Clearing Land on Our Abandoned Farm in Portugal (over 18 months) - #13
Vložit
- čas přidán 6. 09. 2024
- Land clearing is serious business in Portugal due to the prevalence of wild fires and forest fires. When we bought our 1 acre plot in 2020 the grass was 2m tall, the trees hadn't been pruned in years and we could barely see the four corners of the property. Over time we've strimmed, pruned, chipped and mowed our way to something much more visually pleasing and much more useful.
Join us for a Flashback Friday episode and see how our land clearing and brush cutting process (and tools) evolved over the last 18 months. Plus discover what we did (and didn't) find as a result of our efforts.
The editing of this video is quite humorous. Especially the comparison between Kylie working in the No-Man's-Land and you "working" with the chipper that didn't really seem to be doing a lot of chipping lol. Too funny.
you are one hard working woman. And I am slightly envious of your property and proposed projects but I thoroughly enjoy
watching your work making progress. Well done folks
The map overlays with the red dot are very helpful in this video!
You two restore the dignity of that land. Very good.thank you
Omg your senses of humour just is so satisfying! I'm glad you said it Guy, with the amount of manual labour the two of you do one would expect you to be thee size of the twigs!! The time lapse of Kylie vs Guy plodding through the chipping just had me laughing!! Love you guys and what you do. Thank you
Hugs from 🇨🇦
Your choice of music for Kylie "strimming" and you "shredding" is hilarious.
You two are AMAZING. Can't believe all you can do with just the two of you. You must end your days absolutely exhausted. Really enjoy watching your progress. Can't wait for the next video.
I have nothing to say really, but I appreciate your content, and wish to help with the yt-algorithms.
As a new fan of yours, I've been binge-watching as many of your videos as I can find. One thing that would be VERY helpful would be the addition of date titles (at least the year) instead of "Present Day." And as everyone agrees, you guys are amazing!
In the States we call "No Man's Land" "The Back Forty" and you would say it with a Southern drawl. You remind us when we owned 3.5 acres in Northern California. We worked one day mowing the property for 9 hours.
I just had this done on our property in Viseu, it's 45000 square meters so no way I was tackling THAT alone! You guys need to invest in protective clothing when you're clearing land!
They have plastic pants that will help but there are also leather chaps (my favorite) that you can wear so the brambles don't tear your legs apart. By the way, if you get an infection from the ferns of brambles they are very, very hard to cure...
Continued good luck on your journey!
It is so satisfying to see the'beforeandafter' pictures, are a testament to your hard work. Kudos to you and Kylie!! Also, 'no-man's Land's could also be called 'alternate food forest. Eagerly looking forward to seeing your vision for that part of the land.
It seems be the channel moto: "More digging required..." Well done, by the way.
Started watching your old channel when covid started and all the lock downs, dam it's been 18months, keep up the good work.
Four industrious hands made a vast improvement to that land. I'm sure your neighbours must be impressed
Your video's are so amazing! Kylie and yourself are such hard working people! I always stop what I'm doing to watch a new video.Just amazing the transformation!
You can still put chickens in you vineyard area. Once you have it cleared you can put them in a chicken tractor. They will fertilize, break the surface soil up so water can more easily be absorbed. You can make a few chicken tractors cheap using PVC pipe and chicken wire and a tarp to provide them shade. The every day you move the tractor one space over and repeat till you have covered the area. In the dry season you need to decide I’d you want to water the area or not to keep the cycle going. Check out a few sites on CZcams for more information.
Flashback Fridays! Fab idea! 😀
I loved that comment that maybe we found the septic tank.
These are all really well produced videos. I’m thoroughly enjoying them. 🇦🇺🤗
Well done so far. Amazing to see the progress the both of you made. I can't wait to see the next video.
The right tool for the right job
The garden looks incredible, what a shift you’ve both put in to get it looking so good & productive
What a great accomplishment
Compelling. Such an extraordinary amount of hard work. Incredibly well done - and I loved the BCS rock and roll montage! I can't wait to see what is next - thank you very much!
And if you haven't already seen his films, Carl Rogers is another English CZcams person who is helping his Dad renovate the family farm in rural France. I think you two would be impressed with their craftsmanship, meticulousness hard work, and his storytelling and filmmaking. Worth watching. Thanks again!
