The Nitty Gritty of Country Life
The movie “Under the Tuscan Sun” might come to mind when you think of moving to the countryside in Europe. The Rolling hills of vineyards, olive trees, cypress pines and houses covered in bougainvillea. Social media often paints a picture of perfectly manicured terrain, serene, relaxing lifestyle and drinking wine under a canopy of grapevines.
The region of Galicia in Spain has the most breathtaking landscapes I’ve ever seen, the vineyards, gorgeous sunrises, picturesque beaches, the forest of eucalyptus, Monterey pines, moss covered stone and we have even dined under a pergola of grapevines. It really looks like something out of a fairy tale and we often stop and say, “ I can’t believe we live here!” However, with all the beautiful nature and humidity, brings lots of pests, mold, fungi, and plant diseases.
Kyle was born and raised in Denver Colorado, and I have always been an urban city girl, first growing up in Las Vegas Nevada, then moving to Denver Colorado 15 minutes away from downtown. Kyle had previous experience with gardening and together we grew a beautiful garden from scratch in our previous home. With five raised beds we grew tomatoes, various herbs, peppers, chard and lettuce. It was wonderful to go out and pick what we needed for dinner that night. It’s hard to go back to grocery store tomatoes once you’ve tasted homegrown!
That said, neither of us have experience living in the countryside before. We knew it would require lots of work, but the challenges of pests, humidity, various plant fungi and disease wasn’t on the forefront of our minds.
The trend of embracing a more self-sufficient lifestyle has gained significant popularity in the past few years. The idea of cultivating your own food, being better for the planet, it’s budget-friendly, and essentially living off the grid is very appealing.
Moving to our ¾ acre plot of land in O Rosal, full of mature fruit and various trees on 4 different levels, we saw the potential of expanding our previous garden to a botanic inspired garden growing all of our own produce and starting our journey towards becoming self-sufficient. We have learned so much in this past year of gardening, going from zone 5b to 10a with temps rarely going below 14C (57F)
Without a freeze we didn’t know if plants were dormant or dying! Coming from a dry climate of 30-40% humidity to our new climate averaging on 86% humidity, we were either over or under watering, especially with a much more sandy soil.
Each season brings new lessons in how to care and maintain our plants, handle pests, fungus, powdery mildew, with natural non-toxic solutions.
Even with all the challenges and hard work, this much land to experiment in growing different vegetables, flowers, plants, trees has been very rewarding. Kyle has enjoyed growing seeds from plants, and canning and preserving produce for the winter. I have found a passion for dehydrating herbs, and flowers for teas, making skin Hydrosols and infused oils. With this much produce we have also tried a lot of new recipes making cooking much more enjoyable.
Coveralls & overalls is how we roll on a daily basis so
let’s get down to the real nitty gritty of living in the Countryside of O Rosal Spain.
Below we listed out a few of our trees, bushes, flowers, plants, vegetables, herbs, how we have learned to maintain them, natural fertilizers that work, how to plant from seed and which pests are good for the garden, and which ones Kyle relocates and Fallene kills.
