WE WAITED FAR TOO LONG FOR THIS HOMESTEAD UPGRADE. TEAMWORK ON OUR SMALL FARM.
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- Опубликовано: 30 сен 2024
- Finally, the time came to get this homestead project done, it's been a long time coming. We had this delivered almost a year and a half ago! If you watched our flooding videos last year, we suffered some damage to our set up and also we learnt a lot from our land. This time we are well prepared
We think this project turned out great, what do you think?
Hi there :) We're Marc & Allys, a couple who left the UK in 2021 to search of somewhere we could build a homestead. This led us to one of Portugal's beautiful natural parks.
Self-sufficiency is important to us, whilst we're not off grid, we're keen to rely less and less on external systems. Follow us as we take on many things for the first time - learning as we go. DIY, Gardening, Growing our own food, Homestead'ing, Studying our land, Learning about permaculture and other farming techniques. We also plan to regenerate our abandoned land and create a thriving ecosystem - which isn't an easy task given we're in Portugal's hottest region (Alentejo!)
Follow us on our journey as we face new challenges, and acquire new skills!
If you enjoy it, hit like and subscribe for future videos :)
Instagram: / rootsdownhomestead
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Thanks for landing on this video! We release new videos every Wednesday at 6PM GMT. Feel free to say hi in the comments, we read and reply to them all.
Wish you all a pleasant holiday season and all the best for 2024. We really appreciate your support for the channel!
Thank you so much and I extend the same wishes to you all.
Very nice work Mark, with the greenhouse. I suggest adding strips that will strengthen the sheet of the greenhouse from side to side and strengthen with rods to the ground, so that they do not tear and fly away in a strong wind.
Looks great, very well thought out and maximising planting space.
The only thing I would say having watched a few channels losing their poly tunnel to strong winds is to anchor it somehow to the ground. You have probably already thought of that and just didn't show it in the video but just in case thought I would mention it 😊
You and your brother did a great job and I can't wait too see what this other mysterious project is 😂
Thanks so much :)
Thanks a lot :)
Yeah my initial plan was to concrete some metal rods in and tie it down to that. We buried a lot of the cover, so i think / hope it will be fine. Plus this little area is partly protected from wind :)
You guys are doing Great!! For an idea for the polytunnel, I used straps over the top and hammered them into the ground using hook-shaped rebar; even in the harshest winds, it has held up so far ❤ I'm in the UK 🇬🇧 Gloucester is not far from where guys are from
Yes was thinking rebar next to uprights or use some of your old polytunnel posts
Yes, needs tie downs. Great job! 🇨🇦
That's a great idea thank you! We were initially going to concrete a bit of rebar in to the corners but we decided that burying the frame would be sufficient due to the wind breaks around the tunnel from the flood defences! It seems strong enough to hold, we had very strong winds yesterday so was a good test!
Thanks :)
Wow…who needs a gym..😂Merry Xmas from Tasmania 🇦🇺
I think the way you are trying to manage the water is going to be the biggest difference. Preventative measures and better retention will have a major impact and it looks to be working great on the swales already.👍
Enjoyed seeing the swales collecting so much water. Your brother was a great asset to your projects. It looks good.
Thanks :)
Thank you - yeah it's all working well and already seeing results - very satisfying :)
Thanks you - always so satisfying, seeing them fill up!
Yeah he's been a great help :)
Looks nice, I would think you need to secure that better to the ground to keep it from blowing away but may not be an issue where you have it. Great job as always.
thanks :)
Thank you :)
Yeah great point there, my initial plan was to concrete some metal rods in and tie it down to that. We buried a lot of the cover, so i think / hope it will be fine. Plus this little area is partly protected from wind :)
Hi Marc, polytunnel looks awesome. That's a big job ticked off the list! You might want to look into putting some ground anchors in so it doesn't blow away 👍
Thanks :)
Great job, elements of permaculture in what you are doing. Couple of things to consider: anchoring the poly tent in high winds, 2" - 3" gravel/available stone in the drains or around the poly tent to aid water drainage, rodent proofing tbe perimeter base of the poly tent outside to inside with chicken wire.