All the hard work has paid off. Well done!
You are both beasts when it comes to menial work around the house and yard. People will drive by and say; Oh my, what a beautiful farm or homestead or garden, without realizing how much backbreaking work went into making it that way. I watch several videos of people moving to , and living in Portugal, and if it weren’t for the oppressive heat, it seems like a heavenly place to abide. The land seems to be so giving, but only with a lot of good hard labor. That being said, your place is beautiful and I can’t wait to see what y’all will end up with with all your hard work.
Love the musical selections 😂
After chipping put it through a shredder. And Turning it into mulch and use it for rustic pathways/bare earth cover. You can use it for crop mulching 1ft deep to suppress weeds. it will will help trap water, increasing moisture which helps lower fire risk.
What a machine!
I got rid of a lot of my larger branches ( too large to mulch in the Briggs and Stratton mulcher) by putting them into Hugelkulture beds. Planted with Hakurei turnips and Black Dragon bok choi - all doing famously
it's a good idea to exchange the woodchips on the floor of the chicken coop from time to time, will cut the ammonia smell and enrich the compost piles.
Your work in the garden and in and around the house has made such a difference in such a short time. It must be a very satisfying feeling to sit on the deck of an evening, wine in hand, surveying your little piece of paradise.
I use a giant crowbar to dig and lever out some shrubs and small trees it's fantastic.
You are living the dream! Hats off no enjoy it!
Wouldn’t mind getting in touch as we work on a similar project.
A few thoughts…
Understand that fire prevention leads you to cut grass. This said, vegetation protects your soil from light, hence prevent it to become too acid and of the desertification process.
If you have enough rain and are able to keep it in tanks (Brits have developed amazing techniques for such in Bermuda) and use it as desired, the rain, combined with the several compost input you seem to have (that need to be diversified…compost seems to be a science on its own) and the sun are the best recipe to create micro-organisms, that, when spread with the compost on the ground, will increase the O2 in your soil, enabling your plant to capture more CO2 but more importantly making your soil less acid, more basic and more fertile.
It is going to take a few years but a better soil with water and soil, you are off to an amazing start.
As a matter of curiosity, where is roughly the farm?
Best wishes!
…
After having seen more on your videos, it seems that your no-dig approach suggests that you are already aware of everything!
Nick on “ Project Portugal “ re-rendered the inside of his water tank ,he adds a liquid plasticizer to the mix to make it waterproof seems to work well . Love the progress you’re making on your property .
Thanks, Nick did a great job with his tank. We prefer to use natural solutions where possible, but if we don’t find a suitable solution we’ll probably go that route too.
Next year we’re hoping to experiment with building some more tanks and the learnings from that should aid in the repair of the existing tanks
There is a product here in Canada called 'Xypex' or something like that. When applied to cracked walls with water spray, it will crystalize and thus makes the surface waterproof.
I like your new sound effects. very entertaining lol
Just an FYI, in Bermuda we use our roofs to catch water and store it underground. We regularly add a small amount (~1 cup per 10,000 gallons) of pure bleach to help sanitise the water and kill off any larvae. Not sure if this is something that can help with your storage.
I think that you probably find the mix of essential work helps to provide you with much needed breaks from boring repetitive work. You two are a classic example of tackling jobs that are difficult, offputting and downright backbreaking but sticking to it . Then comes a moment when you look at the results and can't quite believe your achievements.
Congrats on a job well done - may I say that you are probably physically fitter than your previous lifestyle would have permitted. As one who has always benefitted from a mix of hard physical labour and mental gymnastics, you can't beat the level of satisfaction. Stick with your positive outlook and you won't go too far astray,
Thought I had the wrong channel , when I watched you cutting weeds with the string trimmer , I remembered the first video I watched , you were cutting with a walk behind , and there it is , The world is right again .
Glad I found your new channel, missed your videos
Dig up those smaller grape Vines and plant them at the bottom of your walkway trellises. And just make better use of them. They will be closer to the house. And fill the walkways for shade. And make noman's land into something else you want. Or add still more vines. In a different variety.
I bought the 739 a good while back. The only issue I have ever had is my failure to lube the control cables. I broke the throttle cable due to rust at a low point. Easily prevented. I searched for someone to blame, but I came up behind myself.