Trees & Bushes:
Magnolia Trees
Tree Ferns
Sago Palm
Japanese Maples
Jacaranda Tree
Lilacs
Flowering Dogwood
Oak Tree
Ornamental Olive Tree
Crape myrtle tree
Kwanzan Cherry Blossom Tree
Beech Tree
Photinia Red Robin Shrub
Kangaroo Apple Shrub
Plumbago Shrub
Bottle Brush Shrub
Banana tree
Camellias Shrub
Rhododendron Shrub
Herbs
Rosemary
Echinacea
Rudbeckia
Mint
Lavender
Thyme
Bay Leaf
Oregano
Parsley
Cilantro
Sage
Dill
Fruit & Nut Trees:
Lemon Tree
Apple Trees
Pear Trees
Cherry Tree
Orange Trees
Grapefruit Tree
Lemon Tree
Lime Tree
Avocado Trees
Prickly Pear/Nopales
Fig Tree
Nectarine
Feijoa (Pineapple Guava) Tree
Chestnut Tree
Flowers, plants and vines
Calla Lilies
Hibiscus
Jades
Spider Plant
Roses
Bougenvilla
Aloe Vera
Protea
Lily of the Nile
Birds of Paradise
Wisterias
Nasturtium
Chrysanthemums
Asters
African Daisies
Passion Flowers
Japonica
Lady Banks Rose
Azuela
Gardenias
Calendula
Vegetables
Tomatoes
Celery
Cucumbers
Red Peppers
Hatch Green Chilis
Anaheim Chilis
Serrano Peppers
Jalapeno Peppers
Banana Peppers
Bird’s Eye Peppers
Cucumbers
Butternut Squash
Spaghetti Squash
Pumpkins
Beets
Carrots
Shallots
Leeks
Kale
Lettuce
Arugula
Rainbow Chard
Sweet Potatoes
Strawberries
Blackberries
Blueberries
Growing Wild
Strawberries
Fennel
Asparagus
Mint
Stinging nettle
Ground cherries
Planting and maintaining the garden in this zone with this much humidity is both a blessing and curse. The humidity is great in keeping plants thriving, especially with the middle of summer hot days when the temp is high and the rains are infrequent. However, when the rain comes, the water that coats the leaves and the humidity in the air creates the perfect conditions for fungus. Fungus, such as powdery mildew, is on a number of different plants. Magnolia leaves are dropping at an alarming rate. At first causing us to think that one of the Magnolias were dying, but after a year here, we realize that it is more a dormancy period coupled with powdery mildew. We continue to try and address the powdery mildew before the rains come, but so far it seems to be a balance of keeping it at bay, not eliminating it. Each of our rose bushes have experienced some level of black spot fungus requiring a denuding of leaves, spraying with a fungicide (https://www.amazon.es/dp/B01IDLVS7Q?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details&th=1) and an ongoing vigilance to try to control it. Blight came in like a wrecking ball and took out at least ¾ of our tomato plants. We hadn’t had to deal with blight of any type, either early or late blight in the dry climate of Denver, but here in Galicia, it took out so many of our tomato plants, both new seedlings and more established plants that we started inside over the winter. Heirloom varietals such as Tigerella, Green Zebra, old German, Cherokee Purple and more were wiped out by early blight not long after a rainstorm coupled with a particularly humid week in the last weeks of spring. Some of our gardener friends who have experienced multiple years here in Galicia helped with advice and anti fungal copper sulfates and soil treatments that really helped the tomatoes, assuming we applied the copper routinely pre and post rain. Additionally, adhering to a much more strict protocol as to which set of pruners, gloves and hygiene helped to ensure not spreading the spores of the blight. Even with the early blight and then a round of late blight, we did manage to harvest some tomatoes, but ended up harvesting learning.
Another blessing of humidity is how many seeds will germinate and turn into plants. The typical method of sowing 2-3 times the number of seeds desired, which ensures seed viability is still employed, but it seemed that the humidity and growing conditions of this zone also contributed to increased viability. Which meant almost every pepper seed turned into a plant and every plant that we potted over the winter in preparation for the spring became a large, prolific pepper plant. Lesson learned, yes we still need to account for viability, but also be ready to only plant the desired number of plants even if a large number of seeds prove viable. Don’t get me wrong, the pepper harvest has been incredible with pepper plants becoming pepper bushes and having more peppers than we can consume or can, but it also helped with the learning for next year’s garden and determining how many plants we actually need.
Similarly, this first year in this climate has helped us to understand that one plant can be extremely more prolific than one plant would have been back in the Denver climate. The longer growing season, starting seeds early indoors, and the humidity all have contributed to prolific yields that we were not prepared for in the least. Who knew that a single butternut squash seed could produce a plant that has yielded 24 squash and counting? Good thing we planted 8 or 9 of those seeds, eh? Luckily these squash hold for months assuming we have cured them properly. These high yields have had an added benefit, besides the typical bounty and cost savings that come with growing our own food. When we have had a high yield, it forces us to get even more creative and search out more recipes for ways to use and consume said yield. Instagram, Pinterest and good old Google searches have guided us to making many different dishes that we may not have attempted if we only had a small number of these veggies.
