A Costa Rican Homesteader’s Dream! AquaCulture, Food Forest Kitchen, Exotic Fruit Jungles + More!

On this Costa Rica Farm Tour Episode, we stop by Juan Carlos’ beautiful and epic homestead. His property is covered with Aquaculture ponds, Food Forests, Farm Production and even an expansive outdoor kitchen nestled in his own jungle.
Juan Carlos Mena Godinez is Brendon Mckeon’s business partner with ‘Natural Living Designs’. He was born and raised in Costa Rica, and began farming with his family shortly after he could walk. He grew up in a village where there was no electricity or cars until he was a teenager, and growing their own food was standard practice. For many years, he has continued to explore his passion for a set sufficient lifestyle, and dove deep into the philosophy of Permaculture when he discovered it in his early 20’s. Juan Carlos is a master at functional design, and turning those designs into physical reality. When he is not working on one of his Permaculture projects, he spends time tending to his farm, riding motorcycles, caring for his extensive aqua-culture systems and enjoying his family.
Brendon McKeon of Natural Living Designs & Eco Oasis' KZbin channel is the mastermind behind Natural Living Designs, a permaculture development design & build firm. If you have questions, or would like to be in contact with Brendon, you can send an email to him at: [e-mail]
To learn more about Brendon McKeon & his work:
www.naturallivingdesigns.com
KZbin Channel: Eco Oasis: bit.ly/2otpNE0
Check Out Our Online Nursery! We can ship LIVE plants anywhere in the US! Click on the link below to order:
Online Store Link- bit.ly/2wzHQiT​
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
Playlist Links:
Our MOST POPULAR Videos - bit.ly/2LOVp4X
Our Client Projects - bit.ly/2NWYMU2
Best of Growing Fruit (Tropical/Subtropical) - bit.ly/2EeCytW
____________________________________________________________
To learn more about us, as well as our products & services:
www.greendreamsFL.com
Follow us on Social media
Facebook: bit.ly/3wRYYLe
Instagram: bit.ly/2RwdsQL
____________________________________________________________
Have we made a difference for you? We would much appreciate your contribution to keep improving upon the quality, content & consistency of this channel.
Support Us @ / greendreamsfl
If you would like to support us by shopping for some amazing tools with your Amazon Prime membership, we get a small commission on all your full checkout cart when you order our suggestions below. If you don't have Amazon Prime yet, we have a referral link you can use that rewards us when you sign up.
Simple, Fast, FREE Shipping with Amazon Prime amzn.to/2uFsAf8
Our Favorite Shovel For Planting Trees:
Bully Tools 92702 12-Gauge Weighted Caprock/Pony Shovel with Fiberglass Long Handle - amzn.to/2UNaaW0
Our Favorite Hand Pruner For Your Garden or Grove:
Felco F-2 Classic Manual Hand Pruner - amzn.to/2WhJXPH
Camera Gear:
Sony a6500 body - amzn.to/2HbFvdb
Sigma 16mm Lens - amzn.to/2J5jF0L
Zhiyun Crane Plus Gimbal - amzn.to/2Jct96G
DJI Mavic Pro Drone - amzn.to/2kI3W9j
Camera/Gear Backpack - amzn.to/2J7w2ti
^^These are affiliate links^^ If you plan on purchasing anyway,​ we'd be so happy if you choose to use our links. It helps support our channel & mission.^^
Wanting to send us something?
GreenDreams
c/o Pete Kanaris
P.O. BOX #1159
LAND O LAKES FL 34639-9998

[@GoldenBoy-et6of]

I've been building a food forest since 17 yrs old in Oregon and this is exactly what I want mine to be like! I live in the only zone 9b subtropical rainforest in Oregon so I'm able to grow alot of the same stuff! Videos like this are exactly why I started and this is the best one I've seen!

[@bengtal]

Oregon is amazing dude !!!! keep doing your thing 🙌 I hope everyone gets to do this more and more, and even begin to support each other in our projects. I am 33 and still living with my parents in suburban San Francisco area, and I organic-landscape where I can. My methods revolve around microporous fibers and I rely heavily on Coconut Coir since its the best fiber I know and have access to. I mix large volumes with various composts and plant with that. Keep growing brother 💗

[@smutgod6125]

u can't grow tropical in oregon

[@bengtal]

