Galleries
OBSERVATION / PREPARATION
In Permaculture it's the goal to have 80% of the work, or energy input done in the preparation. For this reason, an extensive period is reserved to observe the land, to prevent major issues in the lay-out of the land later on.
Only after the variables (waterways, puddles, wind directions, sun orientation, etc) are clear, can the design be made. Then the preparation starts by dividing the land into different zones. Here you see this process.
IRRIGATION
In the first years of a plants life, it's crucial that it gets enough amount of water. At the middle of each edge of the plot, a water tap is present for manual watering. But the main watering is done from the center of the plot.
The Brain operates an automatic irrigation system, providing each zone with a certain amount of water for every chosen interval. Each plant then receives an individually chosen amount of water within that interval. That way the plants have their needs met, without wasting excess water.
In case of extreme drought, there is a backup water system in the form of a flexible tank or Citerneo.
INFRASTRUCTURE
When working on a project like this, a part of the lingo comes from the techniques, tools and materials that are used. To make sure that communications about what goes where and which plant needs some extra care, the plot has been divided into different zones. Each zone is named after it's shape or some other characteristic.
Between the zones some other infrastructural projects have been set up, such as the bar, the dry toilet and the study room.
MULCHING
It was mentioned in the preparation that the goal is to put 80% of the energy into designing and building the system, so that only 20% of the energy is needed for maintaining it. A part of this low level of maintenance is the mulching of the soil.
A mulch is a layer of material applied to the surface of soil. Reasons for applying mulch include conservation of soil moisture, improving fertility and health of the soil and enhancing the visual appeal of the area. The biggest time saver it the reducing effect on weed growth that mulching has.
FRUITS
The project is called Pomar dos Sabores or Orchard of Flavours, because all of the flora plays at the sense of taste in at least one way. This can be in the form of edible flowers or nutritious bark, but mostly fruits. In this gallery you can find all the fruits that the project produced so far. Some you might never have seen before!
AERIAL VIEWS OF ORCHARD OF FLAVOURS - POMAR DOS SABORES
Every year a drone comes to capture the project from the sky. This birds eye view gives us a different perspective and allows us to see the development of the project in a wider scope. Here we share the yearly movies in sequence.
