Steph Range

Hello all,
I'm currently trying to locate a nursery that supplies Red Dragon Fruit saplings within Europe. I would greatly appreciate any pointers in the right direction!

Thank you for the information. I thought the same CJ, he is selling her for a low price, but it might not even be worth it.
Elizabeth I just made an account on the Goat Spot, it's a great forum!
Thank you again for everything!

Hello hopefully all is well! I am located in Portugal and I am interested in buying a few milk goats. I spoke to the owner of this gal, and he doesnt know what breed she is, he told me used her for getting rid of the blackberry bushes he had.
Could someone please help identify this lady?
Also if you know of someone selling some milk goats in Portugal please get in comment or get in contact!

Thank you Dave for all that useful info! We will try to talk to some local cafes about getting their used coffee grounds. It would be a good idea to mix the amendments with the manure and the coffee grounds.
Allen- there is no top soil over here on the land, if i could upload the photos i would show you. Neighbours have sold their sandy soil-just sand really- to cement companies because it is so pure and free of any organic matter. The only organic matter that has made topsoil is the moss in some small patches, Im not really sure how the pine grows so well.

We looked more into different green mulches- we're thinking of making seeds balls of clover, buckwheat, phacelia and fenugreek as pioneer species to accelerate the process.

Does anyone know any info about using Kaolin clay for sandy soil? I have a limited amount of info and am not sure if it safe to use or not.
Thanks to all!

Thank you all for the responses.
S Bengi, if you don't mind me asking, why do you recommend not cutting down the acacia and removing the current plant life? And what form of Mg would be best used?
Thank you for the input
I will see if i can talk to a local lumber company. Would using coffee grounds make the soil too acidic however?

Hello to all!
Knowing that this is such a great resource, We are in need of some help! We live in central coastal Portugal, zone 9. We are setting up an herb/tea and honey company on our 3.5 acres of land. However our soil is not so much like soil. Picture are below to get an idea. It is almost as barren as beach sand with the exception of moss, acacia and pine growing in it.
We need to amend it in order to make it fertile and not drain so quickly. We are planning to do some hugelkultur with tree stumps (it is all we have), however we need some amendments for the "now". Bill Mollison's books, a Designers Manual, states Zinc Sulphate 2:1 with lime at 1g/m2 should be used for coastal sandy soil. We were planning on adding the zinc sulphate + lime, kaolin clay and manure- which we would rototill together. Afterwards we would add some earthworms to accelerate things. Then in August we would plant Clover and Buckwheat as pioneer plants via seed balls. We would let them grow through part of the rainy season (rainy season here is fall-winter) and chop and drop a few weeks before spring, to be used as a green manure. Hopefully by then we would be able to plant our herbs and some trees.
We would really appreciate any input and comments on our planned amendments.
Thank you in advance permies!

Hello! I am currently looking to purchase several varieties of berry rootstock to plant in Portugal come the spring. However, I am having some difficulty with international shipping, and find it may be easier to purchase the rootstock within Europe. Specifically, I am looking for Goji, Rasperry (Autumn Britten preferably), and Elderberry (Sambucus Nigra as well as York or Nova). I really appreciate help with vendors etc.!

Paulo, the land is secluded from the main town, The olive trees are grown right up to the street and extend a quarter mile back into the land. We would build deep in the property, perhaps where the second shed is.We would definitely try schmoozing the council:wink:. We had most in mind selling in the big cities, where my parents live.
As you know, in portugal you don't need a whole lot to get by. We've significantly cut down our expenses and plan on cutting down further when we get there, to the point that our only expenses are diesel, internet(about 15-20 euros a month), phone(cheap in portugal) and food(free for the most part). We use clay for toothpaste, no shampoo, no deodorant, no television, etc., my point being we don't need a whole lot.
Thank you for all the info, I'll jot down some of those cash crops as well.

Thank you so much Frank for that info! We do have 2 sheds already set up on property, that would be great if either are registered. All the info you gave us is great! We truly appreciate it. We will make sure to keep this updated. The specialty items(homemade organic jams, pate) will probably sell in the feiras in the big cities, closest to us would aveiro and porto. Also we might consider exporting specialty items, perhaps mushrooms and etc...
Thank you Jose, we just might get in contact in the future, we're definitely interested in buying good quantities of saplings. Miss. Right will come around when you least expect it!

Thank you Guy for that amazing Ted talk, definitely something we would consider.
Thank you Paulo! We plan on setting up in Guarda. Solar panels is not something we are considering just yet. We plan on using grid electricity which does run already through the property. Irrigation is already set up, his grandfather set up a system supplying free water.
I've lived in Portugal for a few years also, I love the climate.
Paulo, I've been trying to brainstorm summer cash crops: legumes, melons, certain herbs.....do any more off the top of your head? Thank you again
Dawn, you're right I'll see if some of these specialty mushrooms are in demand, perhaps local restaurants are using them.
Thank you for all the responses so far!