Activities :: Dupa Gard

The activities a volunteer will do at Dupa Gard vary greatly from day to day and depending on the season.

Garden work

One of the tasks that continues through most seasons is garden work. We have multiple garden beds and permaculture systems at Dupa Gard.

These garden beds and systems all need different things. Weeding and mulching are activities that take place in most, if not all, of the garden beds. Other tasks include planting support plants around trees, such as mint, and collecting mulch. This can involve cutting and collecting grass for straw or gathering wood chips, depending on what the plants need.

During the warmest periods of the year, we also have some manual watering to do in certain garden beds. Areas like the greenhouse mostly have automatic watering systems.

Volunteers collecting freshly cut grass for mulch

Creative projects and construction

There are also quite a few creative tasks that can be done to improve the area. These range from natural construction using cob (a mixture of clay, sand, straw and water) to renovating a barn for future guests or volunteers, or making a clay oven for pizzas and bread. These are projects that usually span a longer period, mostly during the warmer months, so the clay has enough time to dry.

Another task that is always appreciated is construction in general. For example, the bench and coffee table at the campsite were built by volunteers Tom and Stefan. Volunteers don't need to have previous building experience, of course. Even with limited knowledge, you can make nice things through trial and error!

With tasks like these, there is room for creativity. The coffee table, for example, was made from an old wooden wheel used on horse carriages. This way, we reuse materials that would otherwise go to waste, and it gives the place more character too!

Construction and building work at Dupa Gard

Helping with events

Preparing for events we organise is another activity volunteers can help with. We have a yearly permaculture campfire event that has become quite popular. Tasks during this event include setting up tents to provide shelter in case of rain, making sure there is a constant supply of water (and coffee!) and keeping the place clean.

We usually ask volunteers to document the event from time to time with some photos. And of course, we give our volunteers the opportunity to participate in the activities if they find them interesting. So even though you are helping with the work, you can also enjoy the company and activities.

Volunteers taking part in activities at Dupa Gard

Harvesting and making food

Whenever we have an abundance of a specific crop, we try to make the most of it. A great example is the yearly apple harvest in autumn. The size of the harvest varies from season to season. In the past, we have made large batches of apple cider, apple juice, țuică (a strong Romanian spirit drink) and many different jams.

We encourage volunteers to come up with their own ideas about what we could make from an abundance of crops. Other possibilities include making salsa from unripe tomatoes at the end of the season or pickling them.

Your own project

For every volunteer at Dupa Gard, we ask them to think of an end project they would like to work on. This can be anything they are interested in that could be a good addition to the project. Of course, depending on how long the volunteer stays, it can be a bigger or smaller project. Volunteers in the past have made things like a treehouse, a pull-up bar, a bench and table, and a solar dehydrator. When it comes to this project, it really depends on your interests and skills and what you would like to create!