Some applications still open for Season 4! - We need an experienced builder to help renovating our granite ruin. - UX/UI designer with experience, to renovate our image and interface. - For landscaping team we need someone with experience in earthworks and water retention If you feel you could fit in any of these, check our support page for more info -> projectkamp.com/support.html
The matrix sees and hears all! Not but a few minutes ago I had a conversation with someone in Guatemala. About a little project I am involved in, suddenly you and two other similar videos show up, in my feed, as I plug in! Totally scary and unacceptable, but not your fault! You will hear from me! Blessings to all you dream of !
I’d love to join for a few months I’m a very hard worker and fast learner always up for a challenge I’d excel in a handyman/builder role good at van conversions building structures electrical wiring work land clearing not afraid to get muddy take pride in what I do and very friendly 😊
I enjoyed the update. In the debarked trees, please show us the trunk of the trees near the ground. Is the tree putting out sprouts? If the trunk of the tree is dried out, it is probably safe to cut it.
I already said it last year, but in case you didn't see my comment, I think you can use the old granite building to store food there ! Because since I'm a kid, my parents are using old farm buildings in granite to store food because it stays cold and humide enough for the food ! (Really good to store apple for example)
Great idea. I was thinking that they could also maybe extend the height by putting a wooden framed second floor or make a covered deck/pavilion on top so they can prep and dry food and herbs or whatever and have another gathering place. It has lots of potential. With hot days, dehydrating foods would be easy.
I was thinking that it could be made into a nice full bathroom (toilet + shower) since it's near the more permanent housing and the awkward height could be divided into a short utility crawlspace underneath the bathroom itself. But I think that would only work out if it were fully plumbed.
@@karlexceed my grandparents did something like that but then we had to add heating because it got very cold in winter and hot water didn't warm room and also they don't have water heating so...
you need the DIGGER/ backhoe for a few years; get one with forks... you can use it to dig, move the dirt, load/unload pallets/materials and so much more. then you may sell it on for minimal loss and you can get a tractor for general maintanance
Correct even though you can also get a tractor with backhoe. It digs slower , it loads slower but you got an pto. It can do it all. Most.important get something most farmers or builders have parts will plentifull and cheap
In Sweden we call it “tractor digger”. It’s very all round pice of machinery. And yeah, it does not devaluate so fast. Even better, if this guys buys a slightly mistreated “tractor digger” and restore it to proper function, they can use it for years and yet get a profit from it when they sell it
I'm really pleased with the familiar faces that are returning. I'm a little sad that there's no Kevin. His ingenuity will be hard to replace. Even so, I'm looking forward to the next 6 months and seeing what you can achieve this season. If you go for the digger, I'd be tempted to remove the cursed Mimosas and either create more swales or perhaps create earthen terraces to try and hold as much water in the ground as possible. Planting more fruit trees and fruit bushes to help anchor the soil would be great, as well as providing more food and shade. 😊❤❤❤😊
Before you get into buying a tractor/backhoe, RENT ONE FIRST! It may cost a few thousand to rent one for a month, but you're not going to tear up your own machine learning how to use it. Plus, you'll figure out real quick what you really need a machine to do. It sounds like what you need as far as heavy equipment goes is a John Deere 110TLB or something similar. It's small enough to where you can move it around yourselves, yet big enough to get all of your jobs done. The backhoe on it is removable and you can use it as either a tractor, backhoe, or use any skid steer attachment and have front/rear hydraulics. The Kubota equivalent "I think" is the L-45 and may be a better choice depending on what's more common in your area. I think one of your previous videos showed your neighbor on a New Holland? They have some backhoes, but they may be a bit too big and pricey. You can buy used equipment, but make sure someone on your team is a diesel mechanic and you're willing to invest in changing all the fluids and some seals/glands or a pump. Plan on the expense ahead of time, and if you don't need to do it? Bonus.
I like the Kubota, but may depend on what you like for your area. A front end loader is great, and more recent ones can swap out bucket for forks ("quick release"). *Definitely* pay attention to your hydraulics no matter what you get (digger, tractor).
Putting a firebreak between your property and the neighbors might be the most efficient way to protect your land in the short term. Getting mechanized on the mimosa removal and doing it before it gets hot out so you can use power tools are going to be key. There is also such an absurd amount of mimosa that it seems foolish to not consider using that wood as a resource for building swales, making charcoal, fences for animals, etc. Clearing some of the lower flat land and planting more food crops is also going to be key in the success of this project.
Nice to start with a video starring Dave :) I know during the season he often takes a back seat letting others have the focus in the videos but it is always nice to come back to Dave :)
9:00 hello, when i was on a farm in portugal for 1 year we cut down the trees and then chopped them up, everything was taken out of the forest and finally we went into the forest with a large forestry tiller and chopped up the stumps. finally we fenced the area and brought sheep/goats onto the land, they then ate the sprouts and the forest was back to its original state
IDEA A great fire suppressant technique is to have a ring mound (X3) around the place you want protected. The mound needs only be 40-50cm high to stop, or slow down, ground creeping fires. The three lines of mounds does better than three times the work. Slowing fires reduces intensity. Slower or less intense fires are easier to put out. Most creeping fires won't get over a small mound, if the mound is kept free or fallen wood and the longest of grasses. Mounds sited to your contour lines help to keep all rain that falls on the property, to stay on the property. Also, they direct all excess rainfall to your chosen catchment site. Also, water that stays on your land, at the site where it falls, will give you much more lush vegetation growth, that you can manage against fires by thinning the undergrowth and lower branches to encourage a higher canopy (this type of forest is less susceptible to creeping fires) and the encouraging of specific species protects against crown fires. Mounds don't need to go across roads as these are fire-breaks anyway. Neither across fields, unless they have long grass and lead to infrastructure. Mounds around buildings are especially useful. As are mounds across common fire-incoming-direction fronts. As are mounds sectioning off high-risk land portions, such as bordering plantations (especially if they are Eucalyptus [high oil content]). Good luck man. I have some bush property as well and know the feeling of fire exposure, on a regular half-decade basis. Cheers ps. These tips are all recommended by the Australian Bushfire Service for preventing fires spreading across private property. Hoping they help you out.
pps. A tractor with a tilt blade or a bobcat are ideal for making your mounds quickly and easily. Shovels and many hands is the other way, not quite so easy, but extremely satisfying, and fun with the right company.
