The story and ongoing work of restoring a market garden
There are two market garden areas at Quinta Vale da Lama: the West and East Gardens. Over time, the soil health of the West Garden was decreasing and it became overrun with perennial weeds, posing a significant challenge in terms of output and maintenance. We decided it was time for an intervention.
Team members and students from a recent Permaculture Design Course saw an opportunity to apply the principles and techniques they had learned. So they combined ecosystem restoration strategies with a testing mindset to transform the West Garden into a dynamic living laboratory that could support the farm’s economic well-being while also serving as an ongoing learning opportunity.
Cultivating Diversity
Annuals and Perennials in Practice
The key testing taking place is how the proximity of each plant type to each other affects the growth, health, and yields of each. Permaculture design principles were applied to design and develop the layout and overall plan, and a variety of ecosystem restoration principles and techniques are being used to rejuvenate and increase soil quality and health. We are also applying rigorous monitoring and evaluation techniques, supported by the Soil Lab at Mud Valley Institute, to inform our learnings and support future actions.
An ongoing journey
We will share as many details as we can about our work in the West Garden, so that everyone can learn from our efforts and hopefully be inspired by the process and results. Read on to see what we are doing!
Any questions? Feel free to email us at info@valedalama.net
Sharing the journey
Follow the journey of our West Garden’s transformation through regenerative practices, milestones, and ongoing updates.
Permaculture Design Phases for West Garden project at Quinta Vale da Lama
Cultivating connection through collaborative design for regeneration and resilience. A journey from our internal Permaculture Design Course and how it shaped the future of the West Garden.
Land Preparation of the West Garden with Hügelkultur
Building a resilient and fertile garden through regenerative techniques and careful planning.
How Permaculture Plant Selection Shapes the West Garden
Discover how perennial and annual gardens thrive through permaculture design principles.
Timelapse overhead
Use the slider below to see the progress over time
Monitoring and Evaluation
Supporting regeneration through science, data, and analyticsData-driven soil health insights support our efforts
We measure and assess a variety of soil health indicators at different locations in the West Garden to help us understand the results of the different implementations. This analytical approach informs and supports our testing efforts and helps determine the most effective regenerative techniques for our context.
Monitoring and evaluation efforts are managed by the Soil Lab at Mud Valley Institute, using the Soil Framework created by Ecosystem Restoration Communities as the basis for our soil health M&E efforts.
Mapping & Surveying
Visualize the landscape with depth and scale.West Garden Orthophoto
Date: End of August 2024
An orthophoto is a highly accurate aerial image that has been geometrically corrected used for mapping, measuring, land analysis, and planning.
West Garden 3D
Date: End of August 2024
Inspect and analyze the terrain, measure volumes, and get data, for a more immersive and accurate perspective of the project.
