CREATING A GARDEN: REPAIRING AND IMPROVING OLIVE TREE BERMS

 With construction temporarily halted, the development plans were turned upside down. Time was better spent on creating than waiting, and work began on the olive garden. With six established, fruit producing trees already on site, plans were made to improve the primitive condition of the area. This southern portion of the site was graded for better irrigation and rainwater harvesting, degraded tree berms were rebuilt and a path between the trees was laid out. With an IBC water tank on site, regular watering of the trees is now possible.

Without a water source until we get proper authorization, we need to have water trucked in to the site. Birds always appear shortly after the trees are watered. 

Notice the degraded condition of the berm around the tree. Most of the berms were in this condition, unable to hold very much water in place.

We started the berm replenishment with mounds of clay soil, added river rocks on top and secured them in position with adobe.

Two of the hardest working men I have ever met apply the adobe mud on the berms.