Menu
We were raised in town, our families originated from the countryside.
Our fathers cultivated in allotment gardens, and, when children, we spent holidays in our family farms : in Aubrac and Aude regarding Emma, and near Marrakech and Casablanca as regards Khalid… Once we became adults, we worked far from land …only to come back to the country once we became parents ourselves.
We were always connected to agriculture, shopping in farms or cooperatives for over 20 years, visiting and spending holidays in farms, and of course, passionately gardening to feed ourselves as well as being pleased with creating beautiful places and beeing in contact with nature.
The way we garden changed for a more respectful way for wildlife and ecosystems. We read a lot, met other experiences, observed to improve our knowledges.
In 2016, we decided to settle in Oléron to run a permaculture orchard and gîtes. We discovered the farm in 2018, bought it in 2019 : we immediatly restored the buildings and created the garden where viticulture, oysters, vegetable garden, and poultry were but traces.
We asked for an Acceuil Paysan label as this network values are so important to us. By opening our farm, we wish to connect our hosts to country life, open farms doors and encourage any work that respects nature, keep in touch with nature and the people who work in it.
« I originate from country, we always cultivated our own vegetables. My grandparents lived nearly autartikal. At that time, we called it a farm ».
Bouli Laneers
We create a nourishing garden (orchard and vegetable garden) in an old farm. We designed, taking into account any detail, and ask Terre Permaculture to help designing.
Every parameter was included :
– the island climate
– sun and main winds orientation
– soil nature
Then, a « horseshoe » garden was born where plants growing up on different levels benefit from light : fruit trees, productive bushes, vegetables, flowers live together and help each other.
We bet we can manage the garden without irrigating : a single pourring on planting, and nothing more.
We have connected the gutters on all the buildings to a swales network we created to spread water all around the garden when it is raining.
And, by covering the ground with any available mulching, we intend to keep it humid, to enable any living soil organisms to develop and create humus.
The main principle was … pleasure ! What do we want to eat or grow ? Then we looked for tree nurseries that could provide with local varieties, adapted to our climate and our ground, biologically grown …
We first got in touch with the Conservatoire Végétal Aquitaine, in which catalogue we chose the first 37 fruit trees we planted in winter 2020-2021. Apricots, peaches, prunes, quinces, figs, almonds, nuts, apples, pears, cherries, pomegranates, grapes : one year old scions, bare roots. To come to balance between insects which cause damage and predators, to gain ductility, we plant all different varieties, whose productions staggered over time.
Between fruit trees, we planted nitrogen fixer trees bought in Le Jardin d’Emerveille.
In automn 2021, we planted another 20 « exotic » fruit trees, chose in La Maison du
bananier
While digging our swales, we found it worrying not to meet living insects in our soil.
After one year, earthworms and woodlice came back. Today ,we find bees, lacewings, butterflies, dragonflies, ladybugs, spiders, caterpillars, glow worms, crickets … And also, birds, batrachians (toads, frogs), reptiles (lizards, grass snake), hedgehogs, field mouses, shrews …
It is a great joy to see all these wild animals sharing our garden.
Although we’re interested in autonomy (food or energy), we do not aim at complete self- sufficiency. We want to meet, exchange with people whether they share our points of view or not.
The idea of welcoming came because we think it is possible to set non biding concepts and tools that can improve our living :
©2024 L’accueillette d’Oléron – All rights reserved