Category: Forest

  • Monster Broom

    Wikipedia tells me ”Plants of Cytisus scoparius (broom / giesta) typically grow to 1–3 m tall, rarely to 4 m.” We’ve been cutting down specimens easily 6m today. We’re so happy to see these go. Broom is incredibly flammable, and having a giant impenetrable thicket of them (belonging to our neighbour) so close to the more »

  • Can’t Beat It!

      You really couldn’t beat the view from yesterday’s work spot. We were doing a spot of work exchange with a friend. Tough work, cutting and hauling these burnt pines, but followed by a picnic on the walk back which couldn’t be beaten.

  • Land Clearance

    Land clearance is the project of the moment, with the deadline for clearing land next to the road fast approaching. Today’s area to tidy up – the hugel edge next to the road We’d allowed these pines to grow as a privacy screen, but most need to go. Many of the trees are infested with more »

  • Fabulous Time of Year to be a Goat

      After some rain, it’s a fabulous time of year to be a goat. The hills are totally yellow with broom (Cytisus scoparius) and carqueja (Baccharis trimera).

  • Cactus Fire Break

    For several years now we’ve been planting cacti along the border of our land, between our camping spaces and our neighbour’s land in the forest. Mature cacti can slow the spread of a fire, so a useful plant to have on the edges of our land. This year I’ve also harvested the cactus fruit to more »

  • Pheonix Platanus

    No it’s not a new variety, but one growing through the wreck of the old. This astonishing plane tree (platanus) is in the Parque de Cerejal at Góis.

  • It must be approaching Christmas …

    Some years ago, my Grandmum bought me a sad little holly bush in a garden centre clearance sale after I felt sorry for it. I transported the sorry little specimen to the farm and it grew and reminded me of her all the time. A few months ago one of the dogs dug it up, more »

  • Our Week in Pictures: 31st January 2015

    Our round up of what we’ve been working on at Casalinho, our developing permaculture project in central Portugal. With our first volunteers of 2015 now fully on board, we’ve been hard at work planting the new trees which I talked about last week. Now the mulberries and walnuts are in we are working on the oaks. more »

  • Tree Planting Project – Mulberries and Walnuts

    Planting new trees has always been a significant part of our plan for Casalinho. Trees to enhance and repair our environment, to feed us, our animals and our soils. Almost all the fruit trees on this property were destroyed before we knew it, but we’re told that the lower portion of the property alone was more »

  • Our Week in Pictures: 25th August 2014

    Festa, festa still this week, with the three day event at Malhada do Rei. As I write, we’re sitting in the smoke of the first fire we’ve experienced locally this year. It’s not close enough to be of concern to us personally, but is a stark reminder of how a dangerous a stray spark can more »