With good progress being made inside our Portuguese farmhouse renovation, it’s time to take a look at a bit of landscaping. We have some big plans for our one acre plot of land – down in the veg garden, future vineyard, orchards and olive groves – but also around the house.
Today we’re looking at a path we travel frequently that needs some design improvements. We have a set of concrete stairs that lead up to our veg garden but they have some issues: they’re unattractive, the steps are too tall and they don’t provide access to where we go most often – the vegetable garden.
The plan is to build some natural stone stairs and carve out a new path up to the garden. This will involve a bit of demolition to undo what was previously there but by the end of this episode, things should be much clearer.
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I would have sworn there was going to be an iconic scene 🎬 of Ghost inserted in there😊
A chainsaw and soil is a very bad combination. Sand on the chain will ruen it.
Recommend cutting off most (not all) of the leaves on the cuttings you are propagating. This will give the cuttings a break because they don’t have to support the water / nutrition needs of all those leaves (leaves transpire) and instead put more effort into growing roots and new leaves. Leave 1-3 leaves though so the cuttings can get energy from photosynthesis.
That branch crusher is a miracle machine 😮. Lots of branches with leaves go in on the top and nothing comes out 😂.
You should have rented a ……………..With the new stairs more or less in place, you are planning to remove the old concrete stairs I understand. Good luck. When pushing the wheelbarrow with stones I heard: O woops"" and thought : "Oopsie daisies………………….little girls with Ringletts don't even say that anymore……". "I never promised you a rose garden…."
I've had the greatest success propagating new roses from cuttings by just pruning off a thicker stem and sticking it directly into the ground. Every time I've tried to pot them they have failed. Hope yours are more successful than mine.
Both of you are sure not afraid of hard physical work to have your dreams come true, admire your work and dreams. Blessings
Love this YouTube video on the garden
The Ventians built the best steps in the world. You don
t need to alter your walking pace in the least just to ascend them going up bridges and so on. You don't notice you are climbing in the least. Clever Venetians. And clever you centreing your clay on the first try. It just can't be the first try. You should keep your first attempts as when you are really good you simply can't reproduce those shapes and general freshness again. But get the Venetian's measurements, Venice steps are second to none.
Re cuttings. Best to remove leaves, they will evaporate moisture from the stem and reduce chance of rooting. The professionals suggest a leafless stem is most effective. Best stored out of direct sunlight. Good luck.
I don’t want to be a downer, but I just had terrible luck trying to propagate a few geranium cuttings this fall. I had six (3 in water & 3 in potting soil) and they all died: not a single one grew any roots at all despite using a root hormone. Wishing you much better luck than I had, lol.
I love the rounded staircase that you’re working on, it will be much more graceful than the block steps that are already there. I think your vision is much clearer than you think it is, and it will all come out beautifully.😊
Landscaping. Yahoo!!!!😅
it will always work out, be patient; rome wasnt built in a day!
live, now, first. second rest. old age demands energy reserves…
good luck! 🤠😎
Loved this❤
I have climbing roses, all I do is cut a ten inch piece and stick them in the ground. I’d say over 50% grow and I just stick them in the soil in my yard. I’ve even started them in Winter but Florida doesn’t have very harsh winters. Although we do get several freezes and the Roses don’t seem to mind it. Just Sayin !
Cut all the leaves off so the cutting will focus on new shoots😊, your landscaping L👀KS G👀D🤩. Mixing things up helps, little bit here & a little bit there. Loving your progress, watching you here from Australia 🇦🇺
You should call the path around your house the Critical Path.
Hi from South Africa. Perhaps you could display some potplants on those steps. It would save you a lot of work. I was thinking of some herbs as well as flowers. Just an idea.
Given your adult beverage penchants, I can't believe you haven't put grapes in under the grape trellis yet…
Yall are so brave and strong mentally and physically. I would love to come visit and help and hang out one day. I live in Texas.
We propagated roses successfully by doing what you did, but we trimmed off more of the leaves, and dipped the stems in honey (natural antibiotic) rather than rooting hormone powder. For the first week or so we covered the plants loosely with clear plastic to keep the humidity level high and then removed it when we noticed new growth starting. The honey seemed to be the magic! We also used this method for (successfully) propagating, rosemary, lavender and geraniums. Good luck! Love your approach to this whole endeavour!
Öh dear you make me smile !!! Love this video !!!
I am interested in what purpose that concrete trellis/tunnel thingie was used for?
I love roses. They will love being planted in their own space. You will make the area beautiful. Love the journey with you.❤️🇨🇦
Exciting to see how your stair project will come out
I just couldn’t look when you wrecked the tree. Was it possible to relocate it?
I find roses growing from cuttings easily you may have to wait a bit longer than spring but I'm sure the heat in Portugal will help. Here in Suffolk UK it's about a year for my cuttings to be planted out good luck !
You know what's more fun? A mini digger and pottery
Was great to have a small break from the house renovation and watch you 2 perfect the landscaping. I think because you work with both hands you are a natural at learning to throw pottery. I used to teach beginning wheel and the video was a pleasant surprise. I had been thinking your property would be perfect for a art studio and you can build your own kiln. Another enjoyable video.
Yes, yes and yes to the rose project! I've wished to see more of them every time I get a glimpse of a bloom while you're busy focusing on other things. 🌹🌹🌹🌹🥀🥀🥀🥀
I think you will have a good beer session after your first few days of landscaping.
I am looking forward to the step building.
Great video – see you next time
Thank you for sharing.
Instead of new stairs perhaps an L shaped ramp up, you could have it in front of the old stairs so that the first step is 1/2 covered by the new ramp and then it would be a more normal size instead of a giant one. The ramp would then turn right and go up where you have the dirt ones. it would be an easier walk with baskets in your hands not having to worry about steps at all.
👍👍
You should have gotten a minidigger 😉 😛
Are you sure you can propogate roses? I thought they were grafted onto wild ones?
Try an ancient method of placing a grain of rice at the bottom of the stem and place it in the pot.
Just returned from a week in Portugal. My friends have similar projects to yours. They purchased a badly neglected house on 35 acres, some of which are flat, most are a hill side terraced with walls of huge chiseled boulders. It was fun picking persimmons, oranges, and lemons from the trees. My friends are a generation older than you guys, so they have people doing the heavy lifting. Going slowly, but progressing. In the little city they use, Castelo Branco, there is a small but new and well done museum on the history of the Jewish people in Portugal. They do not sensor the cruelty inflicted on the Jewish people. The town is impressive in other ways. There are a few private renovations of homes in the town center, some of the buildings date back to the fourteenth century. In the USA we might call the area a slum, but it is safe and there is no shame in living there. Some of the houses have been beautifully restored. There are beautiful parks, a modern cultural center. There are sushi and vegetarian restaurants, which are nice change from the normal Portuguese diet of cholesterol and starch. The fact that people are not exceptionally fat and will die early, testifies to their working hard, I guess. The overpopulation of Europe means that the attractive town center is surrounded by monotone, grey apartment blocks with only token green areas, if even that. Met solid, no frills, people. A nice change from the uptight, always looking over the shoulders to see who is back stabbing them, French people I live amongst. sigh
Since you havent redone the stairs yet, why dont you rethink it from new stairs to a “ramp” so if you need to transfer stuff in a wheelbarrow or trolley, you dont have to navigate stairs. It can still be concreted or paved.
Maybe you can use your excess rock in a cattle panel rock fence😊 and if you make it a bit wider it can double as natural seating