For all of the produce that we have grown in the Veg Patch, we also have observations and learnings from the established fruit trees on the property. Spiky balls that litter the garden like creatures from the movie “Critters” means it is Otoño (Autumn) and time to get some durable gloves to harvest the chestnuts. Our property namesake tree, the Castaño, is approximately 150 years old and while maybe not as productive as some of its younger brethren, it still produces quite a bit. Our only knowledge of chestnuts before moving here was hearing about Barbara Streisand’s favorite things, so now we are researching and trying new things like a delicious chestnut leek soup Fallene made. The spiky outer shell of the chestnut also contributes to one of the larger challenges of the property. The bio-mass and what to do with it. For all of the tasty chestnuts that we harvest we have that many larger spiky shells. Do we compost it, do we burn it, or other solutions? So far the answer is all of the above, and this applies to the bio-mass from almost everything that we grow here. Whether it is the peels from the citrus fruits, the excess squash vines, or the abundance of vines/branches that are removed weekly through pruning, we must stay on top of it. The Concello of our town, O Rosal, has provided a kitchen waste outdoor compost bin, which has been excellent and helped with that aspect of compost, but the larger amount of bio-mass so far becomes smaller composting piles that take up a large portion of one of the areas of the yard.
We have plans on building a couple of larger compost bins that we can effectively churn and utilize the compost from for the garden, but it is on the list of projects and there are only so many hours in the day. Once we reach the rainy months, there are also permitted burning days where we see neighbors burning large piles of bio-mass. We are cautious with the burns as we don’t want things to get out of control, but have done a few in a burn barrel. This has been a great solution for getting rid of the aforementioned fungal infected leaves and plants. None of the blighted tomatoes of the black spotted rose leaves end up in compost, those must be burned or bagged. Timing the burn so that the material is dry enough to burn has been a challenge as the burn permits from the Xunta are issued only in the rainy months.
One of the other established trees on the property is an avocado tree. This tree is large and is approximately 8-10 years old. It is healthy and seems like it should produce avocados, which we would be ecstatic about as they are tasty, would help to save money and it's a freakin avocado tree, who would’ve thought we would have one of those growing. Alas, it has yet to produce. We have added an additional avocado tree based on various articles and advice that we need to have two for pollination to occur. We have also tried manually pollinating with a paintbrush in hopes of getting a few flowers to produce, but still no avos. We will continue the pursuit of the allusive avocado next season. Similarly, we have a large, very productive orange tree. When we arrived last year it was laden with oranges, which we enjoyed most of the spring and summer. However, while it had quite a bit of new growth, the number of flowers that bloomed this summer were minimal at best. Maybe we left too much fruit on the tree and it didn’t produce flowers as there were still quite a few fruits? We continue to research this one and fingers crossed for flowers/fruits next season.
Now for the creepy crawlies that we’ve seen.
Most of the women out here are badasses! They don’t run at the sight of bugs, and will easily pick them up to relocate them. I, on the other hand, HATE bugs! Why can’t they all be beautiful swallowtail butterflies! I’ve gradually grown tougher the more I see them, the less I run that far, I still have to have Kyle relocate them.
Now for a little Palette Cleanser !
As hard as it is for me to look at the type of bugs in our area, it’s good to know what you’re dealing with. Which ones to kill or relocate if you’re able and which ones eat other bugs and help to pollinate your garden.
My sister will kill me for posting these images, and my mom thinks I should douse myself in baking soda before going outdoors to repel all insects!
Fallene’s mom will be proud
However, the more I see them, the less scary they become. Which is why I also have given some of them names, with the help of Kyle, and as soon as I get my hands on some googly eyes I’ll be putting them on snail butts to make them more fun to look at. To keep this blog post from becoming too much of a novel, I’ll cover the main ones and a few websites to check out if you want to know more.
On The Shit List:
Mosquitos- I feel for mosquitos, they have got to be the most hated insect out there and are worthless when it comes to your garden, except maybe providing food for other bugs, and birds. I have a personal vendetta and wish for all mossies to die, another blog to come. We have found a mosquito zapper that works, a natural spray for your garden and I have found spraying yourself with a diluted mix of apple cider vinegar, lavender, rosemary, lemon eucalyptus and citronella keeps you stinky, and bite free thanks Pinterest!
Midges (noseeums)- This one is a new one to us, as noseeums hate dry climates. As the name implies, you can barely see them. Although tiny, they are on the top of the shit list as they leave an eyesore of a bite. Usually multiple bites that swell, are super itchy and weep. Even after the bite heals it gets itchier, they tend to come around in the dusk with their other Amigos, the mosquito. Aloe vera works nicely, a bug zapper, a recent bite zapper has also helped with the itch.
