cleared half acre, now what?

[RoyalChick]

Piedmont area of Virginia. Around Orange, Culpeper, Locust Grove. Yesterday we got 5 inches of rain. AFTER the clearing. Neighbor has goats. I lost this reply. do goats eat down to the roots?

Goats will eat down to the roots and then you bring them back when it sprouts again. Eventually it gives up.
You can also kill weeds by covering in plastic and let the heat of the sun cook them.

 

[GoinCountry]

Thanks for the page copy. Yes, I've seen others refer to how to hull it. We're gonna plant buckwheat and let it go until the first frost. This will buy me time to figure out what i want to do with it next year. I plan on cutting more trees and figuring out which to make first. small shed for stuff, small shed for she-cave, pole shed.
I can't even figure out where to put paths cause I don't know what should be there or what I want there and how much money it will cost for any of it.

I'm kinda thinking of waiting til the big bust and buying the stuff folks are selling. [that sounded morbid, but wasn't meant to]

The mimosa is a very healing tree I've found! There are tons around here, so cutting this down is fine. [besides there's hundreds self seeded already growing here]

We did rabbits one year when we were first married. It was difficult skinning them and they lose the fur once skinned.
Gonna see if there's a way to make my own chicken plucker. Otherwise I don't see a way to raise broilers.

 

[GoinCountry]

Goats will eat down to the roots and then you bring them back when it sprouts again. Eventually it gives up.
You can also kill weeds by covering in plastic and let the heat of the sun cook them.

Goats need a high fence yes?

 

[RoyalChick]

Goats need a high fence yes?

I don't have much experience but the businesses that rent out goats for the purpose of clearing brush (yes, that is a real thing) come with a similar electric net fence as I have for my chickens. It is a temporary step-in fence which they set up in the area to be cleared and then when the goats have eaten everything they pack it up with the goats and return home.
Fences like this:
https://www.premier1supplies.com/goats/fencing.php?fence_id=101

 

[GoinCountry]

I don't have much experience but the businesses that rent out goats for the purpose of clearing brush (yes, that is a real thing) come with a similar electric net fence as I have for my chickens. It is a temporary step-in fence which they set up in the area to be cleared and then when the goats have eaten everything they pack it up with the goats and return home.
Fences like this:
https://www.premier1supplies.com/goats/fencing.php?fence_id=101

Thanks!

 

[GoinCountry]

sooo, it is now 2 months later. Check it out. the girl has BUCKWHEAT! I have learned I should have planted it a LOT more densely, but I got a late start. I wn't be keeping it for eating, in fact, I think i'll whack it over. it's on the only part of the farm that gets full sun so far, May to late Sept. there's a LOT to be said to wait when planting and such regarding where the sun is. Late july, the sun was off the orchard area at 3
I'm gonna get a chicken plucker from yard bird, and hopefully by spring there will be a door on the coop and I'll have some chickens.

 

[PicoFarm]

I happened to stumble across this and though I'm not much of a gardener (yet), I would be thrilled to have an opportunity like this. If it were me, I'd divide the area into two approx. 1/4 acre sections:

First Section- A small orchard of several fruit trees. The trees could eventually hide the view of the neighbors.

Second Section- A series of raised beds for various crops and flowers (maybe even a couple of cold frames, depending on your climate, if you want to extend the growing season). I'd not only surround each raised bed with some sort of netting/fencing, but I'd surround the whole section with some sort of fencing as well. This would deter critters from eating crops, including... Chickens! I'd add a chicken coop somewhere in "garden section" and since it'd be fenced in, I'd use it as their run (you could have an additional run attached to their coop if you wanted). They'd be able to forage around without totally destroying your crops and likely eat any weeds that come up in the little pathways between the raised beds, basically turning them into dirt paths. They'd also add valuable manure for your gardens, and you'd get to enjoy their eggs (or sell them). And if you're really ambitious, add a couple bee hives!

Anyway, this is me getting carried away... Full sun and open land is a treasure! Enjoy whatever you do with it and keep us posted.

You said it.... "Full sun and open land is a treasure!"

 

[PicoFarm]

I AM sorry if I'm not supposed to reply like this. Maybe I should reply at the bottom?? I have me and my roommate. Male. Post hole digger, shovels, rakes. it cost me $1800 to get that cleared with a bush hog and digger. for the trees of heaven.
I am unpacking still. I have a small business to run, the house to clean, the unpacking to do and I'm pretty much overwhelmed most of the time.

Get a soil test at your local Soil & Water Extension Office.

Ours has a fillable form and you can tell them what you plan to grow; they'll tell you how to amend the soil to be successful. There's also a really neat website in my state where you can check your property for suitability for different crops. https://agintel.missouri.edu/ Maybe your state has something like this? Your Land Grant University Extension Office should be able to tell you. In our state, this website also tells you who is growing what crops near you, so you can think about what crops are marketable (if you are interested in that).