Stepping Stones

It's been an exciting week at our permaculture homestead here in Portugal! We've accomplished several achievements that have made a real difference on the farm.

First up, we built another bird coop! We've been wanting to keep some additional birds and have more room for rotating the existing animals, and a coop is essential to keep them comfortable and safe from predators.  We used wood and wire to build a sturdy and modular structure with an A frame format that should last for years to come. In the meantime, we're already enjoying fresh eggs every morning from our ducks. They are huge, healthy and tasty! Now, we are considering seriously increasing our flock size.

Next, we tackled an irrigation system that needed some fixing but couldn't because of the weather. It was a huge challenge, and took several months, but now it is working, and we can even add our Jadam Microorganism Solution to the water. This will be super helpful for our plants to thrive.

We also built a terrace this week. The hillside in one of the areas was a bit too steep for planting, and it was eroding, so we decided to create a flat area where we can grow some more crops. This will also be a rest and viewpoint to the future playground area. We planted some strawberries, spinach, and other shade tolerant options as well as a nice ground cover of oregano, mint and others to create a healthy alternative to lawn.

And last but not least, we were gifted two goslings from the terrace team. We weren't planning on adding geese to our farm just yet, but we're so grateful for the unexpected gift. They're adorable and slowly taking their time to get used to us. We're looking forward to watching them grow and seeing what kind of role they'll play on the farm.

Overall, it's been a productive and fulfilling week on our permaculture homestead. All of these changes, together with Spring, are recharging our batteries and giving us extra inspiration for what to do next.