@@polfloch4535 Hi. Mound might not be the best description, as it implies a circular heap. What I meant to describe was a little hillock, only about 40-50cm high, half metre, but travelling in a ring around your building, or around your property, possibly travelling 50m, or possibly travelling 200m, depending on your design. And for best protection you'd have three of these hillocks in long rings, 10-20 metres from one to the other, around the thing you're trying to protect. ie. Building, then ring one, then ring two, then ring three. This will slow down a low fire by taking out the ground level flames. This won't stop a crown fire though. They are practically unstoppable if combined with high wind.
SUGGESTION Use more containers with stone walls or accents at base kamp as they dont burn. Place them as fire breaks such as in a circle or a square around the main camp. The containers and stones act as wind breaks. If possible run a water line or hose from lagoon to base camp and use as water
For your ponds and lakes, you should get/make a bubbler. It can help keep them healthier and cuts down on bad insect growth in them. You don't want them to be stale as it can be a hazard.
I was cycling in south west portugal last year through the region where the fires were near odemira. There was one house that had an excavator outside and the fires had almost reached their doorstep, part of the wood on the house was charred. It looked liked the'd used the excavator to shore up a barrier of soil around the house to stop the fire - the hydraulic line on the machine had a bit of soot on them too - If you are considering a tractor/excavator this might be something useful for the fire plan. It looked like the people in Odemira had quite a battle but they managed to save their home.
Mr and mrs adventure are renovating an old mill i Portugal and have cleared a hillside of eucalyptus and terraced the land for planting. This would be a great idea for the land between base camp and the big rock..! And they said the workers took the eucalyptus logs to lisbon for making paper and its worth 38 ($/€?) per ton! That would help fund the cost of a digger or other things!
Since the granite ruin isn't exactly 1 or 2 floors tall but in between, you could make a loft space in it for sleeping! That'd free up the Floorplan for more living amenities and possibly another bed.
A mezzanine bedroom with rail/half walls, the rest being open. A simple ladder or spiral stairs would work but they do some clever things with staircases now. Each level being a drawer for storage might avert the need for excess furniture or too much built-in work along the granite. The lower level resembles a root cellar.
Glad to hear that you're buying a tractor! It will be a gamechanger. You could consider running it on vegetable oil. Marty T from new zealand has a video on how to convert the tractor. It's super easy. The veggie oil just has to be filtered. And then it runs for free and without fossil fuel. Worth trying if you want to live more sustainably. Go for it!
A big project. The woods above base camp, I gues try to clear a 100 foot fire break at the top, and behind base camp. Do selective clearing , and mulching, to ensure the land can retain the water, and also plant more native plants, along with a lot of wild flowers. You want to bring in all the various bees butterfly's, and birds. You know about swales and berms, but may create small ponds up above, with overflow to lower ponds. this will provide a good water source, and help reduce fires.
Comment for Algorythm! I really looking forward to the new season and new projects :D Wow 38 People is a lot!! Congratulations to all the people comming there and help to live more sustainable!
I posted before about this but I repeat it here because it is SO important. I come from South Eastern Australia, one of the worst wildfire areas in the world. I used to be a volunteer firefighter there, so I know a little about what I am going to say. Leaving dead Mimosa up or laying around is a recipe for disaster. The stand of dead Mimosa would create a wall of fire 30 feet high for the stand of dead Mimosa; and up to 60-70 feet high in peak summer for the overgrown Mimosa forest. And it is not just the fire itself. Fire radiated heat can kill you from 50-100 feet away depending on the intensity of the fire. (Where I come from is worse than that). Clearing large areas and large firebreaks is the only solution for that Mimosa. Replanting some other trees fruit trees etc is fine. (But close planting of trees like Mimosa - just asking for real trouble!).
Great to have you back! I'm looking forward to follow your work this year, especially around water retention and rehydrating the landscape. Andrew Millison's channel is great for information about that, but you know that I guess! Also if you want to learn more about tactics for broader rural transformation, I recommend checking out Common Ecologies' booklet "Transforming Agriculture and Beyond" - lots of good hands-on examples and concrete stories of people working to make change happen together.
I agree Andrew Millison is absolutely the go to for all things hydrology / permaculture + @TheDutchFarmer who has done amazing things in 2 years in Portugal. Hoping everyone at Project Kamp goes well this year - it's been great watching your progress and seeing the community go from strength to strength. We live on dry, sloping land in Oz & our land is slowly healing. I wish we had done more than just put a dam in 30 years ago - but we're learning more now. Using machinery to kick start the hydrology process is a game changer. Hopefully making lots of mini beaver dams with the cut timber, as you are doing already on parts of the land, will start helping to soak in any rainfall to get native trees established. All the best for the spring / summer season
Did someone move in to the trailer? I am excited to see what you guys are going to do this year!! I am watching a couple that is in Portugal. They got rid of a lot of eucalyptus and have made terraces. Another welsh couple I watch who are in Portugal have planted a lot of vegetables. They have a small lot. They are also trying to get rid of non native trees. Thanks for the update and I am excited to see what will happen this year!!❤
You could spread some water sprinklers around living area with big water tank and a gas powered pump so if fire comes you for sure are ok in that areas. They implemented such system near your tent friend in Travessas, Arganil. Maybe you could check that out.
I'm super excited for this season! I am moving to a new community soon and this project has inspired my family to redevelopment part of the land into sustainable community gardens. Nothing like your scale but it's a start.
For the fire "barriers" you would most likely need to cut down a lot in any case, as there is a good chance the fire jumps it if the trees are burning from the bottom to the top in combination with high winds during summer. While preventing is impossible, trying to minimize damage should become a both short and long term priority, I'm eager to find out how you guys will find a solution!
Please do the update twice in a week, it may help you guys to earn more and ofcourse we get more specific and detail video about everything happened in basecamp. You also can put some short video of time-lapse from your daily activity as additional content. Keep the good work guys..
For the Pizza oven; I have see in the construction, to be mixing SUGAR in the clay or send to avoid the cracks!! Looking forward for another season. Been here since the beginning.