Shading for the poly tent as heat/wind/UV light/animals/blowing debris will accelerate degradation. Not sure what is available and affordable but patio/area sun shade covers attached to posts not connected to the poly tent. Check local depots for recyclable or reusable sun shades, canvas or canopy tents, etc. Or homemade roof and gutters with downspouts for water collection. Posts, chopped wood branches or wood beams, recyclable plastic or metal roof sheets. Mature planted trees for shading, wind buffer, water retention and minimize soil erosion.
Apply lots of wood chips for ground coverage: footpath, water retention/drainage, less mud. Review design modifications after each rainfall. May want to cover the ends of the pipe with a mesh to prevent debris clogging or animal habitat. Surrounding with rocks to clean as required was a good idea.
Thanks so much for your tips :)
Thanks Roland - my initial plan was to concrete some metal rods in and tie it down to that. We buried a lot of the cover, so i think / hope it will be fine. Plus this little area is partly protected from wind :)
In regards to shading - yeah we have a big problem in this climate with these kind of materials not lasting very long :( Hoping the shade from the trees around, especially the fig trees which produce lots of leaves is enough to give it a rest from the harsh sun :)
Well done! The retaining wall/berry and herb bed is a smart solution to protect the polytunnel, LOVE the little pipe through the tree roots too. The grape arbors to protect it from the heat in the summer is also so clever. Can't wait to see how your land transforms as you divert the water where you want it.
Thanks so much - hopefully it all comes together :)
Thank you very much! :) It was worth the extra effort. Excited to see how things pan out :)
That drainage around the polytunnel looks great.
All that hard work will pay off.
Well done.🎉
Thanks 👍
Thanks so much :)
Merry Christmas to you both.🎉 you have done a marvellous job with the polly tunnel. The grape vines will give it good sun protection, good thinking❤
Thanks so much Derek :) Hope you had a lovely christmas!
I would screen over the ends of the tree root drainage pipe to prevent critters and debris from jamming it up.
Thanks for the tip! :)
Excellent work on the polytunnel! Nature certainly helps one to learn about land management. Your hard work should pay dividends. I really enjoyed following your planning and execution. You were very fortunate to have your brother's help❤
Thank you :)
Lovely slow worm, legless lizard, near the end of the video.
Well done with all the work.
Thanks so much :)
Slow worm, thanks for identifying, always wondered what they looked like
Amazing job, looks great after all the hard work
Thanks so much :)
whatever you do always comes out so good !!!! I never knew you need to keep vax on the grapes good to know if we will plant them in a future !!! AND thank you adding the last bit which I always love to see ... LOL
Haha thanks guys, i don't know about that, but atleast it's another job done!
Glad you like the outtakes haha
“The mice ate the instructions” sounds like “The dog ate my homework”. 😂 well done on the poly tunnel. Let’s hope it stays put and does what you’re hoping.
Haha yeah it kind of does, doesn't it Reet? Good excuse i say ;)
Whatever you do is a creative artist at work. Just a pleasure to observe. Kudos to your brother as well.🎉
Thanks so much! We do try :)
looks like this one has way better chances to survive than the first one - you have put many thoughts and hard work into the water management. Hopefully it pays off. Let us know how the herb cuttings do.
Fingers crossed! thanks :)
Thanks so much :) I know this one will survive much longer :)
You have all the angles covered. It is going to be a great growing area. Merry Xmas to you and Alex. And brother too. Lots of love from Florida.
Thanks so much :) hope you had a lovely xmas!
Excellent job on the poly tunnel. Definitely the right way to do it. A lot of hard work but I’m sure in the end it will bring a lot of veggies and fruits. Love and be safe!🤗😘🎄🇻🇪
Thanks so much!
