Is our homestead ruined? And do we need to rethink all our plans?
From droughts to floods, the farm has been through a lot this year and it doesn’t look like it’s over yet.
Hi there 🙂 We’re Marc & Allys, a couple of left the UK in search of somewhere we could build a homestead, live more self sufficiently, off the grid and connect with nature. This led us to the beautiful Alentejo region in Portugal.
Follow us on our journey as we learn to live more self sufficiently and acquire new skills!
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46 Comments
be posative,you must do earth works to slow and comtain water,with overflow possabilities,will gradually come good,swales buems on contour ponds etc
Now you know where not to place the veggie garden etc
He sorry guys, just gutted for you, I´m subscribing to give you some positivity, best of luck
Start at the top and work your way down. Water management
Man! That's a lot of water. Given predictions for severe weather events are that they will increase over time, I don't think you can chance not moving everything a little further up. That doesn't mean the flood area is unasable, though. I believe certain types of willow are flood tolerant (even thrive on it), and I have seen others that have lamented their dry soils for not being able to sustain walnut trees. Perhaps they would be bettter placed a little further up, between the flood area, and where your new growing area will be? A ridge of walnut trees might even offer some protection, assuming they reach maturity to effect such a plan.
I don't envy your challenges ahead. You have a lot to consider. I'm certainly no expert, but I wouldn't be too disheartened. At least you now have a better appreciation for what the worst that could be thrown at you is.
Good luck with it. I'm sure you'll figure something out.
In two days time the flood will recede and you can soon sort and make changes .
Observe, learn, and respond. Best of luck 🙏. Earthworks shall be your best friend, more trees, and infrastructure buildings more uphill.
It's tragic to see all you've work so hard to build washed away. I'm sure that the person who sold you the land knew about the possibility of this happening but refused to disclose it. As for your green house garden, I think that it would be better if you moved it to another location. Long term you probably will want to look for another property.
Checkout andrew millison videos on water, some videos talk about infustructure and crop placement. Good luck on your journey!
so sorry for that destruction, hopefully the water might serve a bit as fertiliser as it happens around the Nile (far away, I know!)
I agree with the post by @dianerayburn1728. Apparently, there are professional pond
builders who know how to build/correct the flow of water. One of my USA Homesteaders
just hired one & filmed the walkabout with him & his son. The knowledge & suggestions
they imparted were awesome. See if you can find some local with that type of experience.
It'll be worth it in the long run. Plus, you'll have a pond, which will profit you in many ways.
One of the points in the advice for buying a farm in Portugal was to wait before doing anything major with the farm and to see how and where the water flows. I can remember the news from a few years back now, horrendous floods in Portugal where many people were drowned in a camping area which was flooded. So we have to expect the extremes. Where is the water coming from and where is it travelling to? No doubt the drought has compounded the capacity for the soil to absorb water.
From this rain i only see positive things, is all about land management! now you can plan ahead the use of the land , would be good to discuss with neiboughrs how to re route the water in case of flooding. but around the farm i would create trenchs. Good luck,
ask Geoff lawton
Wonderfull! Water is life. The next warm season will be great for trees, vegetables, weeds and all the nature.
You have learnt some hard lessons mate……dont build in a flood plain….it may take alot of work in the short term but will last in the long run ….bigger earthworks for water harvesting in extreme weather events …..put large rock check dams in the flood plain and overflow areas to slow the water …..use it as a learning event…..more extreme weather events….dry and wet are inevitable……you really learnt how your land behaves act accordingly……bit the bullet and use heavy machinary for eartworks …..good luck
When replanting around the edge of your future pond, make sure to use native shrub and tree species. Also consider seeding an herbaceous layer with native herbs and forbs. I live in a depressional wetland complex that has an ephemeral pond, a wetland meadow, a field, upland forest, and a forest swamp running right down the middle of it. The natives have the best chance of success and you need something to survive and to prevent erosion. Use the upland areas for your agroforestry and farming.
I feel for you with the polytunnel. Definitely worth putting in some french drains and dig a pond at the lowest point. I fixed a problem area prone to flooding with the help of my pigs. They started to dig a wollow at the lowest point. Pigs are good at molding land. They also work on contour..
always build on higher ground. now you know where the water is going and can avoid damage of this kind in the future
Take note of where all the water is, and dig a bunch of ponds and swales to mitigate this in the future.
Obviously your Poly structure is stopping the water.
Brother just ran into your posting and it was apparent that before the flooding when viewing your plot of land, you could see the slope of the land and what was possible when ever you were to get a load of ran. Have to think brother. If you need a pond you now know where you can build one to store water. I'm sorry this happened but there is always a positive side of things. Get back to work. Peace
Your going to have to build a pond below your property and have trenches at the pond for overflow that will lead the water away down and make a lot of trenching on your property to divert to pond you got your work cut out for you
Your gonna have to trench above you where the water flows down the mountain and when it rains gotta mark your property see where the trench is
with long grass like that you should now its prone to water and flood you should have ask all around before buying land
I would contact too the junta de freguesia, and show the footage, if water are comming from roads and drainage is not correctly done , speak to them for solutions, maybe they will provide machinery to create canals, just try to involve the more people as possiblw to retify the solutions so it will not happen in the future, but be aware to where you divert the water if you make canals, you do not want to flood somebody else property!! Ask advice to junta de freguesia first.