Everything is looking really great! I've loved following the progress for the last couple of years. I'm a keen gardener trying to grow as much food as I can. My #1 recommendation is to plant a nice patch of jerusalem artichokes! The sooner you plant them, the faster they'll spread. They produce some of the most calories per acre of any crop, with minimal care requirements. They can even grow as a weed!
We love your work your organisation is inspiring to connect with nature ❤ , I also want to live in forest with mother nature 🤗❤️ and thanks to show the step by step how to set up all things to live 😁💖 I appreciate 💞🥰 your work
For fire safety i recommend talking to a local sheep herder to herd in your land close to summer in order to trim the vegetation that will catch fire. We use it in my town every year.
Very exciting plans ahead! An idea for the precious plastic roof -- how about making moulds shaped like typical Portugues clay roof tiles, and make precious plastic roof tiles? So they interlock, and can withstand a bit of warping since they're interlocked. I think that would be cool :-)
I currently learn to become a forester in Germany and what the teachers told us was that it's generally good for the native trees ( or the trees you planted or wildlings you planted there ) to grow under the protection of bigger trees ( how much protection depends on the type of tree if they like a lot of light or not ) so in your case I personally would cut ever 30 ( or if you want bigger ) meters a small (1-1,5 m wide) pathways threw the patch of mimosa tree and the rest i woud ether cut down or debark only some of it so that the young trees don't get burned by the summer sun + LOVE THE PROJECT
Me pone super contenta verlos. Cada que los veo unas ganas de irme para alla! Gracias por dejarnos ser parte su comunidad , dejarnos colaborar y contribuir aunque sea desde la distancia 🖤Espero los proximos videos y todo lo que se venga este año con entusiasmo!
if you want to clear the big patch effectively you can think about using a pulley system to remove the felled trees out of there. My father a german states forrester has alot of practice implementing pulley systems into forrestry. Its a lot more gentle for the ground (WAY better than horses) Its quite safe and works on slopes.
Really happy to hear about the plans for the upcoming year! Feels like a lot of these decisions are research based rather than impulsive, which is great to see.
I love your storyline! The community center will be far the biggest thing you will have ever done. If you finish that you have proven that this whole thing works. I'm so excited for it, but it will probably be not that much a part this season and even next season we would be lucky to get to the end of this arc. And I also wonder if the often mentione "burning down of the land, every few years" danger will sometime actually appear in the show of if it can be avoided.
Kia ora I’m Polynesian my ancestors were island hopping for thousands of years before they made it to my home country NZ. I will share with you some of the reasons we have prevailed relying only on ourselves and the natural environment. Kai (food), wai (water), whenua (land), whare (shelter), waka (transport/trade/connectivity) are the foundations upon which your tribe will grow and prosper; the first step is observation of the rangi (sky/heavens), the whenua (earth), and the moana (oceans/waterways). My ancestors correlated the positions of the stars with the fruiting and flowering of certain plants, with the phases of the moon, with the habits and behaviour of animals, with the weather etc. This intimate knowledge allowed them to take advantage of the repeating patterns of nature known as cycles with only a small impact which was compensated by the give back days in the lunar calendar which are dedicated to different atua or gods which to my people are personifications of the environment. As an emergency food supply my ancestors would plant a variety of purple taro around springs that takes about a decade and a half for the rhizome to reach eating size. For your case i emphasise water and food security, you should plant a medicine garden too. Watercress screams water and food security btw, and food security is also storing food and preserving food. Most people think human activity and biodiversity don’t mix but humans are highly productive animals and ecosystem engineers in our own right and our presence can enhance or reduce the life around us and even the carrying capacity of the environment if we be resourceful and act with intent
Uggali your comment is so interesting Thank you for that! I live in a big city and I know nothing about living in a land. This year I'm very confused about La Niña effect. Too much rain, strong winds knocking down big old trees over cars, houses and electric wires leaving entire neighborhoods in a terrible state. In 56 years is the first time I experience something like this in Buenos Aires City - Argentina (Sorry about my English, I speak Spanish!)
I watched all the videos last year and still found this one very cool. I missed you so much. I joined the channel in the second year, the first video I saw, was the 1. year recap. Now I started to watch all the videos from the beginning, it is really interesting, where you started. What I miss from the last years video something you made at the beginning, let us see, how you live every day there. not just the projects. like showing the van, how to get shower, etc. I am really interested in such thing also: where do you sleep? do you stay for the whole winter also there? or you visit family for that time? do you make a vacation? or do you make plans in winter? I loved also the videos about the neighbours, that was hartwarming.
[5:50] I was sure you were going to renovate the other ruin in the middle land that has the three or four tiled rowhouse type ready made one person office rooms! As a "just" add roof" type of a thing - that of course it would not have been. - would have freed the skechy ruin from office work. And it had the old granite ruin beside it for maybe a tiny house for housing someone or one more office space.
The ruin on the middleland could be the new office, it looks like the top is pretty flat, so you could make quite ease a wood based top floor, maybe even built it bigger as the structure below. The old bit: bathroom / sleeping / stairs, the new top: kitchen, living room / office space with opening doors to a big balcony. Bathroom and bedroom wont need a lot of daylight, and making Windows in the old big walls would be a nightmare. Also, is the mimosa tree an option to use as building material? Stack them like a log cabin with thin walls for a storage space.
The mimosa lumber would still be a fire hazard. It would be really good for furniture and kitchen items like bowls, cups, utensils etc. Useful since so many people are coming and going now.
@@angelad.8944 So it could be a great heating source for the winter? There is plenty around, and you have enough space to make a shelter for it to drie out during summer months, it probably is a light wood witch burns fast but there will be enough. For an experimental wood shelter, you can try do make a dome out of living trees by bending them and binding them together, it takes a lot of time for them to grow in a solid structure and takes a bit of time to steer the branches by binding them to the right direction, but if it works it would be an amazing natural shelter.
