Wow.
OK, first of all...I am well aware of the limits of the tree-clearing - I'm allowed no more than 20, and there's no restricted species. The trees I'd be dropping are mostly Tulip Poplars, a horrid tree for lumber, firewood and just about everything else. They are weak, they drop sap, and they are frightfully tall and fast-growing. My pond is man-made, it was originally going to be the basement of the house, but they hit water, so they moved the house closer to the road. I don't need any special permits to create a garden, it's going to be too small.

As you can see from this picture I took of my house 2 winters ago, I have PLENTY of wooded land around me, and I'm taking advantage of the fact that the pond is already an open area just north of the proposed garden:


The purpose of this garden is to grow FOOD to EAT. I like a nice fresh green bean and we love to can tomatoes. My last garden was not so big, but was really productive. My "cooperative extension" is anything but "cooperative" being unavailable by phone when I can call and unresponsive to email. So, basically, I'm looking to learn what I can from others who might have done something like this.