steepness by google earth

Fruit of avocado tree planted in Spring 2013

agroecology, foodforest and avocado trees in Portugal workshop

workshop that provides the basic design tools to create a garden of eden, starting with avocado ...

Introduction to Permaculture Course in Chão Sobral

With Chao Sobral village in the backgound we are going to provide the basic concept tools to create a regenerative design.

Casuarina cones - the first seed harvest

Casuarina are multifunctional trees and we are creating a local/Chão Sobral Casuarina seed bank.

hand cut shrubs for animal bedding composting

collecting woody species like Ericas, Cytisus and Genista, a almost daily task, physical and contemplative practice, part of the proccess that builds soil on the rocky slopes and reduces fuel for fires

Zone 4 resources: #1The pine tree forest, pine tree needles

Pine tree needles (Pinus pinaster) are often used, in Chão Sobral, to mulch the soil in between potatoe plants.

sub-tropical green house laboratory - in "Cherry Tree Country"

the early stages of a perenial edible landscape within the green-house microclimate - creating the conditions for the pleasure of co-creation and learning from nature evolutions

Mountain wild herbs for sale on-line

local wild plants are available for medicinal purposes and to shop on-line

1st Cycle of Meetings "Edible landscapes - Food forests and Agro-forestry in Fire-prone Landscape" in Chão Sobral

"Because we live in a gunpowder barrel ... " and we need to test practices, enacting knowledge and understand the different ways to deal with our ecosystem, reducing the destructive fire hazard and generating economy, ecological services and health.

Casuarina trees experiment on the ridge crest

For this Casuarina experiment a ridge crest (at about 600 mts high) with good sunlight and WIND exposure was chosen.

Enjoy the magnificent

Enjoy the magnificent - The YellowBroom Mountain-Scape 180º Panorama Photos - Sprintime colors like we have never see them. Plus photos of tilled and seeded terraces.

"On the Edge Permaculture"

Introduction to strategies developed through centuries that, and in the present, work towards the permanent culture at Chão Sobral, and on the rocky and steep areas of the Goshawk Mountain range.

Grafting - Obtain a yield and Increase diversity with perenial tree crops

To increase the diversity of fruits. Cherries, plums, apples and pears are well adapted. Once the neighbor has one new variety, it is shared and it's easy to propagate using different grafting techniques.

Water channels under renovation

after a few centuries of use and minimum maintenance, the traditional community managed summer irrigation water channels undergo renovation to achieve higher efficiency

dry stone stacking builders

Two friends reparing the terrace retaining wall, that had collapsed a few months before.

On rock cropping - "Garden on the moon"

Everyday we are more and more people on the planet. The planet though is not getting any bigger. Here on the rocky and steep mountain side, the agriculture surface area is being created for the last + 500 years. Here we see some results.

Sounds, Skills and Savours Festival - Photos

This initiative took place in the context of the Program Youth Solidarity - With the Support from the Oliveira do Hospital Council. Some photos to remember this beautiful day! The 29th of September 2012.

Strawberry-tree - from flower to firewater

Another king of the mountain - Arbutus unedo - a great multi-functional tree in our rocky steep slopes: from its berries is distilled the medicinal alcohol, berries are great autumn meal for wildbirds, its wood keeps us warm throught the winter, and it's

after potatoe picking - earthworks for cabbage seedlings

we are in the mid of dry season, potoates were harvested. in the same soil cabbage will follow and get the kickstart of end summer heat and grow and thrive through the frosty wet season

3 generations picking potatoes - recalling last summer holidays

for hundreds of years grandparents, parents and children would live together and there was no separation between work and play time!

To create soil - biomass harvest, animal bedding, underground composting

In these rocky slopes facing south and west top soil is thin over the bedrock and carbon cycles fast. Intensive soil generation strategy was developed.

water - the treasure, terraces, tunnels and stream bed diversion

pictures showing hand built structures, more than 100 years ago, earth works and stacked dry stone, still in use and if maintained to last for 1000's of years

Goats + their Photo Album

Our culture would cease to exist if we would stop caring for goats. They are friendly companions in our Cosmic trip, even though they are stubborn and selfish, they are pretty and loved!

October Fruit Harvest - Tree Crops

fruits for every meal

Terraces on convex rocky ridge slopes

there's no where else to go ... there's lots of xist rocks and not much soil. crystal clear water springs from the xist rocky slope - the reason why we are here, after all ...

Festival Sons, Saberes e Sabores - Sounds, Skills and Flavours Festival

This event is going to take place on the 28&29 September in Chao Sobral - mountain hamlet - Oliveira do Hospital municipality - central Portugal. Sounds, films, concert, workshops, farmer´s market, local food.

The food forest on the ridge crest

This plot is located on the ridge crest, next to the old track and water channel. Te area is called "Linhar" meaning linen field. It is now becoming a forest of food and a place to rest during the hot summer afternoon.

Steep slope, terraces, soil, tilling, manure, many hands

The earthworks, composting, fertilization and gardening strategies for this ecosystem conditions