There are more exciting things to look forward! I'm leaving a comment just to add up to your pile so the algorithm picks it up. More people need to see informative videos like yours.
i would reconsider moving all the living quarters to the middle land! as far as i have seen, it is protected from the wind in the middle of a low point, which means that insects should feel very comfortable there, especially in summer, as they are not exposed to wind and so on. and you have already seen here and there in various videos what the insect situation is like in general. a slight slope with open paths would be more suitable to avoid being bitten by mosquitoes and other flying stuff.
If the issue with the pizza roof is based on the size of the plastic tiles (not having enough give for expansion and contractions) you might try making smaller tiles, in the shape most clay tiles are made in, to allow for overlap and locking together the way clay tiles do. This would eliminate the need for taping together edges and the smaller tiles should have more resistance to expansion/contraction. Also, smaller molds for the tiles COULD mean you could make them onsite, saving production and shipping costs! Glad to see you back and looking forward to the new season.
Great to see you so up-beat about the year. I'm fascinated by this project and your community. Looking forward to your adventures with the land. All the best.
Gotta say Dave you look refreshed and relaxed, happy about the coming season, and it all looks so well organised. Good vibes for future, congratulations, here's to a successful year. Well done already. (Also, that is one heck of a To-Do list) Also, Yeah. Fire. Not if but when. I'm sure you're getting all the advice you can. Would love to see a lot more about this in time. All the best.
Im new here on the channel, and now the second time hearing you speak i directly think that you must be related to the Dutchfarmer who’s in Portugal to, your accent and voice is so much like him! Thank you for this interesting channel! Kind regards from a Dutch women living in the north of Sweden.🙏
"Every few years." That is my one worry about all you've built up. The fact that the land is inhabited, maintained, alleviates some of that worry. As far as tractor/digger, try and find something that can do both. Add/remove attachment sort of thing. It'll be money well spent and invested into the land. (Also check the parts availability on said tractor. Wish I had done that)
I guarantee the best investment you can get is an industrial mulcher. I don’t think enough people think about this. One of the the first pieces of kit you should have is a mulcher to help alleviate the amount of scrub and green waste and turn it back into material for ground management, lock in moisture, “deep mulching” look it up & help keep plants sated during the drier months. Unfortunately the biggest caveat is that you absolutely need to invest in quality. Whether it’s PTO or direct engine diesel. If you’re on a budget then anything under 10 grand is not going to be worth the time or effort unless you can get a good deal at an auction or something. Munchers amazing but they’re a financial investment with a pretty decent starting price for anything worth even considering. Secondly. I also highly recommend a strategy/plan to start sourcing free/cheap/second hand bricks, pavers, stone and start paving your project areas. The more you can build out an area with bricks/pavers ect the more you will be thankful for it in the wetter months. I’m sure I don’t even need to ask if you’re sick of dragging mud & muck into your nice clean facilities in the wetter months. If there are any clay pits around the land I’d also highly recommend utilising that natural resource and start firing your own pavers as well if you can.
If possible, get a chipper shredder that hooks to your tractor PTO. You have a real need to crunch up all that understory dead wood before the fire god of summer ignites it 😮
You can dig up swales put the wood in them and then cover them with the dug out dirt. This creates a moisture trap, slows water, makes the soil super fertile and most important for you minimal fire risk.
I don't know how I missed it, but when your name came up above your head at 13:17, I was surprised to realise that prior to now, i didn't know your name. Been following since the beginning of Project Kamp!
I am interested in how your firebreak (with native trees) will work. I say this because the best fire break is one with nothing in it at all except maybe grass. Rock is even better. I tend to think the native trees left there will be sitting ducks if a fire does come through. All your plans sound terrific. You have a lot of areas of work to cover. Best wishes.
Make sure to fix the Pizza Hut first, everything else will be easy after that! Maybe even add a second location at the Community Center? I love your Kamp! I hope to live like this some day.
Some applications still open for Season 4!
- We need an experienced builder to help renovating our granite ruin.
- UX/UI designer with experience, to renovate our image and interface.
- For landscaping team we need someone with experience in earthworks and water retention
If you feel you could fit in any of these, check our support page for more info -> projectkamp.com/support.html
in the kamp is everyone close friends with eachother?
I feel excited for new videos
The matrix sees and hears all!
Not but a few minutes ago I had a conversation with someone in Guatemala. About a little project I am involved in, suddenly you and two other similar videos show up, in my feed, as I plug in!
Totally scary and unacceptable, but not your fault!
You will hear from me! Blessings to all you dream of !
I’d love to join for a few months I’m a very hard worker and fast learner always up for a challenge I’d excel in a handyman/builder role good at van conversions building structures electrical wiring work land clearing not afraid to get muddy take pride in what I do and very friendly 😊
I enjoyed the update. In the debarked trees, please show us the trunk of the trees near the ground. Is the tree putting out sprouts? If the trunk of the tree is dried out, it is probably safe to cut it.
I already said it last year, but in case you didn't see my comment, I think you can use the old granite building to store food there ! Because since I'm a kid, my parents are using old farm buildings in granite to store food because it stays cold and humide enough for the food ! (Really good to store apple for example)
Great idea. I was thinking that they could also maybe extend the height by putting a wooden framed second floor or make a covered deck/pavilion on top so they can prep and dry food and herbs or whatever and have another gathering place. It has lots of potential. With hot days, dehydrating foods would be easy.
Might be tough to fully fill the gaps in the building to prevent pests from getting in and ruining the food.
I was thinking that it could be made into a nice full bathroom (toilet + shower) since it's near the more permanent housing and the awkward height could be divided into a short utility crawlspace underneath the bathroom itself. But I think that would only work out if it were fully plumbed.
Lime mortar @@sebastianbean8226
@@karlexceed my grandparents did something like that but then we had to add heating because it got very cold in winter and hot water didn't warm room and also they don't have water heating so...
Woohoo! My monday routines back!
Same lol
yeeeee
😂😂❤
same brother!! yeeeah :D
❤yea Mondays are sorted 🎉
you need the DIGGER/ backhoe for a few years; get one with forks... you can use it to dig, move the dirt, load/unload pallets/materials and so much more. then you may sell it on for minimal loss and you can get a tractor for general maintanance
Correct even though you can also get a tractor with backhoe. It digs slower , it loads slower but you got an pto. It can do it all.
