by Amelie Rousseau | Jan 5, 2018 | Food & Recipes, Medicinal Plants, Nicaragua, Nutrition, Permaculture, Wellness
At ViVerde, we have a variety of useful cacti, including Opuntia cacti or “nopales” in Spanish. Nopales are a spectacularly healthy type of cacti with a wide range of health benefits. AND they are delicious!
by Diane Laughter | Dec 17, 2017 | Landscape Design, Nicaragua, Permaculture, Uncategorized, Water management
What is a swale? A swale is a trench dug along the land’s contour, meaning all points along the bottom of the swale are at the same elevation. Swales at different levels can be connected by adding overflows, the water filling the higher ones first and then moving...
by Brett Rousseau | Nov 9, 2017 | Landscape Design, Permaculture, Water management
Here it is folks, the ViVerde checklist for when you are ready to turn your urban yard into a permaculture or sustainable garden paradise. It won’t be easy to follow these steps patiently when you are so excited to get planting, but good planning is everything...
by Brett Rousseau | Jun 28, 2017 | Medicinal Plants, Nutrition, Permaculture, Wellness
I have now returned to ViVerde three times and it’s no surprise that the more time I spend here, the more connected and in love I am with the land, the tropical lifestyle, our project, and its community.
by Brett Rousseau | Apr 6, 2017 | Landscape Design, Permaculture
During this stay at ViVerde, I tackled the landscaping of the prominent hillside stretching down from our “Centro”. It is not only our main view from our open air dining area , but it also gets the most sun on the property. Because of its proximity to the...
by Mark Ogren | Feb 7, 2017 | Construction, Natural Building, Permaculture, Travel
Just as I was getting settled into life in Granada, Gerard and I packed our bags and took a few different buses to Costa Rica to get to renowned sustainability educational center, Rancho Mastatal, to spend ten days taking their Timber Framing course. The instructors,...