Cabbage worms- The white butterfly is so pretty in the garden, but it’s actually laying eggs that turn into these super destructive mother fuck@s! They are bright green, and eat your veggies down to the nub. The best way to handle these is through companion planting. Planting something like mustard greens or nasturtium right next to what you don’t want them to eat. Then make sure you remove them from the companion plant so they don’t cause an infestation in your garden.
Mosquito eaters- Although these oversized wanna be mosquitoes aren’t harmful to humans, they are harmful to your garden. Live in the very top layers of soil and eat the roots and even the leaves of the plants that are still sprouting from the soil. With them around, your plants may not achieve their full growth potential. They’re name is as misleading as their appearance, being that they don’t eat mosquitos, and they look scary AF. Since they aren’t harmful to humans, we leave them for the birds.
Asian Hornets: I never thought I would live the day to see an actual murder hornet in person, let alone battling one with a broom. These 1 3/4” neon orange-yellow and black sky villains murder large insects like bees in the air by injecting venomous poison from their 1/4 “ stinger. They earn their name “murder hornet”, as a single hornet can kill as many as 40 bees per minute due to its large mandibles, which can quickly strike and decapitate prey. We stay clear when we see these flying and try to set up traps. We also have found we need to harvest pears, apples, prickly pear, and figs before they get to them, along with clearing out any rotted fruit to detract them from our property.
Snails: With how slow they are you wouldn’t think they could do that much damage. Snails eat the new shoots on most vegetables. We have tried copper tape, gravel, and throwing them as far out of our yard as possible. We’ve also tried traps and killing them with salt water. We have now decided to let them feast on plants we don’t care too much about and hope the ones we care about get strong enough. They love celery and Kale, anytime we pick our veggies we have to make sure we don’t include baby snails in our dinner!
Other pests: Aphids, Spanish Slugs(AKA the snail streaker) ants, moles, grubs, grasshoppers
Good for the Garden:
Although the list is small, there are good insects that help your garden. It’s important to keep a few of the bad pests, to provide food to attract the good ones.
Black Carpenter Bees- They appear to be flying ninjas, except they are extremely loud and you really can’t miss them! However, they aren’t dangerous to humans, only the female can sting if she feels threatened.
The name carpenter bee is due to their using dead wood to breed in.
These bees are very efficient pollinators of open flowers but can also use their size and weight to break into long tubular flowers from above and steal the nectar without collecting and distributing any pollen.
Cellar Spiders - Although they look scary, they are not harmful to humans. This is one that Kyle relocates often, or I tend to say goodbye with the vacuum when Kyle’s not available (sorry I’m not the Dali Lama). People say they eat mosquitos, but I have yet to see them doing their job, we can’t have them living with us rent free.
Orb Spiders- These give me quite the fright, but they are good for the garden and they are harmless to humans or animals. They hey will catch and eat a lot of pest-type insects. I’ve seen it happen, and it’s kinda cool in a weird national geographic kind of way.
Wolf Spiders- These have to be the scariest looking spider I’ve seen yet here in Spain. I get it they’re not poisonous, but they are big hairy creatures with 8 eyeballs and can inject you with venom if you piss off the female! If you’ve ever seen arachnophobia, then you would be squeamish too! The webs they create are as thick as the webs you buy for Halloween, they are big enough to possibly eat a small rodent or bird. They exterminate other pests, so if they’re not in my line of sight, they can stay.
Other pests: House Centipedes, Hedge hogs, Bees, Lady bugs, Praying Mantis, Swallowtail Butterflies, Common Wall Lizards, Worms, Stick bugs.
Learn more about insects
https://www.wildlifenatural.com/Insects-in-Spain
https://www.planetnatural.com/pest-problem-solver/garden-pests
In the beautiful green lush microclimate here in O Rosal, as we’ve seen abundant rain and humidity creates the perfect condition for pests, mold and fungus to thrive. As Dolly Parton put it , “You can’t have a rainbow without a little rain”. We’ve had a variety of challenges, with each obstacle it brings new discoveries and we’re learning how to grow and become as resilient as the trees in our garden.