SICK FOR A WEEK, NOW I'M BACK WITH MORE PROGRESS ON THE LAND REGEN PROJECT ON OUR FARM / HOMESTEAD
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- Опубликовано: 20 фев 2024
- Well, I'm not out of action very often but was super ill and in bed for a week. I tend to overdo it, didn't give myself enough rest time. Now i have even more to catch up on, but I ease myself in to it and make some good progress :)
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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Crazy how much work in the homestead looks like is a labour of love for you great job Mark thanks for sharing.
Thank you so much :)
I am glad you feeling better. You are such a hard worker.
Thank you so much :)
So glad you are feeling better but don't burn yourself out trying to play catch up your health is more important xx
You constantly amaze me with your determination, organisation and forward planning. There is no doubt in my mind you will succeed.
How is Alys hope she is feeling ok?
Looking forward to seeing what is next 😊
Thank you so much :) Very true, need to prioritise that first - although i can't sit still but know i need to rest sometimes
Allys is all good yes :)
Getting closer to finishing irrigation then onto the next job 😅 enjoy your beautiful sunshine ☀️
Thank you so much :)
Your getting there, things will be sprouting and looking fantastic!
Thank you so much :)
I hope you are really well now.
Thank you so much :) all good now!
Irrigation system is going great. All the hard work will pay off with the land regeneration. Just think how much more vibrant that land is going to look in the coming years.
Keep up the good work and great content guys 👌🏻🤜🏼🤛🏼
Thanks a lot Mark :)
Looking forward to seeing how it turns out :)
I'm happy that you are feeling better, man!
Thank you so much :)
Hi Marc& Ally's, Sorry you were ill. I have been enjoying your videos. Teresa from Washington state
Thank you so much :) I'm all better now!
It takes time, effort, patience. Once the lines are down, anchored, tested and working start adding trees, biomass, vegetables and herbs. When possible, add straw, hay, dried up dead wood for shade, soil protection. Layer (manure, soil, compost, hay/straw, wood chips/mulch, saw dust, charcoal, corrugated, egg boxes, etc [coconut husk, peat moss]) when planting your beds. Determine if rabbit poo is available and affordable. Cold manure that could be added immediately to soil without harming or burning vegetation.
Other biomass options: leaf droppings from seasonal changes, shreaded business documents, pine needles and cones, broken up sections of thrown away pallets, tree barks, discarded saw mill off cuts and shavings. You will see the difference in 2 - 5 yrs.
Hopefully your timers are set for early morning and late afternoon for maximum moisture retention and gradual absorption.
A lot of time, effort and patiene :)
We may have already done some of what you suggested, but that's for another video ;)
Will aim to build up as much biomass as possible!
The irrigation is set for about 1am, the beauty of gravity fed, doesn't need the sun to power it :)
You are doing a great job Marc. Your enthusiasm is contagious.
Thanks so much Rob! :)
a broken workman will only a tenth of the work, remember to heal your body as much as the soul
Very true!
Still would recommend planting alfalfa, lupins, clovers or other nitrogen binding plants wherever you can. Getting biomas should be a priority with soil that degradated.
Alfalfa (aka Medicago sativa) is deep-rooted which makes it a particularly good choice for rocky soils.Its roots can reach down to access nutrients and moisture that other plants might not be able to reach - another benefit is that its edible for life stock.
Great points, we are planning to plant alfaflfa and clover. We misseed the season to plant those in Portugal (Sept-Oct)
However, we are actually working with a local seed supplier on a special mix for us!
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You're working too hard now , Mark. Glad you are on your feet again.
Since the name of the homestead changed to ROOTS DOWN, seriously You're putting everything "down".😅 swsles down, irrigation down, trees down, plants down....green house down...and I have to wait for next week for more 😅😅❤❤. Working very hard again. Wish you a great success 2024❤❤
Thanks so much :)
Haha yeah you’re right there! Have been putting it ALL down 😂
Thanks for all your support!
The irrigation system is awesome. It will sure help to get the trees and plants established. And once things are growing and when the canopies from the trees start to form the soil will be much better protected and less vulnerable for water evaporation. And the growing roots will also help to hold moisture in the soil. So things are heading into the right direction for sure. Well done !!!👍
Thanks so much! We will definitely thank ourselves for doing it when the very hot months arrive 😊
Definitely going in the right direction! Thanks for following along 😊
At least you have plenty of rocks to replace those pegs 😂
Haha yes very true!
