Since half November we have started working the land which makes me especially very happy. Only now do I realize how much I have missed working the soil with my hands, being outside all day long, trying to make this tiny part of the planet more strong and green. It is a beautiful place, a bit hilly with on one side a view to the ocean. It’s been a while that I went to Brazil to learn about Agrofloresta Syntropica.

Now I finally have the chance to put things into practice but instead of planting we are only seeding. Seeding loads and loads of seeds and also many different seeds to inspire all layers to sprout that a strong forest consists of.

It is a huge experiment and I calm myself with the knowledge that if none of the seeds wants to awaken now for sure we are de-compacting and enriching the soil with all the organic matter and soil life we add and by doing so facilitating their arrival at a later stage.

We want the areas we started working on to eventually require little maintenance. Also, with climate change in mind, we wish it to become resilient. And because the strongest plants grow from seeds directly sown on the spot that is what we do for now.

Mimicking nature requires for most plant species many more seeds than when you invite them to grow in a nursery with nice and stable conditions. These seeds have to survive drought, strong winds and strong rains and a pretty compacted clay with limited soil life. It took a while before I understood what Miguel and Luis meant when they said: “We need many seeds”. Before, when I went seed hunting, I brought my cute little envelopes. Now, when we go seed hunting we bring a rake, sheets of plastic, scissors, shopping bags and buckets!