The Evolution of Bealtaine Cottage…a Fifteen Year Odyssey

Bealtaine Cottage, Ireland

This is year fifteen of the Bealtaine Project…where has the time gone? Much has happened here on the land and in the cottage since May 2004. However, the real change has happened in the outside world, beyond the boundary hedges of Bealtaine Cottage.

I shall begin with Bealtaine Cottage… The plan in the beginning was to create a garden with hundreds of trees interspersed with paths that would become a symbol of regeneration and hope in a landscape that represented one of the poorest and therefore cheapest places to create. North-facing, thin, poor soil- my first book, ‘A Cottage and Three Acres,’ details the story well.

(And, by the way, the tunnel is fifteen years old with the original plastic covering…nothing special, 6mm and middle price range in case you are interested!)

The plan evolved into a full Permaculture design in the first year, with swales and ponds, drainage and…

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