All posts by muahlers

Oakshire - Mashrooms

Six Months in Loanco

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At the start of this adventure, each day was very difficult for us. Especially in a physiological sense. I was meditating a lot at the start of the days, just to cross the day in a good mood. I think that my body and mind needed to assimilate this huge lifestyle change. We were drinking wine at the end of the days to feel good. Also at that time, there was a scarcity of wood and other construction materials in the area so we couldn’t start our projects, that didn’t help at all.

Some weeks later, the wood arrived and I started to build. That was great. It’s amazing how the sense of progress can make the days move so easily. You go to bed tired and you fall asleep immediately. Things started to move. The list of tasks to do didn’t have an end. I was always working to check things off my list. I had this sense of advancing, but in the practical way still a lot of things were missing: a water system, a sink to clean dishes, a shower, a space to work, space to storage things, a heat source for winter, etc… . I just felt lost in a pile of things to do.

After six months in Loanco, things start to look more done. Finally the buildings are 85% ready, and we have a space where we can work and communicate with the exterior world. A bathroom, with a compost toilet and a shower, have appeared. This two spaces really are changing our lifestyle. The sensation of physiological comfort is huge and this affects tremendously our daily life experiences and happiness. It was a surprise to me to discover, by experience, how deep and meaningful can architecture be to the daily life of a human. It makes me think that even the outcome of a family project can be hugely impacted by the design of the spaces that simply surround us.

We now have six chickens running through the property and giving us tons of eggs. We are eating more “tortillas” than ever. It is really nice to have them because they are eating a lot of the insects of the upper garden. Also now we have 70 trees, a lot of berries and herbs planted. Everything is growing, slowly, but growing. And now we are starting a little system of annual vegetable beds. We have 4 beds: Potatoes, beans, roots and others. Winter is finishing and I am so excited to see everything grow again.

I think if I had to define these last six months, I would think about learning and experimenting. I have learned more than in my last 5 years, doing this. The only path to truly understand something is doing. I feel that I have read a lot in my life, but only experience can teach me and give me true confidence. And for experience to start flowing, you need experimentation. I feel this is a year for experimenting, for playing, for understanding, for respecting, for connecting. A year of opening.
To finish I would like to say that all this started like a dream, but now things seem more concrete. I feel that we are moving towards a new lifestyle, but slowly. I need trees to grow to establish a strong economy. But I can see and feel that things are taking shape and a little snow ball is starting to grow. I believe strongly in this project!!!

Oakshire - Refugio

First Steps

ideas

Time is advancing, and we have nearly 4 months to start our new life style in Loanco.

Building our Dream

I been thinking that propagating plants and cooking or creating herbs medicinal oils could be a nice thing for me in the future. In this moment my future is a little bit confusing, but I am not worried because I trust that the universe will unfold and everything will be clear once things settle. But helping life to grow and develop and helping people’s health is something that at a first glance is appealing to me.

At my side is Gwen, she have been working really hard this last 2 months, the internet is giving her a lot to do. Gwen has little time to be with other humans, she has become a real corporation which just 1 person. But this is great for us, because she is saving a lot of money. This is the way she feel good to start her new life, taking away anxiety from her body.

I have being asking me what is this new life, we are we going with this project. The only think I am sure is that we want to propose an alternative way of life. A life more connected to nature and her cycles, a life maybe with less material things, but more quality of life. We want to promote a positive view of life and the world. We want to make a better place to live and to share with our close and no so close circle.

Why this make sense to us? This make sense to us because we were looking for a creative way of life where we could be in Virginia as in Chile. For me make a lot of sense because I have always been interested in self-sufficiency ideas and plants. For Gwen make sense because she was born in a sub urban space surround by nature and she have a strong connection with animals. She had this dream of living in a Farm.

sunset in Loanco

The plan for the moment is very simple, the 1st of Febrary of 2021 we are going to live to Loanco until I can get my green card. We estimate that I will receive it on December 2021. So more less 11 month in Loanco. Then we are going to live to Virginia to establish the project and create some economical inputs that will allows us to develop this huge dream.

