Our techniques and methods have evolved in the last few years as we have studied and learned, researching and attending seminars and workshops, like the one run by Dario Cortese. We have always followed the broad principles of the Stout method in our own family vegetable gardens, which involves no commercial fertilizers and no plowing, and covering the ground with a thick layer of mulch year round.

This year we have committed further, to the concepts of permaculture and fully regenerative no-dig organic farming. This promotes the soil’s rich natural ecosystem of microbes and bacteria by preparing the ground with manure and our own natural fertilizer, covering it with dark plastic for months, then laying down a thick layer of compost. Then we plant, and cover the whole area with another thick layer of hay. This technique is what we have used in our new garden for Olevo.