Most.important get something most farmers or builders have parts will plentifull and cheap
In Sweden we call it “tractor digger”. It’s very all round pice of machinery.
And yeah, it does not devaluate so fast. Even better, if this guys buys a slightly mistreated “tractor digger” and restore it to proper function, they can use it for years and yet get a profit from it when they sell it
@@MarcusLobenstein
also with an PTO they can get a far more powerful wood-chipper than the ones they have borrowed.
I'm really pleased with the familiar faces that are returning. I'm a little sad that there's no Kevin. His ingenuity will be hard to replace.
Even so, I'm looking forward to the next 6 months and seeing what you can achieve this season.
If you go for the digger, I'd be tempted to remove the cursed Mimosas and either create more swales or perhaps create earthen terraces to try and hold as much water in the ground as possible. Planting more fruit trees and fruit bushes to help anchor the soil would be great,
as well as providing more food and shade.
😊❤❤❤😊
I'm so glad Project Kamp is back again! :D
Before you get into buying a tractor/backhoe, RENT ONE FIRST! It may cost a few thousand to rent one for a month, but you're not going to tear up your own machine learning how to use it. Plus, you'll figure out real quick what you really need a machine to do.
It sounds like what you need as far as heavy equipment goes is a John Deere 110TLB or something similar. It's small enough to where you can move it around yourselves, yet big enough to get all of your jobs done. The backhoe on it is removable and you can use it as either a tractor, backhoe, or use any skid steer attachment and have front/rear hydraulics. The Kubota equivalent "I think" is the L-45 and may be a better choice depending on what's more common in your area. I think one of your previous videos showed your neighbor on a New Holland? They have some backhoes, but they may be a bit too big and pricey. You can buy used equipment, but make sure someone on your team is a diesel mechanic and you're willing to invest in changing all the fluids and some seals/glands or a pump. Plan on the expense ahead of time, and if you don't need to do it? Bonus.
Ooh good idea!
I like the Kubota, but may depend on what you like for your area. A front end loader is great, and more recent ones can swap out bucket for forks ("quick release"). *Definitely* pay attention to your hydraulics no matter what you get (digger, tractor).
Putting a firebreak between your property and the neighbors might be the most efficient way to protect your land in the short term. Getting mechanized on the mimosa removal and doing it before it gets hot out so you can use power tools are going to be key.
There is also such an absurd amount of mimosa that it seems foolish to not consider using that wood as a resource for building swales, making charcoal, fences for animals, etc.
Clearing some of the lower flat land and planting more food crops is also going to be key in the success of this project.
Not naming the newly bought middle land "Middle Earth" is such a missed opportunity.
Its probably copyrighted already.
I was thinking Midgard, but Middle Earth is pretty good too
Nice to start with a video starring Dave :) I know during the season he often takes a back seat letting others have the focus in the videos but it is always nice to come back to Dave :)
9:00 hello,
when i was on a farm in portugal for 1 year we cut down the trees and then chopped them up, everything was taken out of the forest and finally we went into the forest with a large forestry tiller and chopped up the stumps. finally we fenced the area and brought sheep/goats onto the land, they then ate the sprouts and the forest was back to its original state
Goats will pick clean any kind of terrain. They're living lawnmowers.
IDEA
A great fire suppressant technique is to have a ring mound (X3) around the place you want protected.
The mound needs only be 40-50cm high to stop, or slow down, ground creeping fires. The three lines of mounds does better than three times the work.
Slowing fires reduces intensity.
Slower or less intense fires are easier to put out.
Most creeping fires won't get over a small mound, if the mound is kept free or fallen wood and the longest of grasses.
Mounds sited to your contour lines help to keep all rain that falls on the property, to stay on the property. Also, they direct all excess rainfall to your chosen catchment site.
Also, water that stays on your land, at the site where it falls, will give you much more lush vegetation growth, that you can manage against fires by thinning the undergrowth and lower branches to encourage a higher canopy (this type of forest is less susceptible to creeping fires) and the encouraging of specific species protects against crown fires.
Mounds don't need to go across roads as these are fire-breaks anyway. Neither across fields, unless they have long grass and lead to infrastructure.
Mounds around buildings are especially useful. As are mounds across common fire-incoming-direction fronts. As are mounds sectioning off high-risk land portions, such as bordering plantations (especially if they are Eucalyptus [high oil content]).
Good luck man. I have some bush property as well and know the feeling of fire exposure, on a regular half-decade basis. Cheers
ps. These tips are all recommended by the Australian Bushfire Service for preventing fires spreading across private property. Hoping they help you out.
pps. A tractor with a tilt blade or a bobcat are ideal for making your mounds quickly and easily.
Shovels and many hands is the other way, not quite so easy, but extremely satisfying, and fun with the right company.
This is great info thanks! (from someone living in a high fire risk zone!)
Can you explain please what is a mound ? I don't know what it is ?
@@polfloch4535 Hi. Mound might not be the best description, as it implies a circular heap.
What I meant to describe was a little hillock, only about 40-50cm high, half metre, but travelling in a ring around your building, or around your property, possibly travelling 50m, or possibly travelling 200m, depending on your design.
And for best protection you'd have three of these hillocks in long rings, 10-20 metres from one to the other, around the thing you're trying to protect. ie. Building, then ring one, then ring two, then ring three.
This will slow down a low fire by taking out the ground level flames. This won't stop a crown fire though. They are practically unstoppable if combined with high wind.
Shame Kevin won’t be back, really enjoyed his inovations
So glad to see again: Julie, Rita, Javier, Adrian and of course David 🎉🎉
But where is Jamie and Kevin?😢
Glad the winter hiatus is over and that you're back!
Looking forward to watching the weekly videos !
SUGGESTION Use more containers with stone walls or accents at base kamp as they dont burn. Place them as fire breaks such as in a circle or a square around the main camp. The containers and stones act as wind breaks. If possible run a water line or hose from lagoon to base camp and use as water
I love ALL Project Kamp videos!
It's the best reality TV out there.
I didn’t think the debarking would work that effectively! Exciting
What do you think of all the green mimosa he’s wading through as he talk about that section?
Дуже крутий проект, який заставляє задуматись над способом життя!
