From a Dry Field to a Lush Food Forest in 18 Months

An introduction to Regenerative Agroforestry Systems and one of our projects at Dalziel food-forest in the Sierra Nevada mountains in Southern Spain. Take a look around at what we have achieved with teacher, Ras John from SuperNatural Permaculture Association.

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[Dinofaustivoro]

"We dont grow plants, we grow soil. And the soil grows the plants for us".
This. This is the revolution.

[amouramarie]

It's really a change of perspective when you stop thinking of yourself as growing the plants, and start to think of the soil (or rather, the organisms in the soil) as the ones who are truly growing the plants. Then you switch from "How should I feed this plant?" to "How should I feed these critters in the soil?" It's amazing to see the results of you and similar channels doing this and the results you get.

[WorldWideGardeningWizard]

This video I spires me to think about how lucky we are to be alive during this gardening revolution. It will be fun to watch these gardens evolve over the years!

[synovoid]

I've got a piece of land in Wales, UK and I'm doing a spot of reforestation. I'm finding very much the same thing - pack the trees in close together and they do much better. Where they're more widely spaced they're much slower to establish. Even in the four summers I've been working on it, I've noticed how the soil has changed - less waterlogging in the winter, less run-off after heavy rain. The place has changed from a near-silent upland rough pasture to a young wood where the birdsong is deafening on a spring morning. Growth is more modest in our northerly climes, but it's already going faster than I thought it would. Thanks again for a fascinating video - looking forward to some more. There are very few environmental problems that can't be improved by having more trees!

[CVNZJoeMurphy]

Please make more content on this! I'd love to see where the forest is now.

[sandraleung]

Hello from Hong Kong! The landscape transformation is amazing!! Very proud of what you guys are achieving there. So glad to see the surge of ecology-based regenerative agriculture! A bit of information correction: Rhizobia is a group of nitrogen-fixing bacteria, not fungi. They receive sugar from legume plants (basically, the bean/pea family), and in turn, convert atmospheric nitrogen into bioavailable nitrates.

Also, for why the lone trees grow less well than the trees planted together, I suspect it's due for a few reasons: (1) trees do compete for sunlight. So if it's partially shaded by other trees, it'll stimulate hormonal changes and grow faster. (2) The mixed vegetation restores soil fertility and revives the soil microbe community, which is *crucial* to plant health - just like how a diverse gut microbiome boosts our health! The reduced erosion, accumulated soil organic matter and diverse plant community nourish the soil microbiome, which likely contains beneficial members like arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and plant-growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR).

Hope this information helps! Can't wait for more updates on this project :D

[phrayzar]

I very much hope that this channel continues to keep making content that can inspire and partnership the change we so desperately need. Youtube(and other public platforms) can be a very difficult option due to the amount of negativity that will be directed at anyone doing almost anything, but I feel that we are at a cultural shift right now and examples of alternate ways to create meaning in life with a positive outcome to the natural world is something that I applaud as loudly as possible.

[Tridhos]

I was in Spain recently and they have an amazing amount of dry arid land so this looks to be the way to go if they don't want things to get worse.

[otiliaczego]

Respect, much respect. I live near a huge forest, in New Zealand. This is what I see, made by nature. To attempt to give back what we've taken, to restore what was destroyed is the Creator's Mission in itself. 👍👍❤❤

[sbraga]

Hi, I been trying something similar in my small garden here in luxembourg, of course the weather it's a little bit more colder but I think I've had some results. I don't throw away nothing at all from the garden, everything goes to the ground. Love what you have done.

[kristafluit]

Really mesmerized by how you are able to teach such important knowledge through simple video's. Very inspiring, keep going!

[KimWilliamsystunisia]

Hello from Northern Tunisia. Thank you for taking the time to produce this video and sharing the fantastic results of your project to date.
I would be very interested to here more about the different types of trees that could be grown together. We have Olive and Citrus trees currently growing in two different areas of our newly purchased farm in a "soil" which is basically sand.
Excited to see how things progress. Keep up the work.

[viddachan]

I love it! I am subscribed… perfect timing! I am in Southern Mexico, at the base of one of the biggest mountain ranges in the country, facing the Pacific Ocean. The geography goes from ground zero (sea level) to highest point of 12, 000 ft. At ground zero, temperature range 80-85 with high humidity and very little rain, yet 20 minutes inland at the beginning of the foothills, it can be 10-15 degree cooler with a fair amount of rain. Further up, lots of fog and a good amount of rain. I have been looking for a small piece of land for a small food forest farm but in the mountaintops where it is very lush and green, it is mostly coffee and pine forests. More recently, I found some land closer to the sea but it is very dry due to it’s two seasons: dry and wet. But a few folks have managed to create litttle oases of tropical fruit trees. Your channel has given me hope.

[bekindlove]

Love it!! Feed the soil! You're proving to everyone that your system works! Keep it up! The video production looks great! You'll have 10, 000 subscribers in no time!!

[ramhornjoe]

Very nice, new subscriber. Just moved onto a rural piece of land in South East Missouri USA right before winter hit. We're very excited to see how it evolves as we start working with it. Theres lots of clay and rocks & a tremendous amount of hardwood trees like hickory, red & white oak. Started water harvesting systems already & are doing everything off grid.

[yvanapantino]

Tbh, I didn't really notice your 'mistakes' bc I was more interested in the species you had planted. I say well done for your thoughtful narrative and please keep making more videos (even with 'imperfections').

[torheggelund]

This is amazing. Thank you so much for taking the time to film and share this !! Really looking forward to more updates !!!!

[BamBamMaori]

Love the way you explain things, makes it easier to understand the methods you use to achieve your outcomes

[nowakevelyne]

Thank you ! We are in the south-France and we are also working from the perspective of global warming. Everything is very dry here. We are planting double rows of fig trees this year to install shade and humidity, and cover the ground. Your experience is very interesting.

[drkhubalkarmakarandvk.]

Thank you for producing the video after sharing so much time with your plants.
I am from Nagpur, Maharashtra, India.