RE: Landscape regeneration. Healing from Motocross Track. First Earthworks: Terrace / Retaining Wall, Pocket Pond, Soil decompaction on 400m2 (4300 square feet).
Hey @bobydimitrov.
We had a topographer make a detailed survey for us. I insisted on this, as I studied architecture originally and like to plan things in detail ;)
That our digger is a virtuoso: ABSOLUTELY NO DOUBT!!!! How he was handling these rocks, that actually made the whole excavator tipp over was shear unreal. And do't forget the slope is strong on that piece of land!!!
Stone Pine. Eating nuts, CHECK! Using dry, empty cones to light the Rocket Mass Heater, CHECK! Here in Portugal in December / January there is the pinecone harvesting season, where everybody goes to hunt for bags and bags and bags of these heavy green cones full of rasin. They are sold to resellers, who sell them to resellers, who sell them to the factories, which make the pine nuts you find in the stores.
About your soil being so shiny: do you have slope? do you have catchment uphill? ever thought about making a pond?
The the landscape situation is not perfect for a pond, but we're thinking about it! First, our plot is a small village one, so no space for big ponds. Second, the highest point is where the road and house is. So looking at your drawing, it's something similar, however the pond would be situated 60 meters from the house in the lower parts. There are many things in play, too much for a comment! But the wife insists for a pond. A house first, but a pond also. So I'll probably do a post next year if we get to it!
ps: Here's a photo of the dig I told you about in my previous comment. That's 160 cm deep.
Man you have some serious top soil! That is gold! What is it, 60 cm? That is really a lot!
As a pond you could also just install micro ponds as wildlife habitat. You will see how quickly they will be buzzing with beneficial life!
At that point it's about 100 cm deep :) The reddish subsoil is about 50 cm in this hole. Topsoil is rarely a problem in our part of the country. People here complain about the high clay content, but I personally think that Vertisol is the weekend gardener's best friend! It holds so much waters, that even in August it won't completely dry for 2 week after a 24 hours drip irrigation run.
And adding organic matter in the soil helps a lot!
Amazing! 100cm... incredible! In a no-dig setup with a nice thick compost-mulch the clay content has only positive sides..
I guess the people complain, because the want to dig or plow.... then the clay turns into rock hard chunks.