Balkan Ecology Project
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The Balkan Ecology Project is a permaculture-inspired, grassroots project based in Bulgaria. Our goal is to develop and promote practices that provide nutritious affordable food while enhancing biodiversity. Follow to get updates.
Balkan Ecology Project
6d ago
Sometimes you come across a place that is just right, serene nature, a good balance between comfort and wilderness, a diversity of habitat, beautiful views, well tended gardens, just the right breeze, and restaurants with real plants on the tables serving home grown/caught food. Rekawa In Sri Lanka is such a place.
Wild beaches, lagoons, forest, wetlands and lovely people, during this post we’ll take a closer look at the area, it’s climate, habitats, local cultivation practices, some of the incredible wildlife, interesting plants and a coastal stabilizer polyculture that does the job ver ..read more
Balkan Ecology Project
1w ago
Welcome to part 8 of a series where I'll share some observations and experiences about the various plant species from our forest gardens and regenerative landscapes, as well as interesting plants and polycultures from around the world. We'll be featuring plants from different layers of the forest garden, looking at some of the vital wildlife you can expect to find in a regenerative landscape and presenting some established polycultures as well as providing some suggestions about how to design, build and manage forest gardens and regenerative landscapes.
Forest Garden Plants
Shrub La ..read more
Balkan Ecology Project
2w ago
Dhofar, a name that whispers of ancient frankincense trails and mythical kingdoms, beckons with a unique charm unlike any other region in Oman. Nestled in the southern embrace of the Sultanate, Dhofar defies the stereotypical image of the Arabian Peninsula. Here, amidst the rugged Mountains, lies a land where emerald valleys unfurl, waterfalls cascade down rocky slopes, and tropical polycultures of banana, coconut and papaya bloom.
In this post, I'll be exploring Salalah, where I based myself for the trip, the lush green oasis of Wadi Darbat, some of the amazing plants and polycultures that gr ..read more
Balkan Ecology Project
1M ago
Nature has its own language, and if you know how to read it, you can uncover valuable insights about the soil and environmental conditions of a place. Certain plants serve as reliable indicators, offering clues about soil type, pH levels, fertility, and even the history of a location. From the moisture-loving mosses to the acidic-soil-loving ferns, these silent messengers can reveal secrets hidden beneath the surface. But their language extends beyond soil – plants can also narrate stories about prevailing winds, herbivore presence, pollution levels, and habitat health. During this post we’ll ..read more
Balkan Ecology Project
1M ago
During this post we’ll cover the essential nutrients that plants require to thrive along with the role these nutrients play in the plants life cycle.
There are seventeen elements known to be necessary for plants to complete their life cycle, the essential elements.
Of the seventeen essential elements, hydrogen (H), oxygen (O), and carbon (C) come from the air and water and are readily available. Although nitrogen can also be found in the air, its gaseous form is not useable by plants. Along with nitrogen, the rest of the elements are fo ..read more
Balkan Ecology Project
2M ago
Throughout this post, we will explore the concept of plant hardiness and its corresponding hardiness zones—a vital variable in the realm of cultivation
Plant hardiness and hardiness zones
A plant must be able to survive the lowest temperature during winter in the place that they are growing in order to survive for the next growing season, and every plant has a threshold temperature below which they will die. The ability of a plant to survive extreme cold temperature is referred to as its hardiness. A very hardy plant is able to tolerate extreme lows while a non hardy pla ..read more
Balkan Ecology Project
2M ago
Topographic maps are a powerful tool that unveils the landscape's three-dimensional features on a two-dimensional sheet. These maps utilize contour lines to portray the elevation variations of the land, allowing readers to grasp the lay of the land and its intricate details. Let's delve into what topographic maps are and how to interpret them effectively.
Topography or topographic map is composed of contour lines that connect points of equal elevation on the land, meaning if you physically walked along a contour line, your height above sea level would remain constant.
Topographic maps ..read more
Balkan Ecology Project
3M ago
During this post, we'll uncover the wonders of composting – from the breakdown of once-living matter to the creation of nutrient-rich soil gold. We’ll explore the role of oxygen, the carbon-nitrogen balance, and the fascinating process that turns simple materials into a thriving ecosystem for your plants.
Everything that was once living, everywhere on the planet, is decomposed, i.e. broken down into simpler organic or inorganic matter such as carbon dioxide, water, simple sugars and mineral salts, in order that these constituent elements can be used again by other organisms. Composti ..read more
Balkan Ecology Project
3M ago
During this post we’ll cover the essential nutrients that plants require to thrive along with the role these nutrients play in the plants life cycle.
There are seventeen elements known to be necessary for plants to complete their life cycle, the essential elements.
Of the seventeen essential elements, hydrogen (H), oxygen (O), and carbon (C) come from the air and water and are readily available. Although nitrogen can also be found in the air, its gaseous form is not useable by plants. Along with nitrogen, the rest of the elements are fo ..read more
Balkan Ecology Project
4M ago
Hello friends from wherever you may be on our beautiful planet, wishing you all a Happy New Year as we embark upon yet another trip around the Sun.
It has been truly delightful to observe the growth of our Substack over the past year and to witness your appreciation for the information provided, as well as receiving the valuable insights you've shared with me.
This year brought unexpected encouragement as we welcomed our first paid subscribers. Today, our readership has grown to an impressive 8200+, with 19 exceptional specimens of humanity choosing a paid membership. That’s pretty great, esp ..read more