@@smutgod6125 I know, but its not necessarily a total truth/limitation either... I can imagine things that would contribute to the possibility. Microclimate, and potential of ecological synergy. Obviously a green-house would be the most immediate way to concentrate the heat and moisture desired, but even some really deep landscaping, and inter-planting, including rigorous composting in high-volumes to generate heat. But no you're right, on the surface, and from base-conditions, it is a slim chance. We need like, a coast-wide breeding project, where people cultivate seed and propagate the offspring of their tropical plants, starting far south, and progressing northward. Selecting the best individuals each time. Not even just selection, I think parent plants actually confer adaptations to their offspring seeds in a single generation, based on their experience/conditions. Just some thoughts... there are crazy possibilities, but we are still far from such things... best NOT to try to grow Durian in Oregon, unless GLOBAL WARMING... but Feijoa (pineapple guava) might work. Other than that, he can still have a kickass food forest of northern-hemisphere fruits.... maybe even try growing Paw Paw 💗 I know I'm pretty loose with my imagination.

[@ListenSilent121]

👍👏👌🌷⚘💐💐💐💐💐🌱🪴🌲🌳🌾🍇🍈🍉🍊🍋🍌🍍🥭🍎🍏🍐🍑🍒🍓🫐🥝🍅🫒🥑🥕🌽🥔🍆🌶🫑🥒🥬🥦🧄🧅🍄🥜

[@Sk0oBz]

@@bengtal Fijoa should grow easily, it grows in Melbourne Australia, where we have occasional frost

[@barbaramcsloy8476]

I met a man in Modena, Italy, that could have been your soulmate. He knew which herb to plant next to which vegetable to attract the beneficial bugs and repel the destructive bugs. This was 26 years ago. It was one of the most memorable moments of my life. The knowledge this man had was astounding.

[@PeteKanarisGreenDreamsFL]

So neat!

[@estebancorral5151]

Too many amazing people from Modena: Luciano Pavarotti, Enzo Ferrari, and the person who invented balsamic vinegar.

[@larryace4683]

He should have written a book

[@simplysimple7628]

I mean common maaaan……🤦🏽‍♂️🤷🏽‍♂️ Just straight up ridiculously beautiful…… I just can’t get enough of these costa rican people and their AMAZING work. The creativity and tidiness is beyond words. When he was explaining about his house, I could relate to what he was saying. Especially when he said “simple”. Easy to maintain. Pete is killin it for all us gardeners out here in the world dreaming of such a place for ours to behold. Much love and appreciation GREEN DREAMS!!!!🤙🏼🤙🏼🤙🏼🙏🏼✊🏼

[@shannonkeithley7042]

This is the dream!! All the fruits, the fish, the outdoor kitchen!!!!! Omg

[@PeteKanarisGreenDreamsFL]

Un-Real!

[@augustoduran5328]

please visit us, and stay, we have cheap life to

[@rondo2416]

Wow, my favorite video by far. This property Is amazing & wildly inspiring. In this lifetime I am peacefully cultivating my own land & creating a true paradise for myself and many others for generations and generations to come.

[@nizamaibric7009]

Oh my 😍😍😍!!!! So beautiful 😍!!! I’m 43 years old and from my childhood I always for some reason believe that’s my home. I would love, love to move to Costa Rica and have a farm. That is honestly my dream. And dreams do come true 🤗❤️

[@PeteKanarisGreenDreamsFL]

Seriously a dream

[@augustoduran5328]

Hello, i gad to know some people apreciate our country, we want u here, if ur peacefull and kind people, we want u, to pass the ¨word¨ to the rest of our amaizing world. also you could buy a little land less than a hectare here, for a very cheap price and i guarantee u dont need more than that. also we speak english and spanish, and we have the puravida we need, pura vida!

[@SulcataGrove]

Beautiful property and beautiful message - create a paradise wherever you are.

[@euricegomez4048]

I agree ☝️

[@PeteKanarisGreenDreamsFL]

Yes indeed!

[@johnobrien6869]

Create a Paradise Wherever You Are ...truly beautiful words. Very Powerful message. Thank You.

[@YanRakhmanov]

So wholesome! Just a group of guys geeking out about farming and nature! I love it

[@tonytony3491]

You never had proper ripe bananas until you have ones which have been left to ripen on the tree 🎄🌲

[@dr.rev.lindabingham]

Blessings to all!

[@galentine09]

Great content Pete! Juan Carlos and his family are truly amazing and really setting the bar for others to emulate.. true paradise 😊

[@shainnorpalmer1802]

Hey am the way up bee ...

[@vinnettepope8255]

Awesome 👌 👏 👍 garden tour. Beautiful homestead

[@mosesptallah3933]

Wow! Thank you guys for sharing and a Big shout out to Mr. Juan for the incredible work in his farm and tour.

[@CK-solutions]

Thank you so much for sharing your home with us, Juan. It is beautiful.

