Have been practicing permaculture and food forest gardening on a small acerage in the lower penninsula of Michigan for about 40 years at this writing.

Had established food forests until we had a house fire in 2002 at which time much of the property was destroyed by not only the fire but also the construction of our new home and drainfield on the property which led us to have to start over again on much of our planting in new areas. We also gave a large piece of our forest to our son to clear for his home and garage and drainfield, which also destroyed a large amount of our food forest area in 2006, which basically left us starting over again.

Since 2006 we have begun replanting the food forests around our property. Most of our canopy trees are still very small. We have 6 pear trees, 4 peach trees, 3 plum trees, 4 cherry trees, 3 seedling apple trees that are large and 7 young apple trees, grapes, wild plums, 3 kinds of walnuts, chinese chestnuts, hazelnuts, elderberries, blueberries, raspberries several kinds, blackberries, goumi, baby paw paw (hope it makes it), baby mulberries, and a couple of acres of perennial food and ornamentals as well as a small mid succession forest of about 3 acres and areas of medium to large ash, oak, maple and evergreen trees.

We also have been working on a pond, enlarging it overe the past few years and making it deeper, it needs a lot of work.

I have a blog available with a lot of pictures at:

http://restfultrailsfoodforestgarden.blogspot.com/

My husband is mentally and physically disabled so I do most of the work myself. I'll be 60 this summer. My son has built a home next door to us and is a big help when he has time, he works 12 hour days most of the time so he has very little of that.

I also have his property available to me to be able to garden, so between he and I we have about 10 acres.