Possible Trees in the Forest Garden

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The first thing to look at when you are choosing trees for the forest garden is a Hardiness Zone map of your region. This will tell you which trees will survive the cold temperatures of winter. Here I present the Hardiness Map of Virginia: when we look at Amherst County, we find that we are in Zone 7a. That means that the lowest temperatures in winter are between 0 to 5 Fahrenheit or -18 to -15 Celcius.

Virginia Hardiness Zones.

I am thinking there will be around 200 trees in the Forest Garden. From this, 30% should be trees that provide nitrogen to the Forest Garden and the remaining 70% are the production trees. This leaves us with 60 Nitrogen Fixer Trees and 140 Production Trees. Here I will write a list of all the varieties of trees that we would like to have in the Forest Garden.

Nitrogen Fixers:
Alnus Cordata – Italian alder – Aliso napolitano
Alnus rubra – Red alder – Aliso rojo
Cercis siliquatrum – Judas Tree (Redbud) – Arbol de Judea
Eleagnus umbellata – Autum Olive – Olivo de otoño
Robinia pseudoacacia – Black Locust – Acacio
Myrica cerifera – Wax myrtle – Mirto sur de cera

Fruit Trees:
Cydonia oblonga – Quince – Membrillo
Ficus carica – Fig – Higuera
Malus domestica – Apple – Manzano
Prunus armeniaca – Apricot – Damasco
Prunus avium – Sweet Cherry – Cerezo Dulce
Prunus domestica – Plums – Ciruelo
Prunus persica – Peach – Durazno
Pyrus communnis – Pear – Peral
Asimina triloba – Pawpaw – Chirimoyo de la Florida​
Diospyros virginiana – Persimmons – Kakis
Morus nigra – Mulberries – Morera negra

Nut Trees:
Castanea dentata – American Chesnut – Castaño Americano
Juglans nigra – Black Walnut – Nogal Negro
Juglans regia – Walnut – Nogal
Prunus dulcis – Almond – Almendro

Spices Trees:
Tilia cordata – Limes – Tilo norteño
Laurus nobilis – Bay – Laurel
Zanthoxylum spp. – Pepper Tree – Arbol de Pimienta

Medicinal Trees:
Ginko biloba – Maidenhair tree – Ginko
Eucalyptus spp. – Eucalyptus – Eucalipto

I hope you enjoy this selection of trees. I think with this we could have a nice variety of fruits and nuts, a little bit of spices and medicine. Some wax for candles and a lot of pollen for the bees.

In my next post, I will write about the bushes we would like to plant in the Forest Garden. If you enjoy this post, please leave us your comments.

First Ideas of Amherst Layout

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Our initial idea is to divide the property into 4 sectors in the property: Wood Forest, Forest Garden, Farm Animals and Personal Space. For the moment we have defined where Wood Forest and the Forest Garden will go. The house and its surroundings will be our personal space. Is vital to point out that the Forest Garden area is on a slope that is facing south, with good sun.

Amherst Wood Forest & Forest Garden Layout.

We imagine the Forest Garden laid down in several square chambers of 40 m x 40 m or 151 ft. x 151 ft, each square bordered by windbreaker plants. The grid layout enable us to deal with the wind without making the windbreakers too tall, which would block light from the production trees. The wind breakers in this configuration should have 5 mt. or 17 ft of height. This is more less the same height as the tallest production trees.

We imagine a 7 chamber design, with a central block without trees. Each chamber will be a sector that will have different varieties of trees species. More or less there will be about 32 trees in each chamber. When the forest is 8 years old this will give us around 6.000 kilos or 12.000 pounds of food yearly. Part of it will be storage and the rest which will be a lot; would be sold in our local farmers market or by internet. The central chamber would be a very pleasant spot to have on the property. This could be used to host some yoga or meditation sessions or even a small wedding ceremony.

Each Chamber have around 2000 m2 or 21528 ft2.. This give us a total for the Forest Garden of 1,4 hectares or 3,5 acres.

Also the idea is that the Forest Garden will be a beautiful place to walk around. So we plan to make some nice walking paths inside it, even a little maze. The forest garden have only two entrances, one coming from the house located in the solitary chamber in the front. And a second one coming from the Wood Forest located in the left side of the garden. From there you can access to the center Chamber a wander around the garden. We imagine this place being a really nice highlight for visitors to the farm.

Well these are our first ideas for Amherst. I hope that you enjoy them. Please write any comment you could have. We will happily answer it!