Water are we doing?

Time tested, permanent and seasonal structures to hold water.
Water storage in creek beds in dry season and water storage in tanks, and more.

Pic. 1 - View to the creek dam "door" open. this is a stacked dry stone structure/wall on the left and right side of the door. The door is closed in the beginning of the dry season to fill the dam with water to be piped and channeled in earth and stone waterways to the crop fields-terraces.

 

 Pic. 2 - View from the inside of the creek dam. Pebbles and gravel acumulates inside, brougth down by the strong stream during the rainy time.

 

Pic. 3 - View to inside of the left part of the creek bed wall.Gravel, sands and silts acumulate on this side.

Pic. 4 - View to inside of the right part of the vegetated creek bed wall. Stones and pebbles acumulate on this side.

Pic. 5 - View from above to the water spring dam. Dam wall composed of dry stone, soil and natural-spontaneous vegetation.

Pic. 6 - Another view from above. On the left side of the dam wall we can already see the water channel that takes water to both sides of the valley, on a gentle off-contour water way. Where we see a red dot there is a entrance of a "on the valley bed rock" water channel-tunnel built with dry stone under the soil of the 2 lower terraces and takes water to third terrace below.

Pic. 7 - Another iew from above to the spring water dam. Corn field terrace, row of grape vines, and very steep grey and black slope in front. Grey and black after the fire....

Pic. 8 - View to the outside of a creek bed concrete wall with metal door.

Pic. 9 and 10 - View to the mortar and stone wall tank, built on the ridge above the hamlet. During the wet season it grows moss on the water.

Pic. 11 - View to the seasonal creek bed dam. The dam wall is composed of 2 or 3 flat xist, slate pieces and soil to fill the gaps in between. On the right there is a walking path and a terrace retaining wall. Grape vines and another terrace retaining wallcovered with hebs on the left.

The Compost Shower Workshop at Aldeia das Amoreiras (Odemira)

For more pictures showing in detail how it was built:

https://plus.google.com/photos/100549245946323259121/albums?banner=pwa&gpsrc=pwrd1#photos/100549245946323259121/albums/5742502890583528481

after potatoe picking - earthworks for cabbage seedlings

We are in the mid of dry season, potoates were harvested.

In the same soil cabbage will follow and get the kickstart of end summer heat and grow and thrive through the frosty wet season

Compost was not added at this start stage for the cabbage.

The preparation was to open about 12-14 swales, 30 cms apart, 4 metres long, 20 cm deep and wide.

After, seedlings were planted in the trench and flood irrigated until the return of the rainy season (1 to 2 months after).

 Pic. 1 - Row of vines along the edge, on a 90º angle to the contour line. Swales are nearly ready to receive cabbage seedlings.

 Pic. 2 - Soil is soft and it is easy to open these swales.

 Pic. 3 - Another row of vines parallel to the swales and a roll of wire mesh on the corner, to fence goats, as some of this area will become pasture in the wet season.

 Pic. 4 - Row of grape vines on the left (for home made wine), and still growing corn field in front.

3 generations picking potatoes - recalling last summer holidays

For hundreds of years grandparents, parents and children would live together and there was no separation between work and play time!
This photos are from last summer - August 2012 - family gathering for potatoe picking, that lasted for about 2 hours.
All this children (grandsons) were in the village for summer holidays in the grandparents home. For the rest of the year they live in the city.

Potatoe plant stems and leaves (some already whithered) had been cut a few days before and used to feed the goats. After being cut they wither for 1 or 2 days and only then are given to the goats or sheep.

Picture of potatoe plant roots.

Potatoes were planted in April, the soil around them was raked to kill weeds and break soil water capillary evaporation and were mulched only before the first flood irrigation, and then continued irrigated in June, July and August, until one week or so before harvest.

After picking all the potatoes from the soft soil, it was prepared to plant palm cabbage seedlings. Compost was not added at this start stage for the cabbage.

The preparation was to open about 12-14 swales, 30 cms apart, 4 metres long, 20 cm deep and wide.

After, seedlings were planted in the trench and flood irrigated until the return of the rainy season (1 to 2 months after).