Hello everyone,
We’re delighted to share with you today a photo report of the latest planting, which took place at the beginning of December.
It’s been a wonderful adventure, full of joyful moments of sharing with a group of volunteers full of energy and drive.
As last year, we were accompanied by André Vizinho and his team, who are specialists in the renovation of the region’s typical landscapes, namely the Montado (a landscape of cork trees and pastures).
We planned this operation together in advance, choosing new areas to plant, mainly in future biodiversity conservation zones, close to water lines and on steeper slopes nearby. The aim was to plant highly resistant, pioneering species and also to carry out a few tests with plants that were less resistant in principle, in the shadier, wetter areas.
The experience of last year’s planting enabled us to identify the most resistant plants and those less adapted to the soil of the land, and we therefore took this into account when choosing plants for this year. The plants chosen include broom, pistachio, filaria, laburnum, spartina, etc.
Here’s a photo report of the operation, with a few comments each time.You can click on the photos to open them wide and scroll through.
Clearing bushes to create planting areas:
Among the planned areas, the idea was to bring more biodiversity to certain water lines, and to do this, it was decided to carry out a very localized clearing of cistus to enable planting spaces to be freed up. Areas of dense undergrowth and brambles were left untouched, as they act as refuges and are very important for the balance of flora and fauna. However, when it comes to less dense areas with only cistus at the heart of the water line, it’s worth adding some diversity.
We also took advantage of this preparation time to install a new dry toilet not far from these planting areas. 😊
Preparing the planting lines:
Still in this phase of preparation, we had the invaluable help of our neighbor José Francisco, who came with his tractor to dig lines and facilitate subsequent planting. These lines were carefully drawn with a GPS and follow the contours of the land. In sloping areas, they prevent further erosion. A furrow and a mound retain rainwater and create more humidity for planting. We also added straw to maintain humidity and accumulate more organic matter on the mounds. These mulched furrows and mounds have already been used for planting many seedlings and seeds (see below), and may also be suitable for future planting.
Below are photos of the mulched lines (feel free to scroll as there are several pages):
New plantings and seeds :
We split into several groups and, once the preparation was complete, started planting in the water lines. This was a real tour de force, as it hadn’t rained much yet this winter, and we made all the holes with pickaxes. 2 small plants were put in each hole, a shrub and a tree that help each other (one of the 2 being a leguminous plant). Then, for most of the plants, we used cistus branches to form little “castles” to deter wild boar! The effect will be limited, but it may help to limit “visits”. We added a few liters of water per plant by hand, and covered it well with organic matter, so that during its first few weeks, the plant will find the resources it needs to root well, even in the event of little rain.
We then planted and sowed all the mounds that had been mulched. We began by harvesting acorns from cork trees and holm oaks. Some magnificent trees yielded acorns in abundance, and it was a joy to collect these magnificent acorns offered by nature to seed the rest of the land. We planted several acorns every metre or so, then sowed a mixture of seeds all over the mounds. We also planted selected trees and shrubs in several rows. The aim for these lines is to have oaks starting to grow little by little, and to provide a lot of organic matter and a root system to transform these mounds into richer, wetter zones, and so gradually improve biodiversity on these slopes close to the water lines. Finally, we watered all the plants on these lines, again by hand, to provide moisture and ensure a good start in the event of light rain.
Aquatic plants by the lake:
Alongside the main planting operation, André suggested that we add more plant variety to the existing lake to promote good lake health.
We were able to take advantage of the lake’s low water level (there hadn’t been much rain in the autumn, so we’ll have to wait until the end of winter for it to fill up again), to easily plant aquatic plants.
Fertilizing and seeding last year’s lines, and cleaning out the canals:
Finally, on the last day we devoted ourselves to returning to last year’s planting areas, planting acorns where the plants had little success. We added organic fertilizer, and sowed seeds to bring in organic matter and continue working on these lines, bringing moisture to the soil and developing the root system.
We also cleaned the canal along the main path, which easily fills up with silt. These channels collect a lot of rainwater and redirect it to the sides where the planting lines are placed. This also prevents erosion of the dirt road. We had made small stone dams and these proved very effective, and it is necessary to empty the accumulated sand and mud for them to retain their effectiveness. We’ll be adding more small dams based on this principle in other locations to maintain the effectiveness of these channels.
So that’s it for this report on the December planting operation, hoping that it gives you a flavour of the atmosphere and dynamics that were experienced during this wonderful week together. As in 2023, it was once again exciting to see how the group’s energy carries us forward, and enables us to achieve so much in such a short time. It was once again a joy to be accompanied by André, who knows how to bring a real group dynamic, and once again we loved Sandro’s fascinating explanations, always lively and colourful, in a creative mix of French and Portuguese. 😀
We’d like to say a big thank you to all those who supported and made this operation possible through their involvement and their donations, and to all those who participated directly in this adventure: Mateo, Sandro, André, Laiden, Chico, Théodora, Anabelle, Pascale, Laurence, Padma, Lionel, Julieth, Meriam, Quentin, Fabien, Sridar, Nathalie, Artur, José Francisco 💛🙏
We look forward to seeing you in the field, and to welcoming you if you’d like to get involved! Don’t hesitate to write to us if you’d like to do so, using the contact form on our website.
We wish you a bright and beautiful year 2025, full of wonderful experiences!
From the heart,
The Terra Livha team