For your ponds and lakes, you should get/make a bubbler. It can help keep them healthier and cuts down on bad insect growth in them. You don't want them to be stale as it can be a hazard.
Niiiice, my weekly dose of Project Kamps is baaaack, this might be an addiction but I don't care (that's what an addict would say)
you can follow my example: go to the first video :D
I was cycling in south west portugal last year through the region where the fires were near odemira. There was one house that had an excavator outside and the fires had almost reached their doorstep, part of the wood on the house was charred. It looked liked the'd used the excavator to shore up a barrier of soil around the house to stop the fire - the hydraulic line on the machine had a bit of soot on them too - If you are considering a tractor/excavator this might be something useful for the fire plan. It looked like the people in Odemira had quite a battle but they managed to save their home.
I was so much looking forward seeing how the swales and the fruit trees did. Hopefully another time!
Look out for next week 🎉
@@raisabrandt1306 Haha! Thanks for the heads-up! You are probably a Patreon?
@@balaenopteramusculus yes I am
Mr and mrs adventure are renovating an old mill i Portugal and have cleared a hillside of eucalyptus and terraced the land for planting. This would be a great idea for the land between base camp and the big rock..! And they said the workers took the eucalyptus logs to lisbon for making paper and its worth 38 ($/€?) per ton! That would help fund the cost of a digger or other things!
Since the granite ruin isn't exactly 1 or 2 floors tall but in between, you could make a loft space in it for sleeping! That'd free up the Floorplan for more living amenities and possibly another bed.
Perhaps build a wooden second floor on the granite foundation/ground floor.
A mezzanine bedroom with rail/half walls, the rest being open. A simple ladder or spiral stairs would work but they do some clever things with staircases now. Each level being a drawer for storage might avert the need for excess furniture or too much built-in work along the granite. The lower level resembles a root cellar.
Any earthship considerations? Thats like the ultimate off-grid housing solution. Glad to have found your project!
Commenting for engagement to please the algorithm. Love your videos!
Glad to hear that you're buying a tractor! It will be a gamechanger. You could consider running it on vegetable oil. Marty T from new zealand has a video on how to convert the tractor. It's super easy. The veggie oil just has to be filtered. And then it runs for free and without fossil fuel. Worth trying if you want to live more sustainably. Go for it!
A big project. The woods above base camp, I gues try to clear a 100 foot fire break at the top, and behind base camp. Do selective clearing , and mulching, to ensure the land can retain the water, and also plant more native plants, along with a lot of wild flowers. You want to bring in all the various bees butterfly's, and birds. You know about swales and berms, but may create small ponds up above, with overflow to lower ponds. this will provide a good water source, and help reduce fires.
Comment for Algorythm!
I really looking forward to the new season and new projects :D
Wow 38 People is a lot!! Congratulations to all the people comming there and help to live more sustainable!
I'm so excited to watch these videos again! They are so inspiring to someone who wants to live a more natural life. 🤠
I only found you guys after the last video but I'm so hyped, can't wait for more!
Lütfen Türkiye'den takip eden bir tek ben olmayayım... Süpersiniz, dört gözle yeni videolarınızı bekliyoruz.🎉🎉🎉
Good to see you back again. I wish the best to all the people and the project and will keep following your journey.
Smart. Take a good break over the winter and then start the season with a bang!
I posted before about this but I repeat it here because it is SO important. I come from South Eastern Australia, one of the worst wildfire areas in the world. I used to be a volunteer firefighter there, so I know a little about what I am going to say. Leaving dead Mimosa up or laying around is a recipe for disaster. The stand of dead Mimosa would create a wall of fire 30 feet high for the stand of dead Mimosa; and up to 60-70 feet high in peak summer for the overgrown Mimosa forest. And it is not just the fire itself. Fire radiated heat can kill you from 50-100 feet away depending on the intensity of the fire. (Where I come from is worse than that). Clearing large areas and large firebreaks is the only solution for that Mimosa. Replanting some other trees fruit trees etc is fine. (But close planting of trees like Mimosa - just asking for real trouble!).
Great to have you back! I'm looking forward to follow your work this year, especially around water retention and rehydrating the landscape. Andrew Millison's channel is great for information about that, but you know that I guess! Also if you want to learn more about tactics for broader rural transformation, I recommend checking out Common Ecologies' booklet "Transforming Agriculture and Beyond" - lots of good hands-on examples and concrete stories of people working to make change happen together.
I agree Andrew Millison is absolutely the go to for all things hydrology / permaculture + @TheDutchFarmer who has done amazing things in 2 years in Portugal. Hoping everyone at Project Kamp goes well this year - it's been great watching your progress and seeing the community go from strength to strength. We live on dry, sloping land in Oz & our land is slowly healing. I wish we had done more than just put a dam in 30 years ago - but we're learning more now. Using machinery to kick start the hydrology process is a game changer. Hopefully making lots of mini beaver dams with the cut timber, as you are doing already on parts of the land, will start helping to soak in any rainfall to get native trees established. All the best for the spring / summer season
Did someone move in to the trailer? I am excited to see what you guys are going to do this year!! I am watching a couple that is in Portugal. They got rid of a lot of eucalyptus and have made terraces. Another welsh couple I watch who are in Portugal have planted a lot of vegetables. They have a small lot. They are also trying to get rid of non native trees. Thanks for the update and I am excited to see what will happen this year!!❤
You could spread some water sprinklers around living area with big water tank and a gas powered pump so if fire comes you for sure are ok in that areas. They implemented such system near your tent friend in Travessas, Arganil. Maybe you could check that out.
Yes! I get so excited on Mondays when I see the new videos. Thank you project kamp for inspiring us to live more sustainably!
I'm super excited for this season! I am moving to a new community soon and this project has inspired my family to redevelopment part of the land into sustainable community gardens. Nothing like your scale but it's a start.
Can't wait to see the upcoming videos and changes/upgrades to the land!
For the fire "barriers" you would most likely need to cut down a lot in any case, as there is a good chance the fire jumps it if the trees are burning from the bottom to the top in combination with high winds during summer. While preventing is impossible, trying to minimize damage should become a both short and long term priority, I'm eager to find out how you guys will find a solution!
It will be interesting for sure.