Hi …where are you in Alentejo. I am living 20 km from odemira
Strength. For you both. Is this the most rain for years? It now gives you a base line to plan from. Thinking of you. Prayers XXX
Your track resembles mine at the moment, water and mud. I've also discovered that my track (in Portugal) is basically a river course when the rains are torrential. Thank god I haven't started work on the house yet or it would have been for nothing. As soon as things dry out a bit I'm going French drain crazy around the house and waterproofing the front.
Once all the water has drained, I'd mark our part of where it created a pool collection and turn that into a pond, rocks found whilst digging it out (Need a tractor) can be used to create stone foundations for the Veg garden which certainly needs relocating. Where all the water has created steams is a tell tail sign of possible future issues.
As for the veg beds, they certainly need to be raised beds, maybe corrugated round structures, filled of large plastic drums?
It all needs a rethink. A pound would mean water and fish as well as diverse other animals.
As for pathways, they would also be needed to be raised earth and stone. On the sides of the path, one could line or make stone guide streams towards run-offs to to the pond?
Nature is showing you future issues which you can mark our and maybe mitigate better if it occurs again.
Now you know your farm 😅😅you'll know where are the safe places to built the nursery ☺️☺️☺️.
Farm worker on the making 😅😅
Wherever the water has flooded everything, you should avoid the place for garden and greenhouse. This will be repeated at some point, so you have to avoid nature and mark (photograph) the corresponding places that have not been flooded NOW. I wish you good luck, courage and motivation- Kind regards Jo
13 years ago in Portugal it rained non stop for 9 weeks with only 5 days without rain ! Be prepared and learn from what nature is teaching us ,stay safe
Permaculate the water . Alentejo is very dry you'll need it.
On the edge of the hill 😜
I am curious to know your strategy and solutions. Maybe rent some heavy machinery to open swales, build a pond, a well, aquifer recharge, underground cistern for water storage…
Water is your friend, not your enemy.
Rise up.
Don´t worry, the water will be gone and the sun will shine again. Learn from where the water went and make sure you don´t build anything in its path if possible. We have had 2 floodings in 5 years, and altough we clench our buttocks everytime it starts raining, we still enjoy every other day of the year.
Perfect opportunity to take drone footage, which would greatly help you plan your future planting. We all need to learn from nature and work with her, especially now more than ever. We created a big natural pond area, taking the water away from our house. Very best of luck 🎄☘️🎄
I would move the garden a bit upwards on the slopes and terraces and dig some trenches to guide a part of the water through your veg garden. And dig a pond on the lowest level of your valley.
Why don't you try for a dry toilet. The humanure you would gather could be converted to good compost…🙂
It is heart breaking when events such as this can cause so much loss. I recently lost much of my permaculture garden due to a tornado and thunderstorm event. So many hours of work ( enjoyable work) gone. I am so grateful that my animals came through unharmed. Sending much love to you guys. 💗
good time to create swells . research swells this will great everything more for you..
learning is EVERYTHING!!!
I would hang everything,inside the tent .
I live in a high summer rain cyclone region of Queensland Australia…. we can have 21 inches of rain fall in a 24 hour period ( off a cyclone) – 400ml- 8 or so inches in a summer rain storm/event.
We've learnt to put our roads/driveways on top of the berms/swales, with broad rooted matting type root systems in the swales to slow erosion.
Your polytunnel is your protected growing area, so should be in a protected area, high from flooding, in a clear area from fires and well buffered from high winds.
Solid construction raised beds in the tunnel- future proof for both elements and any injuries/issues down the track.
Keeping your nutrients, top soils etc in YOUR soil is the long term desire, so plan accordingly.
I'd use the area that you designated as your current growing area for pasture/hay, – field peas, beans etc and nutrient traps to harvest from. The need for 'gutters', flood mitigation releases for swales, and continual root stabilisation plantings for erosion protection- check out Geoff Lawnton's Zaytuna Farm- it's situated in the Norther Rivers, New South Wales Australia in a high rainfall, steep country region. He has videos on flood release drains for his swales, interconnecting dams, and plantings- they just this year survived devastating floods of an epic proportion and he shows you where his permaculture designs worked, and where it needs tweaking. 🌻
This is really bad sorry for damage, but at the same time you’ve learned something very valuable you know where all the water flows and now on you property, now you can prepare for next time. one of those learning events That will prepare you for the future. Great Attitude
Looks like you’re versed in permaculture principles, have you seen Andrew Millison’s explanations of how water behaves on sloping ground.? Build a few water catchment ponds on higher ground to stop erosion and get as many people, neighbours, friends to help build swales on contour as these extreme weather events are going to be the norm. I would build sturdy raised beds nearer the house, glad your house is fine. Take lots of footage so you have a record of where the water was coming from and going to. Run off from roads is a big problem, I have that on a smaller scale, I’m going to build up retaining gabions and cover them with soil and grass seed to knit the bank together, I’m hoping they will act as a sponge so my track doesn’t get washed away. I’ve subscribed to follow your progress, wish you lots of courage and strength for the work ahead, it’s big, it’s not just your land, but the surrounding valley! 💪💪💪🙏