Flores Permaculture

Summer is absolutely beautiful on our homestead.  Below you can see our house in blue with the Woofer Cabana to the right, across the valley. We are inundated with ripe bananas this time of year. We eat them fresh, fried, baked in breads, fermented into vinegar, and soon dehydrated. Newly planted sweet potatoes are thriving with the protection of a hibiscus and Camilla hedge to block the winds. Our winter onions are ready for harvest and the ground is ready to be replanted for the next crop. This is our first year to grow them and now that we know how easy it is, we will grow many more in the coming year. Red Mustard and Aborigines are thriving in a bed of mulched earth.  The jungle we cleared is now full of banana trees and gardens. A closer look reveals tomatoes, beans, onions, squash, sweet potatoes and herbs thriving in the rich jungle valley. The food has gone wild here, with figs, ground cherries, taro, pe...

This project was inspired by heavy rains last October, when  a flood wiped out our roadway and deposited mud on our roof. Phase one was implemented when  we set new tubes in March of 2016. Phase two was built in  April of 2016, when we built an iron reinforced concrete structure. In May we finished the bulk of the project  when we covered the reinforcing iron and tubes in concrete. However it was only in July, with the help of Wells, Hadas, Avichai, and our trusty little robot, that the 6,000 pound structure was finished. Now we await the coming storms to test our new system.

This summer we have steadily cleared more jungle to create gardens. Jocelyn helps keep the brush pile happily burning by throwing Eucalyptus leaves on the fire. After the first phase of fire has reduced the hard wood into ash, Wells lends a hand to build a second pile of smaller brush to burn. After a pathway is cleared into the old gardens, we begin clearing in earnest. This zone is protected from the winds, but still get excellent sun exposure and water supply year round. After removing the underbrush, the trees and dead wood can be cut and piled for another fire. Avichai takes on the challenge of Fire Master and keeps this pile going for three days. The area is beginning to take shape and the lay of the land can be found. A few rogue taro have thrived in this environment for years. Mitra hides from the smoke and flames behind his Taro guardian. Avichai contemplating his next log toss. Another sunny summer day ...