Season Report: Fall 2023 Traditional Dream Factory Land
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💰 €1,255 was spent on Land Infrastructure and Forestry between September 15 and December 1 excluding salaries.
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We’ve completed an autumn cycle! September to December was an extremely active time on the land. I (Joshua) took up the land management torch from Dylan and kept on tending from the hot dry brown of late summer to the cold wet green of late autumn. Included in our many accomplishments, we planted 850+ trees and shrubs, installed a water retention/diversion swale stretching across the land, and planted 22 species and harvested 150kg+ of veggies! As of 1 December 2023, I’m leaving TDF with the intention to return in March. Luca is on the ground at TDF as a winter steward and has been onboarded to the basic land-care routines (Land Handover: Fall to Winter 2023). Here’s a brief report sharing successes, challenges and action points for each area of the land.
Reforestation:
Successes:
- Planted 850+ shrubs and trees across the land including wind breaks for the garden and food forest, and native and non-invasive species in the reforestation area.
- Completed monitoring and submission for carbon credits through Open Forest Protocol.
- Created partnership with Silvi.earth for further forest monitoring and possible nursery sponsorship.
Action Points
- Water all potted trees and plants in the nursery every two days if there is no rain.
Garden Agroforestry:
Successes:
- Planted a variety of 22 vegetable species (and strawberries!). Food is growing through winter to harvest in February/March (including 145 garlic for June harvest 🧄 🤤).
- Planted trees in the garden beds to provide natural shade in the summer, removing need for shade structures 🙏🏼
- Planted 380m of wind-breaking and fire-breaking trees and shrub lines (including Melaleuca and Cypress 😋) along TDF’s boundaries.
- Started the production of 8m3 of compost from olive leaves, straw, TDF kitchen compost, and last year’s delivery of manure/compost mix.. to be ready in spring!
Challenges: