Our project in the village of Kosovo turns 25 this year! Back in 2000, we became the owners of an abandoned Rhodope hamlet with the beautiful name Rahovitza. For many years in a row, with patience and imagination, we have been restoring the buildings with local building materials and ecological techniques, acquiring all the necessary extras of modern comfort: bathroom, kitchen, hot solar water, solar electricity, good insulation…
As a legacy from the previous owners – shepherds, we have old fruit trees: cherries, apples, plums. But they are of a very old age and we know that sooner or later they will stop bearing fruit. Last fall, I was given the opportunity to attend a permaculture design course in Portugal, and then the idea was born to separate and improve a part of the property and turn it into an orchard forest garden – an orchard, because there will be fruit trees; forest, because we are located at 1000 m. above sea level and in addition to trees, we will also plant edible shrubs.
We chose the place to place the garden after a lot of conversations and discussions. We settled on the steepest section – with an almost 40-degree slope. It is difficult to get around and take care of anyway and would not be used for anything else. Last fall, with the help of an excavator from the neighboring village of Hvoyna, we formed four large terraces that follow the natural relief of the hill and dug fifty holes. The biggest challenge turned out to be laying electric fence. Initially, we settled on a fence made of acacia stakes. We delivered the stakes, but we could not drive any of them in because the soil is very rocky. Then we had to change the concept – we purchased iron sticks cut into 2-meter lengths. We drove the thin metal rods in no time, they went in by themselves! We made a double fence because we read that it is most effective for deer – the animals from which we need to protect the young trees.
The trees we planted are: apples, plums, medlars, jujube, cherries and sour cherries. To them we will also add edible shrubs: hazelnuts, American blueberries, Goji berries, blackberries and a few vines. Our project is in its very early stages. We will also add a few beehives, which will help with pollination. We thank the volunteers who supported us from the bottom of our hearts and we hope that the adventure will continue!ARTICLE_01 ARTICLE_02 ARTICLE_03 ARTICLE_04