Delightful editing! 🌺
I am glad you are having the experience of shaping your land it is always a lot of work and you folks have accomplished it and in short time. One day you will be able to sit back and remember what it took to make that wine you will be drinking. So enjoy your youth while it lasts.
I would suggest you waterproof the "Plunging Pools" with paint on waterproofing, and then tile it without seems/Morter 😊
Grafters United....you guys have done so well. Super impressed with the progress 👍🏽😜👍🏽😜👍🏽
Hi, I love all the changes that you have made to your land. I’m new to your videos. I want you to know that you have a beautiful and a wonderful and hard workin wife! She tackles everything full blast! I admire that in a woman. I hardly ever seen. I have been working hard labor science I’m 6 years old. I grew up in Mexico. If you don’t work you don’t eat. At least it was my situation. I can’t wait to see how beautiful your home and farm will look like. As I know it will look fantastic and homey. Blessings to both of you from Eldorado Texas🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽🙋🏻♀️🇺🇸
It’s so great to look back on those old videos to see how much you two have accomplished 😊. I remember the water tank video and how much work that was. Everything looks great, give yourselves a Pat on the back and drink some wine 🍷 👍👍
This was very nostalgic as I've been here from the beginning (from your previous channel) and you can really see how much progress you guys have made. 💪
What's the name of the other channel?
Very interesting videos. I’ll catch up. Best to you both. Greetings from Texas. Hard work can accomplish miracles.👏👏
I think that 50 years ago that was paradise.
I love that you give context to everything you do, like how long the strimming took compared to the machine, which area you are working on shown on the map insert, etc etc. This info makes everything more meaningful.
Gorgeous piece of land mate hard work plays off
Thanks for posting and sharing.
Totally loved this one.
Hi, just a hint from a soldier settler who had to clear land for farming. Two things you have to set up first, one is a good bound perimeter fence to protect your stock from escaping and to protect your feed on your land from encroachment by neighbours animals. The second is a good constant supply of potable water for yourself and your stock. You can then subdivide your property with fences and gaits and water troughs. Using a mob of goats to clear land has been the best and cheapest method. The most expensive is the hire of machinery to put in access tracks and building sites. Shelter for stock, yards to handle, vaccinate, shear etc is more important than human habitation. You can always make do with a tent or caravan. Goats are the most intelligent animals you will ever have on the farm and will find all the holes in your fence within 15 minutes, but they do need shelter. Sheep have a bad reputation for return on your investment as price for wool is rock bottom and price for lamb is high but you need the right breed for good results. Beef is a constant good price but its best to stick to steers as you can buy them young off a dairy farm and fatten them up. They do play havoc with your land if not suitable. Deer bring in the top money but are very hard to handle and need high fences and good yards. I have farmed all of these animals and started with bare land until I got too old and could not lift the fence posts and anyway the dog died, so we sold up and moved to the city! Mate, it sure is noisy and smelly! Go luck to you, just keep going till you fall flat on your face! Cheers mate. Harera
Absolutely magic
Great editing
yes wow well done hard work will be rewarded by the return of the best fruit u both ever taste in ur life.
This is a great compilation of all the different things you've done to the land! ❤️ can't wait to see the well adventures in the next one 😁
It all looks amazing. No man’s lands is embracing ‘no mow may’ 😊
What a beautiful transformation. A piece of heaven.
Well...healthy leaving!
Love it, cracked up laughing when you said, that you Sent them down the well, LMAO
WOW! You both have laboured extremely hard on your land and it shows! Well done👏👏
Amazing progress - well done - Yes - been there and done that regards filling a pool up with tap water in summer (its always freezing being from underground!) but I bet you it warmed up after 12 hours or so...great to see the chickens running free and providing an insect control function...
You guys work so hard. The place is looking fantastic for it. Shame about that yapping dog. The progress you have made is incredible, honestly.
Most splendid, correct.
amazing transformation well done to you both
It's amazing what you've done in the short space of time!
you two are amazing love your channel
Wow! It looks so much bigger than one acre. Also, have you thought about dealing with the branches and other debris in regards to Huegelkultur?
Drooling with envy....
The wide angled lens does give a bit of an optical illusion.
