In my previous game (some 130 hours), I had a mod that allows ore through portals. So I had a huge base in the Meadows.
But for this new game, I chose to disable the portal ore thing, and do it the hard way.

Thanks for your advices. I think I will finish my Swamp stone house with many hearths to improve the gloomy atmosphere but my portal and precious things will be up in the tree. I had not thought about this option.
And I will keep a Meadows base to grow plants. I thought you could plant anything in any biome, that's why I've dismantled my Meadows base).
As for the Plain farmlot: I'm not ready for the plains yet but I take good notice of this advice.