Flores Permaculture

We are taking a break from construction to return to the gardens this week. Above, Alex clears the jungle that is encroaching on the Banana Patch. Good ventilation is crucial to minimize fungus and rot on the newly forming fruits.  This year we have about 150 trees and we will continue expanding as we clear more jungle.  Everyone adores bananas.  We always run out no matter how many I harvest.   Estrella, Samantha, and Alex remove the weeds that are choking out the Taro Patch and opening new land to expand the existing patch. The Swiss Chard is going strong still, providing a tasty and healthy green leafy vegetable to eat daily. Everybody lends a hand to remove the weeds before topdressing with fresh compost in the Zone 1 gardens. Nadine hauls weeds from the gardens to the compost bin, where they will be recycled until next year. Jasmine is organizing the Zone 1 gardens with fresh compost, irrigation,and seeds. ...

The foundation has set and now Phase II begins.  Phase II involves building the  concrete columns that will support the solar panels and rotating axis. The north column stands nearly three meters tall, so a pedestal is required to strengthen the structure and minimize bend or cracks. Also do to intense winter wind loads and the fact the uppermost solar panel will stand four meters above ground level, it is crucial that the structure cannot topple and land on our roof.  This iron reinforced bench will add 1700 kilograms of weight as a counter force. I decided to us natural stone as a functional form, rather than wood or blocks.   The bench should seat four people, one at each of the cardinal directions.  This will be ideal for watching the sun rise from the ocean. It takes a little more time to select and align the field stones, but I want this to be Art as well as Engineering. The bench is nearly at the final height and ready fo...

Odin and Mitra are showing off our latest harvest of Taro, the super nutritious wonder food that thrives on our island. Their favorite way to eat it is fried, but we like it steamed also. We discovered a natural spring that feeds a boggy area on our land and decided to clear it for propagation of a large Taro zone. The first phase was to cut the trees and underbrush and then burn it to create a nutrient rich ash to spread on the area.  After the bog was cleared it was planted with young corms to begin growing in their new home. We have several cultivars planted to find out which ones thrive in wet soil and which thrive in a dryer soil. The boys inspect the work with Magnus after the fire burns down and the plants are in the ground.

About 5 years ago, we installed two tubes that allow the water in our ravine to flow under the roadway that connects our house to the nearest dirt road.  You can view the project at http://magnusandkonswan.blogspot.pt/2010/10/road-building.html  . Both tubes got blocked with debris and thousands of liters of rainfall diverted down the road and into our gardens around 5 am following thunderstorms. According to  Flores Weather Archive , we received between 25-37 mm steadily throughout the entire day of October 13, 2015.  When the drains work, no problem, it was the 3 am blockage the wreaked havoc until daylight allowed me to clear it. Nothing like being woken up in the dark to the sound of a mudslide in your backyard. The morning after! Our safety fencing slowed the mudslide and kept our roof from being buried. Our stairway is gone completely!  Big stones vanished. The water is back where it belongs now, sliding down the ravine walls. ...

Our humble home and surroundings. The Guinea Fowl are thriving in their new habitat. Pepper harvest begins. Eggplant harvest begins. Tomatoes keep rolling in.

Micro greens. Purple Taro. Chicken forage area with citrus and figs.  Green Taro patch. Our second wwoofer arrives. Our wwoof-er home, dry and cool with the water flowing under the roadway. Tomato harvesting begins in earnest.

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