 9, in an area that despite a lot of rain is farily dry.  Everything around here is sand pine all in rows and nothing really interplanted.  I've always wanted to try to see if it could be planted on contour w/ nitrogen fixers in between, blueberries, and daisugi,  etc, etc. so that even it being for lumber the landscape thrives and it's maximized.  I've often wondered if you could get more bang for the buck that way, despite the clearing hassles, larger spacing, etc.  

So for black Walnut I looked up companions and found black locust and red Cedar (I would try to daisugi).  I intend to build them on contour swales and add some pawpaws/mulberries nearby.  Is this even a good idea?  the mills told me they do Cypress (not enough water for that) and the Cedar in FL is constantly hollow.  My hope would be w/ some companion planting the Cedar would grow much better.

The guy from the mill however said natives don't bring any money.  He planted 34 acres of oak and pine and made less than his bud who planted 5 acres of Canary Island Date Palms.  So my next question is, what do I need to grow/harvest those?  I assume they need to be dug up for landscaping and the money part is not in any lumber use.  not really sure how to plant/prep for such a thing.  I need a way to set it and forget it to some extent and don't know if the palms could do that.

Thanks, I'll check out a feed store.

The land is in Levy county Fl.  Most of the farming around is conventional and cows or peanuts.  The land is fairly dry and sandy despite the Florida rain.  

Thanks, did not see that.  I'll post over there.

I've got 30 AC that I now can't use and was originally planning to build a farm.  I don't want to give up on the homestead but don't want it just sitting there.  Any advice on how I go about finding a regenerative farmer who'd be interested?  I don't want a conventional farmer or even one who uses antibiotics or anything that that can eventually contaminate the ground.  Right now it's raw and unkept.

I'm in the tip of zone 7b on the border of 7a.  I've got 2 6ft stumps in my yard that I'm using as a trellis to grow grapes/kiwis.  However the span between them is about 15 to 20ft.  I already have a raspberry and chokeberry established kind of in the middle between them.  What I'm looking for is a nitrogen fixer I can plant dead center that I can cut way back in the winter but still hang my grapes and kiwis on.  I want to keep it almost like a straight pole just to hole up the vines and not shade out the other shrubs.  Plus I can't have it getting super tall, maybe 10ft or so.  I don't mind if it wants to get to higher than 10 but I'll be cutting it to keep it low enough to pick the fruit.  Any ideas what I can use?  

I don't particularly mind if it's not edible but that would be preferred.

The 2 6ft stumps were oaks that will eventually rot (one is completely hollow already, haven't cut open the other).  My plan was to plant something (right now chewing on a weeping mulberry) in the center and let it climb up and out of the stump.  by the time the stump fully rots there'll be a new tree w/ a thick trunk to hold up the vines.

2 problems w/ the pit method.  # 1, you have to get the stuff out, meaning you'll likely scoop up some dirt/sand in your char.  If you're looking for pure char for a filter that's a problem.  #2, pour a pool of water over it, it's still gonna turn to ash later unless you've got something to cover it completely.  What happens is, you have to put out the entire fire or eventually the heats dries off the coals and they keep going.  Put out the fire, come back in 3 hours and poof, red coals again.  You'll still wind up w/ char, just a whole lot less.