Maxime Hababou

John Polk wrote:
Permies to the rescue: http://www.plantmaps.com/interactive-france-plant-hardiness-zone-map-celsius.php

That's one great link thanks!

Hugel beds seem best in my situation as the only source of water so far is a fountain about 100 metes away. I plan to make two them on those 32m² I have, though that's to be confirmed once I've mapped out everywith althing and know the location better. As I have limited space to grow for the moment with all the trees I have to decide what method is best to keep my plant safe until I can care for them daily. It might be more work to get going, but it seems like the best method to me. Since all the materials are readily available I think I should be able to make them in one or two weeks in february.
Maybe some raised beds would be simpler although I don't intend on bringing any soil from elsewhere, I'd like to stick to what's directly available, and I don't know yet the top layer soil quantity and quality.

The terrace I have cleared so far was quite free of trees so roots shouldn't be too much of a problem. I spent a night there in a tent, the spot doesn't get a lot sun of in the morning but it's great in the afternoon, and during the summer I'll be able free up some space for more sun to get to it. The hill is south facing-ish, once again I'll have more details in a couple of weeks.

Planting berries is a really good idea, I was thinking of doing that in the summer to have time to really think of the best location but maybe it doesn't need to be that late. Would they be okay being planted in the middle of winter?

I like to dream about a summer of home grown meals, but I know that it most probably is just going to be just complimentary in the first place. Thankfully I have some family nearby that can keep an eye on things, get the plants started indoor or in glass if I can afford one by spring. Growing a large variety of things is definitely on the list, I'll plan that once the rest is taken care of. I know there's going to be many things that won't work out, this is where good planning to looking ahead can help limit problems, hopefully. I've had so little time to spend there that it still feels a bit unreal to me so I'm trying to be realistic.
Anyway one learns more from something not working out, right?

But who knows, with a bit of luck the weather will be kind to the inexperienced gardener I am.
You're by no means discouraging, I know it will take a couple of years to set everything up but that's the exciting part! There's always something new to think about.

Hey folks!

It's time for me to start the adventure and make myself a little permaculture nest.
I'm now the happy owner of a lovely little piece of land, 3000m² (.75acre) near Carcassonne in the south of France. It's a slope with some terracing done, mostly a forest. My plan in the long run is to have a small cob house there and probably turn it into a food forest.

As for now though, I'm studying 300km away from it, giving me only 1-2 weeks in December, February and April to get it ready for me to live there over the summer. In order to reduce costs my priority is to get hugel beds started and have summer meals sorted. I cleared the terrace that has the most sun and piled up wood laying about under 32m² of tarp in October, it sure is handy to start with a forest

Here's my checklist for December:
-Measure and map out the space
-Identify trees and plants
-test soil and ph
-get more wood under tarp

It's what came to mind. I have a basic understanding of how to do these things are done but any pointers are welcome. Surely I also missed something, and I can't wait to see what it is.
I'm sure it will be a bit of challenge given how little time I'm given, but I think it can be done.

Here's a nifty link to information on the climate I have, I don't know what zone that makes it but if someone could me it would be very useful.
http://fr.climate-data.org/location/642828/

I'm eager to be there in a couple of weeks and get started, I'll make sure to get some photos then.

That's a fair point. I'm going to see a carpenter in December, I'm mostly trying to consider the different options.
A shed kit would cost about 1200euro.

I hope the carpenter will be a cheaper option. Be it for knowing where the materials come from, having more of an input on design, and working locally.
I'll have to keep it frugal and improve gradually. As all my savings went into buying the land, it will depend on how much I can make with my night job. My goal is to build a 20m2 house over the summer, having only school holidays to do prep work on the land. It has to efficient enough for me to live in it in two years. The earlier I can live in it, the more work I can do on the land.

Being close to a village I'm yet to see the cost of having access to water. I'm waiting to hear back on that before considering pluming. There's a fountain nearby so for now I can live without it.
Same goes with electricity, If i can afford a small solar setup I will otherwise I have family nearby so it's not necessary.

Hopefully I'll be able to afford it all otherwise I'll just wing it with an old trailer until more money comes my way

Hey folks,

I recently got some land that I will eventually live on. Being a student I have a fairly limited funds and I'm considering the different options for a small home that would be both efficient and cheap. I'll be working on it over the holidays and summers for the next 2 years, until my studies are done.

Being in France and having limited knowledge in construction, I don't think a "traditional" cob house is not an option for me. Building a structure and roof seems a bit out of reach and a hiring someone to do it for me would cost too much. The benefits of cob regarding thermal mass are not to be ignored though, hence my question. Where I am I can afford a wood shed, home depot kit sort of thing. To me it sounds like a good base to start from.

Would it be viable to add a insulating layer (hemp or whatever), followed by a layer of cob for thermal mass on the inside?

The result would be a shed from the outside (so no issues with building permits, neighbors complaining about aesthetics or whatever) and super efficient and creative look inside (sculpted cob is just wonderful). To me it seems like the cheapest and most efficient way to have a small house (20 square meters). That is not too hot in the summer and good a keeping the heat inside during winter.

Ideally I want a home as natural as possible, that requires very little fuel to heat. While the wood from a home depot shed is probably treated with not so eco friendly materials, it seems like the most easily available/cheap option to me.

I'm open to anything, even widely different from what mentioned above.

Looking forward to your input.

Bonjour!

Heureux de voir que d'autres personnes en France sont sur ce forum.

It's nothing huge really but it's plenty enough to learn and practice what I need.
It's very close to Limoux, at the very beggining of the mountains between France and Spain. Maybe South of Carcassonne will give you a better idea. The land itself is pretty neat, I was told it used to be an orchard over 30 years ago however I haven't found signs of it (there are a couple a fig tree already in place).

So far it's pretty much a forest on a slope, south facing, with a couple of terraces already in place. There's a flat path going through it and that's about it. The vegetation is mostly composed of pine although some oaks are present, most of the trees are quite young and the soil already seems very forest like to me. Overall it's 3000m².

I didn't get to spend much time there as I'm still dealing with the whole financial aspect of things but I will return there soon enough to get to know more on the plants and soil conditions there. So far I plan on getting some huglekultur mounds on a terrace I've cleared, and have a small caravan attached to a greenhouse. That will hopefully be enough to put me until everything is in place.
My intent in the long run is to set up a food forest on most of the land.

As I'm studying 300kms away from my land it will be a bit of a slow start, I'm hoping to be able have a veggie patch in place by spring so I can spend the summer there with food.

Here's a lonely photo of it.
I really need to take more :]


I have to say I'm loving the slope and terraces, makes the place much more charming than a flat empty field.

Hey folks!

My name's Maxime but I tend to go by Pumpkinwaffle on the web. I'm an art student living in the south of France. I like to do many things but one thing I like most is learning.
I've always loved nature but now I've come to realise that I don't want to be living in a city. I'd much rather be surrounded by many plants and few persons than the opposite.

Luckily, I've come accros some absurdingly cheap land. I mean seriously, being able to afford land as a student seems so unreal at the moment.
It has a lot of charm but might be a bit of a challenge for a beginner. I won't go into much detail here as I'll open up a thread about it at some point.

While I do know a bit about plants, permaculture and sustainability, I do not yet think my knowlege scales to an actual piece of land. But thankfully my studies won't be over for another two years, which leaves me plenty of time to learn and get something going before even living there.

You probably won't see much of me until I've read threads and have more of plan to run by the expert roaming here.
Until then, folks.