G. Hop

Okay,, here we go...

First thing you should do is take your report to your local County Extension Service office and talk to the Extension Educator or also known as the County Agent. That person will tell you exactly what to plant & how to deal with the clay soils. You have my condolences for having to deal with that stuff!

I will interpret your report now. My comments will be in parentheses.

(First off, where is the Nitrogen levels? How can anyone assess soils without having a full soils report.)

Organic matter: 10.07% (Very low. Should be built up a lot more using compost initially. For 6 acres, doing minimum tillage can build up your soils OM as well. No-Till or Direct Seeding is the ultimate method to build up your soil OM.)

pH: 6.82 (On the acidic side but not bad. You may need to dou multiple or continuous applications of lime to your land.)

Phosphorus: 105.5 ppm
Potassium: 190 ppm
(Both are high. If you choose to go the no-till way, these numbers will come down. You can also find crops that "mine" the soil nutrients. This is a good possibility. But I won't or can't give a better interpretation without the N level.)

Aluminum: 3.7 ppm (Not sure why this in the report.)

Manganese: 10.9 ppm
Magnesium: 472.2 ppm
(Your Mn levels are well within the proper levels, maybe even a bit low. But you Mg levels are doubled the amount necessary (200 ppm). Plant crops that can takes the Mg out of the soil.

Zinc: 22.8 ppm (20 to 70 ppm zinc is well within the necessary range. Talk to your Extension Agent about it.)

Iron: 2.8 ppm (At 2.8 ppm, you are well within the range of 2 - 10 ppm of Fe.)

Calcium: 5270.9 ppm (You have extremely high levels of Ca in your land. Ca should be present in the soils at levels of 430-540 ppm.
The ideal levels of calcium in soil is 600-1,000 parts per million for other types of soils such as clay. Work with your Agent to get those levels decreased.)

I hope this helps you,
Hoppy

Drew,

Myself, the very first things that I look at is the soils from the USDA-NRCS Soils Handbook for that particular piece of land. It will give you loads of information. The 2nd and 3rd is to obtain an area well driller's report and have your local Health District give you an initial Sewer drafted report. Not sure how much they are but they are cheaper than buying a piece of property then finding out you can't do anything with it.

As far as the limestone question goes, go to your local Soil and Water Conservation District and talk to them about that particular piece of land. If they do not know anything, they very much will connect you with the correct people. Maybe even an NRCS Civil Engineer. I know nothing about your issue about contamination. Do a quick internet search & see what is said about your issue. But only read the reputable information like from a university. All of that should get you extremely close to the answer you need.

Hope this helps,
Hoppy

Hello,

I have some experience with tillers. I have 2 recommendations & 1 put down. I'll start with the put down 1st. Stay completely away from mid-tine tillers! My experience has told me that they are crappy. Plus they do not do as good of job as the Front Tine or Rear Tine,  good example is a TroyBuilt,  tillers. A 60 X 60 is a fair piece of ground.

I personally have a Front tine tiller that used to be my parents. It can do a very fine job for you. With a big plot, the rear tine tillers are really great. They don't buck you around nearly as much. Another thought, especially for beginning gardens, is to hire someone to come plow & disc your plot. Then afterwards, run over it wit a Roto-Tiller to smooth out all the clods of Soil.

As with any No Till farming, the 1st year is extremely important. Prep your soil to the condition that is needed to maintain a no-till operation. By tilling up the ground, you also get the weeds growing so you know what & how you'll need to treat. From the sounds of it, you know how to do the remaining parts.

Good luck! 😊😊😊

John,
I understand & empathize 100% with you. This concern hits me all the time. I am getting closer to the 60s side faster than I'd like. For instance it is now the middle of May & my brain is still in March and April! Yikes!

You are lucky in that you already have your slice of heaven, I have not. My issue is the same thing as yours. But with me, I haven't been able to get my own place so I can give this experiment a whirl. As a person with a destroyed back and bad feet (thank you US Army combat boots) I try to think of ways to do things without killing myself (not literally but figuratively of course.)

One thing I'd do is use a tractor or ATV to move items around your place. I've done this with my riding mower and it's been a game changer for me. Another thing is us dolly's whenever you need to move things around the inside. Very helpful. Another thing that could be a plus is use Pintrest. There are all sorts of hacks that people have come up with for assisted living.

As for me, I am thinking that I could/should become a member of a colony living group or start my own. I know that as time goes on, I will need my neighbors to make it.

Just a couple of ideas.  Not sure they help you or not.

Hoppy

John has the exact idea as I have & some of the information needed. My suggestion is to talk to your conservation district.

They will design a wind break to fit your exact needs. If your property is too small, they will likely do a two or three row wind break. 2 row has deciduous trees on the outside and conifers on the inside. A 3 row is just adding bushes on the outside & the deciduous in the middle. If you have enough room, a 5 - 7 row break is most ideal.

The other thing that Districts generally do is have an annual tree & bush sale. The cost for these plants are significantly less than what a big box store would give you and the plants are in far better condition.

Wind breaks are great! Even in wooded country like yours.

Hoppy

Tatiana,

Roberto, Nicole, Sonja and all of the others have already said my advice for you. But I will give you my thoughts on the issue at hand.

The very first thing you need to do is buy 4 acres surrounding you. To me, 1 acre isn't enough space for a long-term stand off.

Next is buy stock in a fencing company then buy a 12 ft high fence all around your land. You know, for the zombies! Ha ha ha.But for a prepared readiness situation, fencing is a mandatory item.

Next is look into vertical farming. The subject is a popular topic and there are people in city shapes that produce a lot of vegetables and fruits. A good start would be to get a 20 or 40 ft shipping container the convert it to a vertical garden. Even if the apocalypse doesn't happen, you can easily sell your crops at farmers markets.

Next is to look into sustainable energy production. Best case is solar paired with wind turbine(s). Put solar panels on every south facing rooftops and get tied back on the the grid. You can literally sell power to your local electric company and I'm pretty sure they have to take it, according to the law. Make sure to have a good battery system for when your power goes out.

And lastly, join a co-operative group of like minded people. And if there isn't a group, form one. They are a significant lifeline, apocalypse or not. They become a barter source, friend(s), knowledge source, partners, etc. And if there isn't an apocalypse (most likely), you have a group of like minded people.

Good luck!
Hoppy

Katrina,

I believe the same way as you. Go smaller. But boy howdy, you really sized down to a tiny home! Very nice looking place you have.

Myself, I would like to have a 700 - 900 sq ft house that Icanput on a basement. I would to get a super fancy soaking tub with jets 😁😁😁 and a nice shower. I'm not married and at my current pace I never will be so I will be the one having to take care of & clean the house. That is one of the big reason's why I want to go small. Plus, by going small,  I'm better able to get a bigger garage with a shop! LOL!

I don't understand why people have to get these $500/$800/$1 million homes. You just have to clean it! 🤣🤣🤣