Tree Planting – Round Two 🌱

Last year, in August 2024, we planted 120 Paulownias.

Of course… August is not exactly the ideal time to plant trees. Lesson learned.
So this year we decided to do it properly — planting at the end of winter, when the trees are still dormant and the soil is ready to welcome them.

This time the plan was much bigger. Two large fields needed to be planted, and we were aiming for 400 to 500 trees. That required some serious preparation.

The Master Plan

 

Before a single hole was dug, there was a plan — a very detailed one. Maaike gathered advice from different sources and combined everything into one large design. Imagine nearly 4 hectares of land drawn on a big sheet of paper, filled with endless circles of different sizes representing different tree species. Each circle carefully numbered, each number linked to a legend explaining what tree would grow there. In the end it was a piece of art.

A Wet Spanish Winter

The winter of 2025–2026 in Spain was extremely wet. Record-breaking wet.
So we had to wait. As soon as the weather allowed it, we were ready to begin. Our electric excavator was standing on the field, ready to start the work. Unfortunately, the excavator had other plans.

First, it ran out of oil. Two days later we could refill it, we discovered a small broken part which meant the steering didn’t work properly. We took it to Briviesca for welding. After several attempts, it still wasn’t right. Finally, Nacho — Carlos’ son, who is an excellent welder — came to the rescue and fixed it properly.

Just when we thought we were back on track… the ground was still too wet. The machine kept getting stuck in the mud. We managed to avoid the worst areas, but eventually the excavator stopped working altogether. Most likely a battery issue, lets hope we can fix that in the near future but for sure not within the time we had left. That was the moment we switched to Plan B: Digging by hand.

Back to Basics

Digging by hand is heavy work — but also deeply satisfying. We started early in the morning when all was quite and frozen (see first image).
Alex, Maaike and I spent several days digging hole after hole. There was quite some debate about how big those holes should be. The machine had made some very generous holes — almost a meter deep. If we continued like that by hand, we would never finish in time.

After researching best practices, we decided on holes about 30 cm deep and 60 cm wide. Wide enough for the roots to spread naturally. We paid special attention to roughening up the sides of the holes so the clay wouldn’t become a smooth barrier, preventing the roots from growing outward.

 

Just before the first delivery of 200 trees arrived, the holes were ready.

Perfect timing. Planting Time

Planting was also done by hand — and we were very grateful we hadn’t dug one-meter holes everywhere. That would have meant moving mountains of soil back into place.

In each hole we placed:
* A watering pipe
* The tree, planted in the native clay soil
* A layer of manure
* A cover of straw for protection
* A bit of ashes

After planting, we watered thoroughly. The clay soil hardens quickly, so soaking it well helps soften it again and ensures good contact between roots and soil.

Reinforcements Arrive

 
After some gentle persuasion, the children joined us. They weren’t particularly excited at first — but once they were there, it became surprisingly fun. Trisa helped Maaike with watering and placing straw and ashes. Riva helped Maaike with placing the trees in the right location and creative as she is she decided she might prefer becoming a tree herself. 

At the same time Alex kept on working hard moving the most soil of us all.

Those moments make the hard work much fun. And Now… We Wait

The second batch of trees is arriving soon. More planting ahead — and then comes the hardest part:

Waiting.

Watching.

Hoping they take root and grow strong.

Planting trees is always an act of faith. You do the work, you prepare the soil, you give care and attention — but in the end, nature decides.

For now, the fields look different. Full of small sticks in the ground, each one carrying the promise of shade, biodiversity, and food in the years to come.