Hansel Bierjardin

I live in the Ecuador Andean mountains alt. 8,100-8,900 feet.

Just finished a Geoff Lawton lecture. In which he stated very briefly about his work on the Ecuadorian Equator. He stated "thought is would be easier planning sun sectors at the tropics", "it get awfully complicated". Mid summer and mid winter day, sun is the furthest away. Half the time in the north, half in the southern sky. "you got to think about it" he says... Example being, planting fruit trees East to West created short fat trees, and planting North to South created shading, so they all grew tall and slim. Put them in a circle you get a wave of height: sounds cool. He said "It is quiet different and reasonable complicated" referring to Ecuador's sun path. I should probably find books on Inca growing techniques and morph it into PC methods. I do have the "Lost crops of the Inca" Haven't read it in depth. But mostly about crops from a quick skim.

I am Planning for thermal mass heating, sun angles and the like? Luckily the weather here is pretty great year round, however in the rainy season it can get cold, and so we need to heat the house during that time. Nov-April (wet season) What resources are out there for planting/building- planning for Sun, Seasons on or near the equator?? Hope this isn't a stupid question, I thought after years of researching I would stumble upon some good leads, but yet haven't.

Oh, one more question, anyone familiar with solutions for 'no see 'ems', a very popular bug that bits you until you get indoors?


Referencing Geoff Lawton Permaculture Design Cert. Course Disc 04 42:10 min mark
Thanks

Annah Rachel wrote:I'm going to Ecuador to study Spanish for a couple months, and then I plan on working on a farm for a few weeks, at least. I'd like to find a place in Ecuador like Ecovillage Ecotruly Park in Lima, Pera. Anyone know of anything??

Madre Tierra is in Vilcabamba, Ecuador. It's a hotel, but they are in the early stages of volunteer program.
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From the future: An optimist’s view of music

The view at Yves Zehnder's Sacred Sueños farm in Vilcabama, Ecuador. Photo by Jenn Hardy.
Two-and-a-half hours walk up a mountain in Vilcabamba, Ecuador, lives a 34-year-old red-headed farmer named Yves Zehnder. He is a farmer in every sense of the word: this is no side project, and he has no additional day job. He works hard every day from sunrise to sunset (and sometimes beyond) managing the 10 hectares of land he lives on.
Fearing that his frustration with our society might turn him into an eco-terrorist, Zehnder left his home in northern Ontario 14 years ago, and five years ago decided to live sustainably in the south of Ecuador. A mere $1,400 in his bank account gave him residency and home became a tent on top of an Andean mountain. He lived in the tent for six months while he single-handedly built the adobe brick communal facilities the farm labourers now use.
At first, life at the farm, called Sacred Sueños, was hard. When he arrived at his mountainside property nothing would grow except bracken fern. The soil, because of the unsustainable slash-and-burn farming in the area, was basically infertile. In retrospect, would he have chosen land with better soil? “No,” he says. “It taught me patience and perseverance. It was an ethical decision to change poor soil into something fertile. I didn’t want to be a frivolous white boy who buys good land and has it all. This way I have been able to find solutions to big problems and share that knowledge.”

This is where you want to go for the real deal!!!

Also check out Neverland Farm just a bus ride from Vilcabamba. If you are hardcore, this is the area you want to be in... Like minded people down there.

ecuaforest McCoy wrote:Hello all,
I will be starting a food forest in Ecuador with the land I have bought but will not be living there for about 2 years.  I have about 2 hectares and plan to have mostly fruit.  What I am wanting to ask is how should I begin here?  I have considered planting an orchard of fruit trees (jackfruit, passionfruit, custard apples, etc.) and let them grow themselves until I return and upon my return possibly try to drown out the in between plants with mulch and start productive shade tolerant guys on top of that.  I would like to get to be self sustainable as quickly as possible, hence the desire for the head start.

Ecuador does have many micro climates. Reason for the biodiversity. This Country, Ecuador, I live here too, depends on elevation for sure, and then humidity is an important factor as well. I know we can grow apples here, but need to be high enough for a frost. Does custard apple need something similar? Where are you growing here?

I am just starting to compile a list of crops that do well at different climates. I am outside of Cuenca 8,000-9,000 feet, so working in that elevation. I Would love to compare notes on micro climates and plant accordingly. Best of luck!