Please do the update twice in a week, it may help you guys to earn more and ofcourse we get more specific and detail video about everything happened in basecamp. You also can put some short video of time-lapse from your daily activity as additional content.
Keep the good work guys..
For the Pizza oven; I have see in the construction, to be mixing SUGAR in the clay or send to avoid the cracks!! Looking forward for another season. Been here since the beginning.
Everything is looking really great! I've loved following the progress for the last couple of years.
I'm a keen gardener trying to grow as much food as I can.
My #1 recommendation is to plant a nice patch of jerusalem artichokes! The sooner you plant them, the faster they'll spread. They produce some of the most calories per acre of any crop, with minimal care requirements. They can even grow as a weed!
Thanks Dave,looks like you have quite a busy season planned. Looking forward to seeing how it progresses. Good luck everyone.😊
I'm looking forward to seeing all the projects that you have planned for this season!
Can hardly wait to see who arrives, who returns and how well everyone gels into a workforce for free.
We love your work your organisation is inspiring to connect with nature ❤ , I also want to live in forest with mother nature 🤗❤️ and thanks to show the step by step how to set up all things to live 😁💖 I appreciate 💞🥰 your work
Heeey, glad you guys are back, excellent projects, can't wait to see this season 😊
Definitely go for the digger!! Water is key!!!!
I'm a Patreon supporter and thankfully don't have to deal with ads :-) Just showing some love on the main page. So happy y'all are back!
For fire safety i recommend talking to a local sheep herder to herd in your land close to summer in order to trim the vegetation that will catch fire.
We use it in my town every year.
Very exciting plans ahead! An idea for the precious plastic roof -- how about making moulds shaped like typical Portugues clay roof tiles, and make precious plastic roof tiles? So they interlock, and can withstand a bit of warping since they're interlocked. I think that would be cool :-)
I currently learn to become a forester in Germany and what the teachers told us was that it's generally good for the native trees ( or the trees you planted or wildlings you planted there ) to grow under the protection of bigger trees ( how much protection depends on the type of tree if they like a lot of light or not ) so in your case I personally would cut ever 30 ( or if you want bigger ) meters a small (1-1,5 m wide) pathways threw the patch of mimosa tree and the rest i woud ether cut down or debark only some of it so that the young trees don't get burned by the summer sun + LOVE THE PROJECT
Me pone super contenta verlos. Cada que los veo unas ganas de irme para alla! Gracias por dejarnos ser parte su comunidad , dejarnos colaborar y contribuir aunque sea desde la distancia 🖤Espero los proximos videos y todo lo que se venga este año con entusiasmo!
Really looking forward to watching the community center progress!
Also cool that Javier Adrien Rita and Julie are back :):):) That are my favourites
It's a shame Kevin isn't returning, his ingenuity will be missed, the tin can roof was genius. Good luck to him in whatever his future endeavors are!
So exciting. An Architect,,,awesome. New season new videos ❤.
if you want to clear the big patch effectively you can think about using a pulley system to remove the felled trees out of there. My father a german states forrester has alot of practice implementing pulley systems into forrestry. Its a lot more gentle for the ground (WAY better than horses) Its quite safe and works on slopes.
Happy that you are back!!! Carine from Bruges Belgium
Outstanding Content. I really enjoy watching you transform the land.
Well, I'm excited! I so enjoy seeing what you are doing! Thanks for the hope for our future!
Really happy to hear about the plans for the upcoming year! Feels like a lot of these decisions are research based rather than impulsive, which is great to see.
I love your storyline! The community center will be far the biggest thing you will have ever done. If you finish that you have proven that this whole thing works. I'm so excited for it, but it will probably be not that much a part this season and even next season we would be lucky to get to the end of this arc. And I also wonder if the often mentione "burning down of the land, every few years" danger will sometime actually appear in the show of if it can be avoided.
First enough, lol. Glad to see the stream of videos finally picking back up. Excited for this season, good to see more big landscaping projects! 👍
Kia ora I’m Polynesian my ancestors were island hopping for thousands of years before they made it to my home country NZ. I will share with you some of the reasons we have prevailed relying only on ourselves and the natural environment.
Kai (food), wai (water), whenua (land), whare (shelter), waka (transport/trade/connectivity) are the foundations upon which your tribe will grow and prosper; the first step is observation of the rangi (sky/heavens), the whenua (earth), and the moana (oceans/waterways). My ancestors correlated the positions of the stars with the fruiting and flowering of certain plants, with the phases of the moon, with the habits and behaviour of animals, with the weather etc. This intimate knowledge allowed them to take advantage of the repeating patterns of nature known as cycles with only a small impact which was compensated by the give back days in the lunar calendar which are dedicated to different atua or gods which to my people are personifications of the environment. As an emergency food supply my ancestors would plant a variety of purple taro around springs that takes about a decade and a half for the rhizome to reach eating size. For your case i emphasise water and food security, you should plant a medicine garden too. Watercress screams water and food security btw, and food security is also storing food and preserving food. Most people think human activity and biodiversity don’t mix but humans are highly productive animals and ecosystem engineers in our own right and our presence can enhance or reduce the life around us and even the carrying capacity of the environment if we be resourceful and act with intent
Uggali your comment is so interesting Thank you for that! I live in a big city and I know nothing about living in a land. This year I'm very confused about La Niña effect. Too much rain, strong winds knocking down big old trees over cars, houses and electric wires leaving entire neighborhoods in a terrible state. In 56 years is the first time I experience something like this in Buenos Aires City - Argentina (Sorry about my English, I speak Spanish!)
It is so good to see you guys back! I love what you're doing with the land, and I'm excited to follow your adventures for this year!
Thankyou Dave and Rita , Project Kamp , keeps getting better and better .
I watched all the videos last year and still found this one very cool. I missed you so much. I joined the channel in the second year, the first video I saw, was the 1. year recap. Now I started to watch all the videos from the beginning, it is really interesting, where you started. What I miss from the last years video something you made at the beginning, let us see, how you live every day there. not just the projects. like showing the van, how to get shower, etc. I am really interested in such thing also: where do you sleep? do you stay for the whole winter also there? or you visit family for that time? do you make a vacation? or do you make plans in winter? I loved also the videos about the neighbours, that was hartwarming.