Thanks so much :) I'm sure we'll get many harvests from it :)
Anguis fragilis or slow worm, actually a lizard (legs disappeared during evolution). Loves warm places and eat gastropods and arthropods.
Nice work, some additional anchoring may be, better safe than sorry. Merry Christmas! Love your channel.
Thank you - hope you had a good Christmas :)
Thanks Xavier :)
my initial plan was to concrete some metal rods in and tie it down to that. We buried a lot of the cover, so i think / hope it will be fine. Plus this little area is partly protected from wind :)
Hope you had a lovely Christmas!
Loving your work on the Polly Tunnel, that brother is a trooper.
If your Rosemary grows like mine, it’s small shrub size now, it might cover the strawberry’s. Can’t wait to see the grape vines fully grown.
Thanks so much!
I think you’re amazing! It came out so beautifully. I love your work ethic. You definitely do things the right way. Merry Christmas to you and your family.
Aw thanks so much, really appreciate it :)
Hope you had a lovely christmas :)
That is a really well-defended polytunnel!
NIce to see the wildlife - a good sign. We get tailless lizards brought into the house by one of the cats that we carefully restore to the garden!
We hope so, time will tell :)
i've not seen one of those lizards before!
@@rootsdownhomestead Taillessbecause they drop them as a defence mechanism. They soon grow back
The soil looks amazing around where you placed the tunnel, very dark compared with the soils you uncovered digging the swales.👍
Yeah it's so different here, I guess with it being so close to the wells. Will be interesting to see how things grow here :)
Yeah lots more organic matter around here, perfect for growing some delicious veggies :D
Marc, have you thought about putting footers and then maybe cinder blocks for the possibility of too much rain? Watch Project Portugal where Nick has done this for several projects last ones being for his pig house. It might be what you need without making all those ditches around your green house and would give you some type of hefty tie down for those winds that come your way too. You are doing a fantastic job at trying to make your property work for you. Love the small wall you put up in front of your place btw. MERRY CHRISTMAS
Thanks so much - hope you had a great christmas :)
any reason why you didnt create raised beds in the sunroom?
We had raised beds in the last greenhouse, in the summer it gets so hot it dries out easier. We found planting in the ground worked better for moisture retention
@@rootsdownhomestead Thanks for the explanation... Keep up the great work.... The land is going to give back to you in abundance...
Olá Mike como sempre fez um trabalho excelente para mim você é uma inspiraçao trabalha tanto . Gostei muito dess estufa já está a plantar para a primavera espero que tenha muita abundancia de legumes e alguma fruta morangos e amoras que se dao muito bem em estufas. Obrigado por mostrar o dia a dia nessa bela quinta.
Desejo um bom Natal para si e sua familia e que o ano de 2024 lhe traga tudo de bom e para sua esposa nao sei se tem filhos mas se tiver tambem desejo um optimo ano.
Que Deus os abençoe imensamente
Bom Natal e Feliz Ano Novo 🥂🥂🍾🍾🍴🍨🍧🍮
Muito obrigado, igualmente :)
As my mother used to say, when you've tried everything and nothing works, it's time to read the instructions.
You might want to use that grass with woody roots for land reclamation.
Haha that's a brilliant way of looking at things :)
you will need a backstay wire on the end posts as when the vines gain weight they will pull your poles over , usually a concrete block in the ground about two meters away from the end posts , but you may not have the room for it now
great thanks
Very good job. Looks neat and organized. Your homestead is awesome.
Aw thanks so much :)
The trick with rolls of cable is to put the roll on a pole of some kind and then unroll it .. when you pull from the sides of the roll it just gets tangled.
Great tip! Thanks, i always seem to find it difficult :)
Nice design and well executed ! All the best
Thanks :)
Absolutely brilliant. Just make sure the crown of the strawberries are above the soil❤
Thank you :) and will do!
Awesome mate. What a great effort and a great project. This will pay dividends in later years!
