I was up early this morning and it was bloody cold. It's not that easy to get out of ones bed, when it's cold. Especially when my bed is so cosy. But Tuesday is when I go help my neighbour on her land. The wonderful 90 year old lady, who remains super active and has one of the best attitudes, when it comes to life. She usually works alongside me. Last week, we were sorting out the compost piles, spreading some of the compost around the garden and fruit trees. Then moving what had not yet fully composted to a new spot, as the old spot is needed for a new project. The compost is divided into three piles, woody, leafy and kitchen scraps. Each pile, is held within a very basic wooden structure, that we made from old pallets and whatever else we found lying around.
Last week, my neighbour also had some men come in and do some pruning on her land. She has been using these two local gentlemen
for quite a few years, so they know her trees and she trusts them. They done a good job, but left her with a lot of branches and off cuttings. So my job today was to sort through them, separating what could be used for firewood, for composting and hopefully some to be turned into Biochar.
There was a mixture of Olive, Avocado, Orange and caqui/persimmon wood to cut and sort through. The orange, was the most difficult, as there are thorns and lots of small branches to strip off. I'm not really a fan of wearing gloves, so I didn't today, so my poor hands got a bit of a battering. Next time I think I will wear them especially when working with the Orange tree.
There was so much to do, I think I managed to get through a third of it in the four hours, that I was there. I used the lopper (long handled secateurs), for most of the work, which you can see in the second picture I have posted. Then a pruning saw, to cut through the thicker branches. It's quiet meditative work. Knowing that in doing so, I would be helping to replenish the soil, once the leaves and lighter branches broke down into rich compost.
A few months back a wonderful project started up, near where I live, called Sierra Preta. It's mission is to regenerate the soils in the area, by producing Biochar. You can buy it straight from them, or you can bring them your off cuttings and pruning waste (although it's not really waste). If it is a huge amount they can organise delivery and give you Biochar in exchange. At present they have two massive kilns set up. What is Biochar, well it's activated charcoal, made by burning wood in an oygen free environment, hence the use of the stainless steel kilns. It produces hardly any smoke and enriches the soil, as well as helping to retain moisture in the soil. Which is what you need living in a country that experiences a dry climate.
I have never worked with Biochar before so I am looking forward to getting my hands on some and using it both in my garden and my neighbours. I shall write more about it, when it gets delivered.
