It feels strange to say it out loud: we moved. We left our little 200 m² permaculture garden. We left Switzerland. And we started over, again.

If you’ve been following us for a while, you’ve probably noticed the silence. No new updates from the garden. No fresh videos showing our seasonal shifts. And that’s because, behind the scenes, our lives were changing completely.

On December 31st, 2024, we found our forever home in France. After months of searching and months more of battling bank paperwork as independents, we bought a house in the middle of the forest, in a quiet corner of Les Vosges, France. The property is over 13,000 m², nearly 1.3 hectares, with 9,000 m² of forest alone.

It’s more than we ever dreamed. And somehow, exactly what we were looking for.

From Garden to Forest: Why We Made the Leap

Back in Switzerland, we had carved out a beautiful life. A lake nearby. A compact but thriving permaculture garden. A community that had grown around it.

But something inside both of us kept whispering: Let’s go deeper!

What if we had space to not just garden, but to regenerate? Not just to grow food, but to steward land, plant forests, raise animals, and build something that would last beyond us?

We were craving silence. Space. Wildness. Freedom.

And then we found this place (video below has English subtitles!).

First Steps on the Land

When we first stepped onto the property, we knew it was different. It wasn’t just the land, it was the feeling. A resounding feeling in all of us that this is where we are meant to be.

There’s a greenhouse already in place, tucked against a small hill. Rocky terrain laced with iron. Clay and sand, and a natural water source. A pond that isn’t technically ours, yet, but one that holds stories older than just this property.

And a house. Solid and beautiful, built in the 1980s by people who cared. The owner even built the stone walls around the garden himself. It felt lived-in. Held. Loved.

That mattered to us.

Microclimates and Mysteries

The Animals Who Found Us

One of the most surprising joys of this shift has been to see the abundance of life. Not just the plants, but the animals.

Since arriving, we’ve seen wild boars, foxes, deer, and even a nutria by the pond. We’ve watched crayfish scuttle across the road and in the stream next to the house. Lizards warming themselves on sun-soaked stones. And insects, so many insects!! Bees, beetles, wasps, dragonflies, and the occasional tick (of course).

We’ve also met our neighbors: cows. Dozens of them. Calm, quiet, curious. They graze just over the fence and seem content to share the silence (these ones don’t have bells like in Switzerland!).

Projects, Dreams, and Soil Under Fingernails

We’re not starting from scratch, exactly. But we are starting fresh.

The greenhouse will soon be full of sprouts. The rocky ground will need compost, mulch, cover crops, and layers of care. The forest will evolve into something between wild woodland and an edible paradise. I dream of a food forest full of hazelnuts, berries, medicinal plants, and trees for firewood.

And yes, we’ve already built a composting system and garden bed! (If you’re curious how we built this system, check out our DIY Pallet Compost Guide for the full how-to.)

There’s also a small wooden outbuilding waiting to become a home for rabbits, chickens, ducks, and maybe, eventually, a few sheep. These aren’t just for food or company. In permaculture, every animal has a role to play: managing pests, fertilizing soil, trimming grass, or teaching us patience.

Echoes of the Past

This place doesn’t just hold potential. It holds history.

We’ve found old dry-stone walls, giant carved stones that feel like something from a Celtic storybook. And according to local lore, monks lived in these woods over a thousand years ago. They practiced a form of large-scale permaculture before the word existed, cycling fish through ponds, using nutrient-rich water to grow food, and shaping the land with intention.

There’s something deeply humbling about walking in their footsteps. About touching the same stones. About continuing the work, even if it’s under a different name now.

A Tale of Two Gardens

Even though we’ve moved, we haven’t let go of everything.

We’re keeping the Swiss garden alive, at least for now. Partly because it’s a beautiful place. But also because it allows us to compare, reflect, and learn. Two different climates. Two different soils. Two parallel experiments in regeneration.

We’ll be watching how seeds grow here versus there. How medicinal herbs adapt. How fruit trees thrive. There’s something poetic about growing the same plant in two places and seeing how it expresses itself.

A Home, Not a Project

This isn’t a holiday home. It’s not a side project.

We moved. Fully.

We left Switzerland. The old apartment where Sean grew up is gone. Our routines, our assumptions, even our habits are shifting in a massive way.

This is our new base. Our family home. The place where we’ll raise our three son’s, host friends, plant trees, and slowly shape a life aligned with the values we’ve been cultivating for years: simplicity, regeneration, seasonal living, and community.

From Our Soil to Yours

Thank you for being here. Truly.

This move was years in the making. It took courage, risk, and a lot of trust. But now that we’re here, with the soil beneath our feet and the stars above us, we know we made the right choice.

We’re not just gardening anymore.
We’re tending a way of life.

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And most of all, tell us what you’d love to see next.

We’re listening.