Gardening in Portugal. Sailing in Devon.

[simplesamen]

Hello all,
I live on a boat in the south of England, currently floating around Devon. Living on a boat is wonderful, but I do miss gardening! So i just bought a tiny plot of land in Portugal where I can get dirt under my fingernails! The land is my new adventure...it has an olive tree, a fig tree and a couple of pomegranate trees and I'm enthusiastically researching what potential native edibles and drought tolerant plants I can add. I've been collecting seeds and taking cuttings and cant wait to begin planting this autumn. I completed my PDC several years ago, and enjoy the permaculture way of gardening. A real sponge for knowledge too, I"m looking forward to learning new gardening techniques from you all!
If anyone has any suggestions for edible/drought tolerant plants that might do well in Portugal (zone 10), I'd love to hear your thoughts. Also keen to hear if anyone is considering or has already established off-grid irrigation, or has any organic soil building tips to share. Looking forward to getting to know you all and becoming part of this little community. Helllooooo 😊

[veggiechicken]

Hi and welcome to the Forum.

You must have one of the most challenging and widespread gardens of anyone here. No chance of popping out to do the watering!!
Will you sail over to Portugal for the winter?

[Jay-ell]

Hallo and welcome.

WOW - front door in Devon - back garden in Portugal, that's some place you got there.

Sounds like you're in a unique situation there.

How much time are you going to be spending in Portugal (are are you taking the boat with you)? Will you be there for long stretches or just a week at a time.

What's the climate like in the part you've got your garden?

I'm guessing here but you're probably have to do a lot of perennials and mulching, plus a lot of compost to build up the soil. Looks like you could either go for really quick growing veg or stuff that's going to be around for a long while.

[Lumpy]

Hello and welcome to the Vine.

[Chestnut]

Hello and welcome.
I am a relative novice, growing on wet clay in Lancashire, but we do have a few regulars who garden in Europe and USA.
How much of the year will you spend on your new plot? Will it become a permanent home? Or visit occasionally?
If the latter, then definitely perennials...
There’s a book I read earlier in the year which might interest you (either interlibrary loan or kindle download) called ‘perennial vegetables; from artichoke to zuiki taro’ by Eric Toensmeir. It’s written for USA market, so you would need to work out the USDA zone equivalent for your Portugal garden, but has lots of ideas

[simplesamen]

Hi and welcome to the Forum.

You must have one of the most challenging and widespread gardens of anyone here. No chance of popping out to do the watering!!
Will you sail over to Portugal for the winter?

Thank you veggie chicken
Indeed! Watering will definitely be the biggest challenge in the first couple of years! I hope to install some rudimentary irrigation system this year and then build and adapt this to the land and climate as I learn more. I'll leave the boat in Devon this winter and drive across with my car full of tools and seeds and seedlings to begin mapping and observing the land. Collecting local native seeds and taking cuttings, as well as building a little shade cloth for the seedlings next summer. Will sail across to Portugal at some point but, I'm really enjoying Devon at the moment!

[Small pumpkin]

Welcome to the vine
What a fantastic way of life
I'm afraid I'm not going to have much advice for you. I'm used to a slightly wetter, colder climate for growing.

I look forward to updates on your garden. I'd love to here more about your boat and other places you've visited on it

[simplesamen]

Hallo and welcome.

WOW - front door in Devon - back garden in Portugal, that's some place you got there.

Sounds like you're in a unique situation there.

How much time are you going to be spending in Portugal (are are you taking the boat with you)? Will you be there for long stretches or just a week at a time.

What's the climate like in the part you've got your garden?

I'm guessing here but you're probably have to do a lot of perennials and mulching, plus a lot of compost to build up the soil. Looks like you could either go for really quick growing veg or stuff that's going to be around for a long while.

Thanks Jay-ell,

That's a lovely way to think about it.... front door in Devon, back garden in Portugal!

My initial plan is to head out this autumn. Possibly late September/early October and spend the winter there to make the most of the cooler temperatures and higher rainfall. I'll drive across this first year with a car full of tools and random gardening stuff! It makes sense to take the boat but it would be such a fabulous sail, its a shame to rush it this year.

Climate is hot dry summers, mild wetter winters. Very little rainfall through the summer months so I think you're right, I'll be mulch mulch mulching! The summer temperate this year ranged between 30 and 40 degrees!