[5:50] I was sure you were going to renovate the other ruin in the middle land that has the three or four tiled rowhouse type ready made one person office rooms! As a "just" add roof" type of a thing - that of course it would not have been. - would have freed the skechy ruin from office work. And it had the old granite ruin beside it for maybe a tiny house for housing someone or one more office space.
I'm currently waiting for this time ! ❤❤❤ So excited
Please do longer videos! Thanks! glad you guys are back!
The ruin on the middleland could be the new office, it looks like the top is pretty flat, so you could make quite ease a wood based top floor, maybe even built it bigger as the structure below.
The old bit: bathroom / sleeping / stairs, the new top: kitchen, living room / office space with opening doors to a big balcony.
Bathroom and bedroom wont need a lot of daylight, and making Windows in the old big walls would be a nightmare.
Also, is the mimosa tree an option to use as building material? Stack them like a log cabin with thin walls for a storage space.
The mimosa lumber would still be a fire hazard. It would be really good for furniture and kitchen items like bowls, cups, utensils etc. Useful since so many people are coming and going now.
@@angelad.8944
So it could be a great heating source for the winter?
There is plenty around, and you have enough space to make a shelter for it to drie out during summer months, it probably is a light wood witch burns fast but there will be enough.
For an experimental wood shelter, you can try do make a dome out of living trees by bending them and binding them together, it takes a lot of time for them to grow in a solid structure and takes a bit of time to steer the branches by binding them to the right direction, but if it works it would be an amazing natural shelter.
Always lovely to be notified about a new Porject Kamp video!
There are more exciting things to look forward! I'm leaving a comment just to add up to your pile so the algorithm picks it up. More people need to see informative videos like yours.
Takk!
i would reconsider moving all the living quarters to the middle land!
as far as i have seen, it is protected from the wind in the middle of a low point, which means that insects should feel very comfortable there, especially in summer, as they are not exposed to wind and so on. and you have already seen here and there in various videos what the insect situation is like in general.
a slight slope with open paths would be more suitable to avoid being bitten by mosquitoes and other flying stuff.
Grazie.
If the issue with the pizza roof is based on the size of the plastic tiles (not having enough give for expansion and contractions) you might try making smaller tiles, in the shape most clay tiles are made in, to allow for overlap and locking together the way clay tiles do. This would eliminate the need for taping together edges and the smaller tiles should have more resistance to expansion/contraction. Also, smaller molds for the tiles COULD mean you could make them onsite, saving production and shipping costs!
Glad to see you back and looking forward to the new season.
Great to see you so up-beat about the year. I'm fascinated by this project and your community. Looking forward to your adventures with the land. All the best.
U guys are brilliant, patient and inclusive. I hope this becomes a success for so many governments to duplicate on a large scale.
Gotta say Dave you look refreshed and relaxed, happy about the coming season, and it all looks so well organised. Good vibes for future, congratulations, here's to a successful year. Well done already.
(Also, that is one heck of a To-Do list)
Also, Yeah. Fire. Not if but when. I'm sure you're getting all the advice you can. Would love to see a lot more about this in time. All the best.
Exciting to hear about your plans for the year! Can't wait to see how it works out :-)
Im new here on the channel, and now the second time hearing you speak i directly think that you must be related to the Dutchfarmer who’s in Portugal to, your accent and voice is so much like him! Thank you for this interesting channel! Kind regards from a Dutch women living in the north of Sweden.🙏
"Every few years." That is my one worry about all you've built up. The fact that the land is inhabited, maintained, alleviates some of that worry. As far as tractor/digger, try and find something that can do both. Add/remove attachment sort of thing. It'll be money well spent and invested into the land. (Also check the parts availability on said tractor. Wish I had done that)
I am really happy to see you again this year guys, much love from Tokyo!!
Buy the digger and do some terraces leaning slightly in to the mountain to catch water, and then reflorest them with native trees
I have nothing to say really, but I appreciate your content, and wish to help with the yt-algorithms.
I guarantee the best investment you can get is an industrial mulcher. I don’t think enough people think about this. One of the the first pieces of kit you should have is a mulcher to help alleviate the amount of scrub and green waste and turn it back into material for ground management, lock in moisture, “deep mulching” look it up & help keep plants sated during the drier months.
Unfortunately the biggest caveat is that you absolutely need to invest in quality. Whether it’s PTO or direct engine diesel. If you’re on a budget then anything under 10 grand is not going to be worth the time or effort unless you can get a good deal at an auction or something.
Munchers amazing but they’re a financial investment with a pretty decent starting price for anything worth even considering.
Secondly. I also highly recommend a strategy/plan to start sourcing free/cheap/second hand bricks, pavers, stone and start paving your project areas. The more you can build out an area with bricks/pavers ect the more you will be thankful for it in the wetter months.
I’m sure I don’t even need to ask if you’re sick of dragging mud & muck into your nice clean facilities in the wetter months.
If there are any clay pits around the land I’d also highly recommend utilising that natural resource and start firing your own pavers as well if you can.
Spring is officially here!
I don’t need daylight savings to make me feel happier or ready for spring and summer; this anticipation and love does a better job.
If possible, get a chipper shredder that hooks to your tractor PTO. You have a real need to crunch up all that understory dead wood before the fire god of summer ignites it 😮
You can dig up swales put the wood in them and then cover them with the dug out dirt. This creates a moisture trap, slows water, makes the soil super fertile and most important for you minimal fire risk.
I don't know how I missed it, but when your name came up above your head at 13:17, I was surprised to realise that prior to now, i didn't know your name. Been following since the beginning of Project Kamp!
I am interested in how your firebreak (with native trees) will work. I say this because the best fire break is one with nothing in it at all except maybe grass. Rock is even better. I tend to think the native trees left there will be sitting ducks if a fire does come through. All your plans sound terrific. You have a lot of areas of work to cover. Best wishes.
Make sure to fix the Pizza Hut first, everything else will be easy after that! Maybe even add a second location at the Community Center? I love your Kamp! I hope to live like this some day.
05:33 im gonna look forward to the Renovation of the Stonehouse the most ☺️👍🏻