Thanks a lot! A great investment and excited to see how things pan out :)
dont place the tunnel not in valley for the rain fal
Thanks - our land is one big slope, uphill is not as accesible for water!
Good night, I believe in the couple. Never give up. God will bless you.Hugs from Brazil
thank you :)
Thanks so much :)
Thanks for your vid 😇💟💟💟 Love and bless you guys, I hope your polly tunnel will not fly away with a storm did you lock it to the ground for the rest great work guys looks beautiful.
Thanks :)
Thanks so much Arjan! Hope you are good.
My initial plan was to concrete some metal rods in and tie it down to that. We buried a lot of the cover, so i think / hope it will be fine. Plus this little area is partly protected from wind :)
That rocky edge to the pine bark path looks rather nice, as well as being functional :) I would never have guessed that the grape vines would grow through the wax.
Bloody terrific I reckon. Merry Christmas Marc and Allys.
Thanks! Hope you had a nice Christmas :)
Thanks so much :) Hope you had a lovely Christmas Rob!
The channel, River Ridge Ranch has some excellent instruction videos about how you can use rocks and trees to make water drops in order to prevent erosion from the water. I can highly recommend those videos.
Brilliant, thanks so much :)
Thanks so much! Not heard of them so i'll check them out :)
ragnars brother became a farmer
lol
Looks great. Love the vineyard idea. did you name the guardian of the tunnel? Lol
Haha not yet!
Thanks so much :)
i didn't , any suggestions? :)
Now what you should do is get rid of all that bramble around the tunnel to clean it up a bit! 😉🎅🏼
Yes :)
Haha yeah i suppose i should :)
It looks Great ya"ll put alot of work on the project !!!!!!
You're a guy, surely you don't use instructions. 😂
Haha!
haha, i try and avoid it🤣
Great idea planting grape vines for shade.
Looking forward to seeing them grow :)
Thanks so much :)
It looks amazing, job well done
Thanks :)
Thanks so much :)
Great addition to the property 👍
Thanks :)
Thanks so much :)
Can't help being curious if that tall grass is an ornamental like miscanthus or horsetail that people purposely plant. Oddly enough, horsetail, commonly wild in Ireland, is medicinal and works like a charm for high blood pressure, or course, when processed. That's my story and I'm sticking to it! Merry Christmas and maybe take a break before New Year's.!
Ah interesting! I will need to check that as we've heard the benefits of horsetail too! Have a great new year :)
Good job guys! Fab soundtrack today too! Is there a track listing somewhere?
Thanks so much and happy new year! :)
We don't have a track listing, sorry. I should really keep a record of what tracks in each video, worth a shazam? :D
SUGGESTION, I did not see the poly tunnel get staked down in case of high winds. Great earth works.
Thanks :)
I am so impressed! First of all you get so many projects done and all your projects are made with a detailed entusiasme. That's the way you work I have seen it so many times now, congratulations Marc. The poly tunnel will be a fantastic supplement to the vegetables and fruit outside. Merry Christmas to you both.
Thanks so much. Hope you had a good christmas :)
Its all looking great, keep, just keep chipping away at the jobs and they get done. I grew up on a small holding farm in Kent and as a kid growing up I could never work out why my friends didn't have jobs before and after school 😁 I am now in a position to return to that lifestyle and will be moving to Portugal during 2024 after a few years of searching first for the right country then the right area. I just love your approach to the land and along with helping nature using nature to help you as much as possible. You should be very proud of what you are building.
Amazing, good luck! :)
If you get BIG HEAVY rain that's gonna cave in and ruin your poly tunnel. I know from experience. You need to reinforce all of your long areas across the top even if you just run duck tape from post to post. It will give it enough structure.
thanks
Sounds like you have a lot of mice. A cat or two would be a good ongoing control measure.
As you already have two dogs, introducing a couple of kittens could be a challenge.
Oh really? What suggests the mice?
