Working with the Land - February 2018

Our first event for 2018 was an interesting visit to Julia de Jesus Palma´s land, Terra Robinia, in Messines, on Wednesday February 14. Some of you will remember Julia from a talk on Permaculture that she gave at the Spring Fair in Silves in 2017. This visit gave us the opportunity to see various methods of working with the land, including permaculture, water conservation and recycling, berms, chickens and goats. 

  

We were shown the Neolithic burial site gouged out of the great red sandstone belly of a rock next to the house very intriguing. All in all it certainly was a most interesting morning as we scrambled down rough terrain past chickens and ducks kept for meat and eggs and goats kept for their milk and were shown trees and shrubs that are grown for their fruit or their ability to introduce and fix nitrogen into the soil The talk on biochar was also very stimulating.

Building swales to harvest rain water 

Julia gave a talk titled Working WITH the land, explaining the philosophy behind the project. Martijn Macaopino gave a talk on biochar. Martijn is a 30-year-old self-taught permaculturist from Holland with a passion for biochar. He started with permaculture about 5 years ago and became interested in biochar because of his fascination with the soil.

Julia´s land is practical and functional, not ornamental, and is on a slope. Those attending needed to be fit enough for rough terrain and prepared for muddy conditions with rain. Participants also all needed to be prepared to use a dry (compost) toilet.

Following the visit, MGAP members Sue and Mike Lis gave us a very tasty lunch and it was delightful sitting on their shady terrace and looking onto the olives and small hill opposite. Sue then took us up to the other side of the hill to see some hoop petticoat daffodils in flower.

Due to the size of the land and area for the talk, numbers for this event were limited, so it was a small group who attended but everyone had an inspiring and informative opportunity to see this special way of managing gardens and land.

Burford Hurry