Vermont

[Metella]

Welcome !

May I suggest you quickly get a cell phone with an 802 area code and use that for all you set up here ? I find the locals much faster to respond and accept someone if they think they are for sure Vermonters. It is a running joke about being in VT for 50 years and finally being accepted by locals - some mean it as a joke - some don't. That is the only thing about my chosen state that has disappointed me - everything else I love.

My father was in the military so I moved around - but I did spend a few year in MA near Taunton (way south of Boston).

Welcome ! and you may have lots of questions as you settled in - so ask away ! We love to share thoughts and pictures .... So very exciting to have that much land to set up as you please ! I am working in permaculture right now - so if you ever want to grab some coffee and talk long term dreams for you land - let me know ! I am in the Brandon/ Rutland area.

 

[Lozuufy]

Thanks! The people in our town are super welcoming, our neighbor even gave us his wifi password because we don't have a house built yet! It's amazing how fast the news spreads when someone new moves there, so many people we've never met have come up to us asking if we are the people who bought the land. Everybody seems very glad we're farmers, the land hadn't been farmed in 30 years so most of it just went back to pine woods.

Here's a picture of "my area" back in the spring, I milled up some boards on our sawmill and build a deck to hang out around, the rest of my family set up hammocks (cause my spot has the best view

, why I claimed it).


We are gonna build a very small passive house but I'm having my own cabin to sleep in near my bird pens. Planning on building in underground so I won't have to heat it too much in the winter.

Cool, self-sufficiency is what I'm going for. At least I want to grow most of the food all my creatures need since we feed them only organic and it gets pricey. Would love to grow most of my food too

This is our south view (this past summer, before we finished clearing)

 

[Metella]

Looks lovely ! That is my goal too - I have done well with sunflowers as a source of winter seed for my birds - I got non-gmo organic seeds two years ago and have feed plenty and still had enough to save each year to keep growing a little more each year ....

Harvest is super easy - on a sunny day I cut the large stalks and let sit in the sun that day - then I hang them - stalk and head - upside down and they are fine until I toss the whole head into the coop and let the birds have at it Now that is easy peasy

Now I have to figure out what to work on next to add to that - it has to store long and well ... and be fairly easy with no machinery.

Enjoy your place !!!!!

 

[Lozuufy]

That's a great idea, I didn't even think of sunflowers! I'm gonna try corn and squash cause the creatures love those, field peas too. One year we grew oats and peas together and to harvest just pulled up the plants and dried them, worked as bedding and food. Most years we're lazy tho and just buy them pellets.

Thank you!

 

[Metella]

And your idea is great too - did you have to plow much to plant the wheat and peas ? I can certainly pull up the plants and just let them dry - same with the sunflowers and that is the EASE I am going for!

 

[Lozuufy]

Sorry I haven't replied yet.

Yes we did plow for the peas/oats, that was back when we grew most of our food and had a big plowed area, we're pretty lazy right now. This last year we didn't plow, just chopped up the soil in a small area (after the chickens had eaten all the weeds) and that seemed to work just as well for growing.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

Welcome !

May I suggest you quickly get a cell phone with an 802 area code and use that for all you set up here ? I find the locals much faster to respond and accept someone if they think they are for sure Vermonters. It is a running joke about being in VT for 50 years and finally being accepted by locals - some mean it as a joke - some don't. That is the only thing about my chosen state that has disappointed me - everything else I love.

My father was in the military so I moved around - but I did spend a few year in MA near Taunton (way south of Boston).

Welcome ! and you may have lots of questions as you settled in - so ask away ! We love to share thoughts and pictures .... So very exciting to have that much land to set up as you please ! I am working in permaculture right now - so if you ever want to grab some coffee and talk long term dreams for you land - let me know ! I am in the Brandon/ Rutland area.

As an old timer told me once "a cat can have a litter in the oven but that don't make 'em biscuits."

 

[DraigAthar]

Hello Vermont!

I am looking for a muscovy duck. Just one will do. We have a single female muscovy and she's kind of lonely. Does anyone have a female muscovy to sell that could be her friend?

Thanks!

 

[MilesFluffybutt]

Hello from northern Vermont!

 

[Pyxis]

Hi, welcome to the thread! I'm more towards the middle of the state myself, and over towards the NY border.

What birds do you raise?