Maybe check out our Hügelkultur video 😃
You could trimm the trees from branches that you took down, and maybe sell the wood? (Make a Wood storage rack)
Olive wood is pricey for fine carpenters, as other noble woods are.
Or for carpeting for you later?
A very enjoyable video to watch especially after the week Ive had. (Not trying to bomb your story in any way.)
Although Ive seen much of it it before from your previous channel this must be the BEST re-edit Ive seen for a long time. Well done.
It reminded me so much of our first few years here doing our "thing" to transform what we had into what we wanted that I was tempted to stop the video every chapter and make a comment but I resisted.
I could have written reams in response to what you reminded me of.
We were not into You Tube 9 years ago but we took photos and Sarah made them into some rudimentary videos that we uploaded into a space called Quintal Yurts.
Get the rototiller attachment for the new brush crusher. Preparing your gardens will be a MAJOR lower-back and time-saving investment. It would allow you to increase the growing area(s), substantially.
Wait for it .... garden expansion video coming soon where you’ll see the rotatiller in action 😃
I really love watching when you're doing things. So interesting to watch you work! Thanks!
Did you just really say … „did you play with my package..?“ 😂
I love the choice of background music for the well cleaning. Very suspenseful, had me on the edge of my seat! It was good to see the progress on the farm from where you started till now, we both really enjoyed it.
Two things I am curious about, what exactly is the big machine "Yanmar"? It's a great idea for both cleaning up high grasses, etc and for using far less time clearing out. Second one is about the vines, would it be feasible to move some or all closer together,, make a vineyard that would be far more compact and productive?
Yes, I know how much you two like digging up stuff.😅
I hadn't realized just how little care had been done before you purchased the place.
Oh, and just to add something you may completely ignore, you could hire out to use that machine to the local authority or neighbours to clear out their land. Seniors and people who don't live full time on their land may pay fairly well for the work. (As if you need more work to do). 👍👍
The machine is a BCS, it has many attachments, and in a couple of weeks you’ll see Guy use it to prepare our corn patch. We love it!! I think the locals are amused by it ... they all hire the local tractor guy to do their fields and he’s definitely faster than our machine 😀
Regarding the vines, we’re going to restore as many of the existing ones as we can, graft onto any that need it, then plant new vines in between them where needed. Should be enough to keep our cellar stocked 😃
Perfectly cleared fields sure doesn't look like an abandoned farm
Nice job look is amazing.👌😄
Great progress shots guys. You forget how far you’ve come till you look back!! 👋 🇦🇺 👍
Hope you do maintenance on that brush cutter.
that is the beastiest-ever lawnmower
werry good job vell done
Please remember to protect your skin from the sun! It is really dangerous to exposed like that without protection! All the love from Brazil
Why do you think we have no protection? We always wear sunscreen. I’m originally from Australia where skin issues are very serious
- Kylie
@@MAKEDOGROW It`s just a friendly reminder from a med student
The bcs is useful but tricky in more delicate areas. The wilderness can be strimmed around vines etc and if you can figure out rows then the bcs can maintain those. Hydraulic cement on cistern cracks, inside & out. Scrub clean, paint, drinks & dunks in the summer evenings. Yes, also for irrigation.
OMG, I remember most of that, but you’ve done one heck of a job with your land, what a difference!
Coming on great,i see you have not found a bit of lead for barky,hehe.
oh luv the music
lol just right time as you had me giggling thanks
Nice grapevines!
Always great to visit the past, to remind you just how well you are doing in the present. All that must have been hard work, however, the contrast must be very satisfying. It all look great!.
Ya'll are amazing. Success in all your endeavors!
I look forward to your vids. Regards from a fellow Aussie of Kylie’s.
Could you use a riding mower of some sort to cut the OVERGROWTH? It would make it all so much easier for such a large area. You've done an amazing job on building and clearing your place. It all looks so nice! Cant wait for the next video.
Que Trabalho fabuloso , os vizinhos devem ficar admirados ! :-) well done !
What a great reflective video. I’ve followed you from purchase to present. You and Kyle are the most hard working couple and I’m full of admiration for you both x
so funny towards the end with different speeds...
Wow and double wow you've worked hard clearing that land and it looks spectacular. I enjoy your videos so much I never want them to end lol. Have a good week ahead Kylie and Guy xxx