Not sure the dogs would appreciate a cat being here, we already have 3-4 local cats that attempt to go through our compost from time to time :)
Great job on tunnel
I think maybe mulch the strawberry bed or they will be taken over by weeds.
If you've bought too many grape vines maybe one or two can be grown over the chicken tunnel...good for shade in summer and lose their leaves in winter
thanks!
Looking like you have read the land well and your mitigating earthworks will protect your tunnel. Can't wait to see your "potting shed" under the tree.
thank you :)
Why didn’t you build the polly- tunnel on a foundation ledge that way you wouldn’t have to worry much about water run off along with the berm’s in place , or run a French drain around the garden area to take the water away from the area ?
Just some thoughts . 😊❤
Thank you! Yes some good points there, it came down to location really, this is the closest place to the house and closest to water (our wells). We had to make do with our little space. Our land is very very steep!
Maybe something to anchor the poly tunnel to the ground for extreme wind protection…..ropes over the top staked into the ground then a shade cloth in the hot weather. Awesome job!
That's a great idea! we buried the covers the front and back, the sides are covered in woodchip with one side pegged to the ground also. It's in a spot which is mostly shielded from the wind so hope it's alright :)
That "snake" is technically a lizard. In Portuguese one of the names used for it is "fura-pastos". Another one is "licranço" (we tend to have different names for the same things). Should be good for the plants as it feeds from some types of snails and caterpillars. Keep it around :)
Interesting! Thanks so much for pointing it out. If the fura-pastos keep the pests out then even better :)
Whenever one puts up a tent or poly tunnel it is the same requirements to channel rain from going thru, instead of routing around. It just requires a french drain around where you need to avoid water being allowed to flow. The idea of routing water on your property is necessary to place the water where you need it to improve your property.
Thanks David, we think we did enough around the polytunnel to flood prevent this zone (it's more uphill from our previous location). Time will tell i guess :)
The "snake" could be either a smooth snake or legless lizard i think
Thanks Colin :)
You may wanna put some curved iron bars to secure the base of the poly tunnel sir.
Thanks
is this debate with Hoffman on pay per view?
😍
?
Have a lovely Christmas ❤ greetings from England 🏴
Thank you - hope you had a good Christmas :)
Thanks so much :) Hope you had a lovely Christmas!
Great job with the tunnel, love the planning behind everything you did, including the vines to one side. Should be getting some great use out of the hard work. 👍
Thanks 👍
Aw thanks so much! :)
Great way of using the olive tree pruning each year. Loads of hard work but it is looking great, looks like your brother is also putting in the effort.👍
Thanks 👍
Exactly - great to make use of it and olive wood smells lovely too! :)
Great job! You do nicely finished work! Merry Xmas! 🎄
Thank you :)
Thanks so much :) Hope you had a lovely christmas !
Awesome job guys 💪 Merry Christmas 🎄 from Sydney 🇦🇺
Thanks! hope you had a good christmas
Thanks so much :) hope you had a lovely christmas!
Lots of hard work. Looks great. I use cardboard myself. The worst part is taking the tape and stickers off. But reusing is best.
Yes it's a right pain :)
Thanks so much :)
Yeah it's a tedious job but it's good to make use of it for sure :)
Here in Australia, our legless lizards have the gills. Its how we can differentiate snakes from legless lizards.
Interesting!
Interesting! Thank you - first time i've seen one here to be honest!
Regularly watch now. You are both doing great. Looks like alot of hard work. You are great to watch. Hope you have a good festive season. All the best to you. X
Thanks for your support :) Happy holidays!
Thanks so much Richard :) Appreciate the support!
Hope you are enjoying the festive period :)
Hi pretty family, I follow all your videos and adventures I wish you a merry Christmas and a happy new year!
Thank you - happy holidays!
Thanks so much :) Hope you had a lovely Christmas!
Best wishes for the new year!
So much hard work You merit some fun over Christmas. Glad to see your brother with you ; looking forward to see the vines grow. Merry Christmas to the three of you.