[@USA1492]

EPIC!!!! Wow what an amazing place! I have Costa Rica goals here in Florida! 🌴

[@freddking4389]

Well, that fella is awesome! He does indeed have a paradise.

[@technologydiscovery6514]

Very inspiring, just starting our homesteading journey on our 7.5 acres in Kenya, and this is a model to surely look up to.

[@PeteKanarisGreenDreamsFL]

You are in the new world grow zone! You will do well! Stay in touch and share some of your progress please!

[@samsonboit230]

would like to visit,am also in Kenya thinking of the same

[@abdiwahabmohamed660]

I just bought in Malindi, I would really like to meet people in Kenya trying to do the same

[@copysmith1004]

Also from Njoro, nakuru , got an acre looking to have an homestead plan for it

[@Mussah_g]

Great. Kenyans lets connect. Just bought 12 acres in kwale and this video is exactly what i want to do.

[@deanne609]

Love this! The outdoor kitchen and food forest is a dream!!

[@PeteKanarisGreenDreamsFL]

So Epic!

[@rebellionpointfarms6140]

Another awesome Cosa Rica video

[@HeavenSentASMR]

Thanks for being organic Pete and teaching and pushing for organic growing we can change the world by changing our own actions.

[@i2manu]

Juan Carlos is the guy this year,he has wonderful place and family and the heart to share this with his friends ,thats all we aim in this life ,I am catching up slowly but surely

[@SubjectiveFunny]

That guy is living my dream.. What a paradise.

[@joanneganon7157]

Thank you Brandon 👋. Juan Carlos and Uncle Pete! So,So Beautiful 💝🐦😊 JO JO IN VT 😆💕

[@rosiichute4669]

Juan Carlos u hv done a fabulous job on ur farm...it's wonderful to see the lush food plants n the healthy surroundings. Bless u for being a " Pet person" too...

[@purpvision7382]

Inspiration. Will provide this for my family. Just like this

[@jeff6899]

This guys' work is phenomenal & blows me away in each video.

[@Alieombaba]

Wow!! Amazing! My fave is the outdoor kitchen and the trenches to water with the pond overflow.

[@antman3869]

This is what a passion for life and living can create. Money, time, and life are all transitory. Passion is what builds great things, sustanabity, beauty, and a continuation of those things.

[@PeteKanarisGreenDreamsFL]

Yes Indeed!

[@88Ont]

I love the tropical garden. It’s so beautiful.

[@mjt2582]

Juan Carlos, what a guy

[@Gabistruwwelliese]

Juan Carlos is the sweetest!! And Ilove the place! Just wow! Greetings from Brazil

[@michellechilders-garrison7996]

Wow an amazing property built by an amazing person. He is living his best life.

[@TomoyoTatar]

So beautiful

[@leaborer-dy8bk]

This is how paradise looks like ❤ beautiful garden

[@africaninvestor7032]

Just stumbled on this video randomly I’m glad I did,I have 12 acres in Africa I have been thinking of something like this but just wasn’t sure now I’ll definitely go ahead,raise my kids on the land

[@NathanielKenaston]

That's cool! Where in Africa? I'm starting mine in Ghana , I've got 60 acres

[@africaninvestor7032]

@@NathanielKenaston in zambia bro

[@NathanielKenaston]

@@africaninvestor7032 very nice! Keep up the good work!

[@HawaiiLimey]

Juan has such great energy which is reflected in his work. Bananas though are very heavy feeders and continually spread, they're best kept separate from fruit trees otherwise they'll outcompete their neighbours for nutrients.

[@chessman483]

We don’t find that at all. Our bananas don’t really ever get fed, a little chop and drop. All the fruit trees around them certainly don’t seem to suffer. Our neighbour commented “ these are the biggest banana palms I’ve ever seen” and we live in QLD Australia, the home of the banana.🤔

[@indriahappy1627]

Perfect home, I love your pond too. Design of your land looks so cool

[@rotaneazer5781]

Great video thanks for sharing. من أجمل المزارع 💙💙 From Algeria

[@william6509]

The videos in Costarica are the best man!!

[@LuisGomez-pp2zh]

Tremendo trabajo de Juan Carlos y familia,un lugar encantador.felicidades desde Rep.Dominicana.

[@Shiftheads]

Incredible video and location. That place is a paradise. Thanks for doing these videos

[@GrowGrounded]

Love this guys energy! True soul❤

[@lethuyvanbk]

Very peaceful. The scene is truly beautiful

[@TPK846]

Your garden is so clean and green , i love garden like this.

