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I do have one peach tree but it came from walmart and when I did a search for the variety, the only thing I could find is that walmart sells them. It blooms too early here and we always get a freeze while it’s blooming. Seven years and I’ve gotten two peaches off it. I’m going to buy some from Gurney’s next year and get varieties that are known to be good for MO like Reliant, Contender.

Freedom and Liberty apples. Most nut trees won’t produce while I’m alive but I do plan on getting some hazelnut bushes. Might plant some pecan trees someday. Sugar maple would be cool. Elderberries & blueberries. Blueberries & blackberries grow wild here in this acid soil. Pawpaws grow wild in the Ozarks so I want to try those. We’ve got plenty of hickory trees but the variety is called bitternut and they’re no good for eating.

I’m going to mark some 4-5” oak trees to cut down in late winter/early Spring for growing shiitake mushrooms on. I did some once a few years back. I could probably do cultivated ginseng here. Keeping the goats away from things is the hard part.

I’ve got curved pipe and bought some straight sections to go with them to make a high tunnel. Should be able to grow something almost year round in it.

Incubated a dozen fertilized eggs I got from a neighbor last year. Ten were fertilized, two never hatched, one had a bad leg so the others promptly stomped it to death. One died for some unknown reason about the time they were fully feathered and then we slowly lost one by one to hawks. Got one smart little survivor of a hen left that I don’t even feed and she still lays eggs. If I let 6 or more eggs accumulate, she’ll go broody and set on them. Futile since I don’t have a rooster so I’m going to get more eggs from the neighbor so she can raise some chicks that will hopefully be low maintenance survivors like her.

I went with Kiko doe goats and a 7/8 boer, 1/8 Kiko buck. Kikos are low maintenance and boers are known for fast weight gain but higher maintenance. Even though the buck’s mostly boer, he’s as healthy as a horse and has been zero maintenance. Want to get Kunekune pigs to add some fat to the super lean goat meat.

I seem to be going all New Zealand. Fence design is NZ as are Kikos and Kunekune. The Maori people seem to have a thing for words that start with a K. To bad Kiwis won’t grow here.

If I was 20 years younger or wealthy, I’d probably have everything done by now. Root cellar is on the to do list. Gotta cool spell this week so I’m heading back out to get some things done.