I'd like to start a composting bin as soon as I arrive. Also wondered about throwing in all my old veggie seeds to create a quick living mulch and generate fodder for the compost bin.

I'm hoping to get as many tree saplings planted this autumn as possible. Mostly fruit. But would like to try some nut trees too. And yes, lots of perennials!

Any suggestions for favourite edible perennials?

[simplesamen]

Hello and welcome to the Vine.

Thank you Lumpy, such a lovely vine to hangout on too!

[simplesamen]

Hello and welcome.
I am a relative novice, growing on wet clay in Lancashire, but we do have a few regulars who garden in Europe and USA.
How much of the year will you spend on your new plot? Will it become a permanent home? Or visit occasionally?
If the latter, then definitely perennials...
There’s a book I read earlier in the year which might interest you (either interlibrary loan or kindle download) called ‘perennial vegetables; from artichoke to zuiki taro’ by Eric Toensmeir. It’s written for USA market, so you would need to work out the USDA zone equivalent for your Portugal garden, but has lots of ideas

Fabulous book suggestion, thank you Chestnut! Ill be ordering that one straight away. I think you're right about the perennial route, and a book with an A to Z listing will satiate my thirst for learning new varieties! I hope to spend most of the winters there planting and prepping the plot, and gradually work towards spending more time throughout the coming years. Interspersed between the sailing season, of course!

Thanks for the warm welcome and great suggestions!

[simplesamen]

Welcome to the vine
What a fantastic way of life
I'm afraid I'm not going to have much advice for you. I'm used to a slightly wetter, colder climate for growing.

I look forward to updates on your garden. I'd love to here more about your boat and other places you've visited on it

Thank you kindly small pumpkin, cold and wet maybe, but what a fabulous place to call home!

I'll be documenting the garden progress, with lots of pictures (I'm a keen photographer) once I work out how and where to post such things!

The boat is a Vancouver 32, used to have a Nova 27 which I sailed out of Preston up to Piel Island, and down to Brittany, via Wales, and Isles of Scilly. Sold the 27 in Brittany (where she now lives) and came back to UK to buy the 32. This is my first year exploring the south coast of Cornwall and Devon on the 32 and loving her!

I notice you're 'gone fishing' tag. I'm just learning to fish from the boat (handline at the mo) but so far have caught several mackerel and one bass. Would love to hear more about your fishing adventures...and any fishing tips for a newbie!

[simplesamen]

There’s a book I read earlier in the year which might interest you called ‘perennial vegetables; from artichoke to zuiki taro’ by Eric Toensmeir. It’s written for USA market, so you would need to work out the USDA zone equivalent for your Portugal garden, but has lots of ideas

Just a quick update and another THANK YOU! Checked out the book Chestnut, I thought I recognised the name Eric Toensmeier. He also wrote the 'Paradise Lot: Two Plant Geeks, One-Tenth of an Acre, and the Making of an Edible Garden Oasis in the City'.

Very big on permaculture and developing edible forests - both are very much in tune with my own plans for the plot, so have ordered both books! Looking forward to planting lots of exciting perennial veggie varieties and sharing what I learn on here!

[veggiechicken]

Paradise Lot is a great read. It written like a biography but by the end of it, you have a sound knowledge of how to plan a productive permaculture garden. Once I started reading it, I didn't want it to end.

[Small pumpkin]

Thank you kindly small pumpkin, cold and wet maybe, but what a fabulous place to call home!

I'll be documenting the garden progress, with lots of pictures (I'm a keen photographer) once I work out how and where to post such things!

The boat is a Vancouver 32, used to have a Nova 27 which I sailed out of Preston up to Piel Island, and down to Brittany, via Wales, and Isles of Scilly. Sold the 27 in Brittany (where she now lives) and came back to UK to buy the 32. This is my first year exploring the south coast of Cornwall and Devon on the 32 and loving her!

I notice you're 'gone fishing' tag. I'm just learning to fish from the boat (handline at the mo) but so far have caught several mackerel and one bass. Would love to hear more about your fishing adventures...and any fishing tips for a newbie!

Very nice looking yacht. I had to google it .
We've got a little 1970s microplus that we just potter around the local area wildlife watching and fishing. Best fishing tip I can give is don't get a hook in your finger! It *^#$ing hurts...............as I discovered a couple of weeks ago . Another tip is patients, lots and lots of patients. There's quick a few of us on here that like our fishing.

[chillithyme]

Welcome
Sounds magnificent,best of both worlds