olive trees

[ischettini]

Hi everybody,

on 1ha of olive trees, in a mediterranean climate, facing south, flat (I mean no slopes) what would you put underneath the trees. I mean would you put a couple of sheep? Would you grow vegetables? I mean I have no idea and I am just looking for some so I can work it out myself.

Thanks

[Michaelangelica]

How dense are the trees?
i am told you can grow a lot under olives as they let though much light
What other Mediterranean plants /herbs have you tried?

[ischettini]

It is not dense at all.

Successfully I have tried vegetables but in a conventional way. I am turning the farm in a permaculture farm tho.

[purplepear]

We have inter-planted with pigeon pea and acacia and have planted an under-story of nasturtium, thyme, oregano and lavender with comfrey of course and a bit of lemon grass and some cow pea. Go wild I say. If it is rocky ground you may like to try capers.

[ischettini]

The space I ve got and so the density is good enough to go wild and thanks for your tips. I am sure it will be more difficult harvesting the olives but of course I get so many other products that actually I shouldnt bother much....should I

[kimbo.parker]

hey man , you in Italy?, is this the Mediterranean climate you refer to?
wow, i'm jealous....i'd swap you 135ac of desert in West Aust for it....
what is it near?, like towns and tourists and markets,,,

it sounds such a nice retirement option - olives, bread, wine, cheese, salami, view of tourist girls, etc.

a pure local under-story is a 'no fail' choice,,,and in patches, in certain periods, in response to certain seasonal opportunities,,,treat it like a game, a gamble, take some risks, win and loose,,,but mainly just play.

think laterally - make it more without necessarily doing anything to it - a private, exclusive, secure, clean, picnic site - for hire in spring?,,,where the local bee-keeper would like to place his hives for a period in winter?, a place where couples pay to be married, storage area for building materials, soil mixing enterprise, potted plants nursery,
olive shop?

i miss my merino sheep, and my cattle, i do not miss my goats or pig.
i always have poultry, and if you don't have certain nasty virus's in your location, you could move rabbits and game about your place in mobile cages.

aquaculture, can you get sub surface water ? a well.

pomegranates?
is it your home, do you live there....?

in australia we have a saying "when in rome do what the romans do"
and
i always thought that if i had a small olive orchard in italy - i would have a business, that simply operated on one line to tourists -
" when in rome...see what romans do".

it would matter not that it was not rome, itally will do.
You would not need to be anything or do anything - we have another saying in australia - 'bullshit'.

Just put some bullshit together,,,a simulation, a parody, a stereotype, pinch chicks on the arse, wear very tight t-shirts, drink wine eat pasta ( and olives ) and charge australian's, kiwis, poms etc. to watch you?


cheers,
k