I should cover all the pipes, or the water will burn the plants and evaporate before doing any good
On it ;)
Wondering if you are able to completley drain your irrigation system for the winters in case of a freeze? The pvc pipes themselves may not burst but frozen water could damage the above ground connections. But then, based upon this video from January perhaps you never have that issue in your climate.
Yeah we get frosts but it's very unlikely to get be frozen. Plus the irrigation drains every time so 90%+ of the piping has no water in when the irrigation is off
That looks like another job well done Marc!! Quite a big one as well rolling out all those irrigation lines, do you have a special place you go to buying all of it?? Cheers Bert
Thank you so much :) Just get it from the agricultural shops to be fair!
I agree, you are doing well. It takes a while to get this stuff done but once it is set up, life is easier. Pity the control centre couldn't be down nearer the house but that never seems to be the way of it. Best wishes.
Thank you so much :) Yeah it would make it easier but the regeneration project is the other side of the land :)
Get Healthy and keep it that way. Listen to your body. Love and Rainbows to You 2
Thanks so much! :)
Just a thought..............What about instead of pouring the hot water into a bowl to make the pipe more flexible. Just stick the end of the pipe into the thermos. Might be to late to say anything about it know. A lot of work now but it will pay off in the end.
Yeah it's a good idea but then i have to keep undoing the lid and the heat of the water is lost. The small pipes only need a bit of water and i need the water to be hot for long periods so works better this way :)
As always you do a lot of amazing jobs and you go to the jobs with the greatest enthusiasm, and if you find out that it did not work out the way you thought then you start all over again, respect! I am sure that you have told us, I just can't remember - fencing - what about fencing? I can almost start crying thinking about any animals that should destruct your fantastic work together with the plants🤔. All the best to you and Allys and the girls🙂.
Thanks so much Eva, we do try :)
We actually did a video on fencing "protecting our investment", keeping the local sheep out, otherwsie it would be expensive to replace all the trees :)
Looks like you’ll get everything ready for the hot weather!
You got that right! :D
So glad to see another video!!! at 8:12 aren't you afraid to stack rocks like that because critters (particularly poisonous ones) love to live under those kinds of environments???
Good point! We are just trying to cover the taps for the pipes which will probably not be used as we have the main irrigation control :)
Haha okay that makes sense! I just get scared of all that stuff @@rootsdownhomestead
hi Mark. You keep talking about the difficulty of getting the pipe into the connections and needing hot water. I am intrigued to know the number written on the tubes you bought. If the number 4 is written which is 4 atmospheres, there should be no problem at all. I connected irrigation systems with T & L all the time without hot water. The easiest way to insert the connection into the pipe is by moving them against each other.
Another thing I wanted to know: was there already enough rain to fill the swell?
Interesting, thnaks! I hadn't looked. Although they should fit, i was told there should be some resistence otherwise pressure will blow. It depends on the attachments too, i bought a big bag of cheap ones and they were tougher to get on, the ones i'm using here aren't as bad but need some force to go on.
They are catching water but it's not filling completely. Although i wasn't really expecting it to given how high up they are and i made them so wide specifically to fit a tractor down :)
Hi Mark, there are differences between "blind" pipes, which are without drippers and are designed to transfer water at different pressures, and pipes with drippers whose maximum pressure is 2.5 atmospheres. The pipes that transfer water from the well by the pump to the water tanks above the swal, have to withstand a lot of pressure according to the pump. The pipes that transfer water at low pressure from the water tanks to the field can be thinner and their connections are also cheaper. They are connected to the connection fittings by moving one against the other without Need to heat with water. It is also very important to check if the water reaches all the planted plants to the end of the line, because in the summer there will be a serious problem if the water does not reach the last of the trees. If there is such a problem, my suggestion is to pull a separate blind hose from the watering computer up to half the length of the planted plants and from there continue with the hose with drippers.@@rootsdownhomestead
Will the irrigation pipes make the water in them hot during the heat of summer when they are not in use. Or are you going to cover them?
Great. point, we are going to cover them :)
I see dead trees everywhere. Was the previous owner a gardner from hell ?
Yes! No that's the rockrose and the land was not taken care of for many years, it was inherited by the previous owner who lived far away
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