Thank you - happy holidays :)
Thanks so much! We did have a day off (christmas day!) :D
Hope you had a lovely christmas also!
After buying a joblot once, I ended up with a kit that took days to work out what it was. I ended up with a portable carport and the cover came in the following auction.👍
oh no !
Haha brilliant, funny how things work out
Good design and results so far.
Thank you :)
Fantástico o trabalho que vocês fazem, parabéns!! Gosto muito de ver o seus vídeos.
Muito obrigado!
Muito obrigado :)
Very interesting video I do hope your hard work will come to fruition at harvest time good luck . merry christmas to you from the UK.
Thank you, happy holidays :)
Thanks so much Dennis - hope you had a lovely christmas
It looks great, give it 5 years and you'll be like the new Charles Dowding
Haha we can only hope!
Haha thank you! A lovely complement :)
What an excellent job you have both done , it is quite professional.
Thank you :)
Thanks so much :)
👍
:)
🙌
It is not a snake, but a protected species of reptile, very useful in nature and absolutely harmless. It's a slow worm. It's lucky to have it in the garden.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slow_worm#Protected_status_in_the_UK
thanks
All’s well that ends well !
Indeed :)
Looks great a huge amount of hard work, but definitely looks worth the effort 😎
Thank you :)
Thanks so much :)
One tip, if you place the wire over a piece of tube or pipe mounted on a piece of board so that it doesn't come of, or can stand up, a lot easier to unwind.👍
Thank you :)
Brilliant tip, thank you :)
You should be very proud of yourself brilliant job well done
thank you :)
Thanks so much :)
Only one swale in the garden shade area. Do you think it is enough to divert the amount of water rushing down? Anyway, great job. The green house is now looking like a "fortress" 👍💪❤😊. Flood water has not chance to attack again😅
Thank you :) We have been watching where the water flows for two winters now and we think this should be good for this area. I guess time will tell :)
The track which leads to the little ditch infront (going past the polytunnel) takes most of the water. The only water the little ditch needs to take is what comes from that little hill or if there is a heavy flow down the land and overspills :)
Thank you - it's all coming together nicely! We are ready for the next flood🥊
@@rootsdownhomestead
I am totally with you. Pray that the swales will change for the better...for good 👍 ❤️
Please take up the art of rooting cuttings/propagation. You will love it!
Next time you are at a neighbors place and love their grape variety, just take a cutting and propagate it. This is how big gardenstores do to create all the Vines, Trees and Bushes that you buy in the gardenstore. The fun thing is that it is really easy 😁
Yes it's great, we already are doing this :)
Thank you - i definately need to do more of it. I've had some success from fig cuttings and mulberry cuttings but not much else - won't stop me trying though :)
Any tips?
I am not an expert either. But I know that it is fully possible to do cuttings of most plants. My personal experience is only Figs.
Most issues come when you overwater the cutting. That is what I learned :)
I wish you great success 👍👍👍
Great music
Thanks, glad you liked it!
lot of hard graft went into the tunnel but the rewards should be well worth it, glad you put the stones to good use.
Thank you :)
Thanks so much :) All turned out well :)
Great work
Thank you! Cheers :)
A very blessed Christmas to you all❤
Thank you and you :)
Hope you had a lovely christmas :)
Loved it, looks awesome👍👏👏
Thanks so much 😊
Thanks so much :)
Feliz Natal e um próspero Ano Novo.
Igualmente :)
Igualmente :)
Looks great - well done to you and your Bro
Thank you!
Thanks so much :)
Good job on the poly tunnel guys! ⛄🎄
Thanks!
Thanks so much :)
Happy Christmas 🎄 guys.
Hope you had a good christmas :)
You too Arjan! hope you had a good one!
nice job, that was a lot of work
It certainly was :) thanks!
Thanks so much :)
Why so much cardboard?
To prevent the weeds :)
Basically for weed supression, it rots down over time. We have been inspired by "no dig" gardening :)