We spent almost all day yesterday working on a space for a new plant nursery.

We had a mimosa tree and three big popcorn trees to remove and cut to pieces, as well as a citrus tree that was completely killed by the nasty cold back in December. It’s important to remove the known invasive trees to ensure the state doesn’t get on our case, and so we’re not potentially spreading problems.

We’ve now spread out my favorite high-quality nursery fabric and are sorting through our plant collection and beginning to propagate again.

I decided to use the space in front of the old servant’s quarters. That little cottage needs some work and eventually I hope to use it as a guest house for family and friends, but for now, it’s just sitting. And the space in front of it is quite convenient to the main house and gardens.

Tomorrow we’ll run a water line and set up a new spigot to make irrigation easier.

Though book sales and YouTube ad revenue are good to have, having a working, local, food-creating business seems to be wise in these weird times. I don’t trust the way things are going and it’s prudent to have back-ups.

Plus, I really enjoy having a plant nursery. It’s not just an economic decision. It’s a wonderful business, connecting people with beautiful and useful plants.

Right now we’re propagating mulberries, willow, apples, an improved elderberry variety, black walnuts and goji berries.

Today we’ll add even more. I’m interested in hunting down the best wild native blueberries I can find this season and propagating some of those. Wouldn’t it be cool to use some native food-bearing plants in our home gardens?

The next step is to get our state license and inspection so we can sell legally.

Which means we need a name.

Alabama Food Forests?