[@jenniferlalic4800]

I love the design of his farm, I love that he is into organic farming . Yes I love it. Great idea with the line of water from the ponds to go to the trees. Thank you for sharing this

[@SutekhDaSteemroller]

right .. that fish fertilizer. so smart

[@melanieallen8980]

cheers from Sydney Australia. 😊

[@augustoduran5328]

puravida hermano!

[@NathanielKenaston]

I love seeing all these different homesteads. Its really helpful as we are starting ours here in Ghana

[@teefedtips]

your Costa Rican tours always hit different. thanks

[@eduardodiaz1017]

HEY Pete, TO YOU AND FAMILY AND ALL YOUR FRIENDS, PURA VIDA

[@93VIDEO]

This guy is so cooool .... Thank U for the share ... from Paris - France

[@dennyyh]

Paradise...

[@plants880]

The scenery is beautiful. I love with all my heart in Cambodia

[@Rebecca.Robbins]

Thanks for another AMAZING video Pete!

[@kashwtf]

Wow, very powerful last words 💪🏼 Juan Carlos has a great project, and I am very thankful for sharing his story and giving us a virtual tour of his farm. I am very glad for having found this video for inspiration to start my own farm in a few years - if god allows me to. Pura vida!

[@PeteKanarisGreenDreamsFL]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@pamelalipsett4327]

Proud of you and your family Juan! Great job! 💛

[@princemarcnt7875]

hello how are you brother i am bangladeshi if you need any worker you can take me insha allah honest honest thank you

[@TheMillennialGardener]

This is amazing. Truly living the dream!

[@Jack_of_1_Trade]

Oh man I miss Costa Rica. My family had a few farms out there. But the new Generation (my mothers cousins), didn’t want to live that life. I wish my family still had the land 😭

[@PeteKanarisGreenDreamsFL]

Man, that is sad :(

[@sabrinawanderer7560]

Same here... Nobody in my family, not even my aunts and my uncles want to go back and till the land... But if I go there and start farming, they might come after me cuz my granny changed her mind and now the forest is not ours.. Sad world...

[@jayvang4432]

@@sabrinawanderer7560 find another land, I'll help you till.

[@lovemelovemydog7184]

They want to live 9-5 live.

[@Alejandro_san]

I share your story, Boriqua aqui. My grandfather and my aunts sold their fincas and came to New York, decades of heritage gone. Starting the new finca this year, so their have hope to reignite tradition.

[@AdvExplorer]

awesome food forest and mentality on fruit growing! good work over there and nice structures too

[@chrisdarby833]

Excellent job guys what a beautiful and fruitful place... thats the kind of place I want to live

[@letsfarmwithmelissa4467]

You guys are doing a great job, indeed to do something like this. Watching from Jamaica 🇯🇲🇯🇲🇯🇲

[@jerseygirl5486]

Absolutely stunning!

[@sunsethomescr]

I am definitely adore the fruits and veggies there in Costa rica so yummy and fresh and it grows easily☺️I been there last month with my hubby.

[@josephkingori2270]

Juan Carlos, thumbs up man. Great beauty you have created there. Am from Kenya, I will one day be your guest

[@naiduvn7424]

Wow , really it's a paradise. You are so great.

[@noelynkoutalo6174]

Inspirational video, am very grateful I found your video. ❤ it! Following from Papua New Guinea 🇵🇬.

[@josephevans5703]

That man is truly blessed

[@maryrose4228]

OMG I love to live like this kind of place, heaven 😍

[@wangshak7840]

This is the channel i have been looking for..❤❤

[@georginafermin8917]

Just awesome 👏🏽 thank you for inspiring me 💓

[@nileswright8915]

Just...... awesome! Lubbitt!

[@motives829]

My guy is str8 up killing it!!!!

[@rindika6905]

I love this firm. This is like my dream. Its just like a paradise. ❤️❤️.

[@shamrockchris]

My wife and I are building a small farm in Guanacaste, Costa Rica. I feel like my place is so ghetto compared to this amazing property! We have some work to do. Luckily our soil is out of this world incredible! Fruit trees are popping off and it has only been 2 years. Great video Pete, thank you for making such inspiring videos brother!

[@PeteKanarisGreenDreamsFL]

Keep pounding that dirt!!

[@mcahechame6681]

@@PeteKanarisGreenDreamsFL Hello, how are you, can I talk to you about farming, raising cows?

[@manthony777]

Chris, don't be so negative dude

[@Myfamilyfarm268]

The scenery here is wonderful, sir

[@carolleota9000]

BEAUTIFUL THANKS FOR THE VIDEO👍

[@LeviAvans]

I know there is a lot of great content in this video, but can we talk about how nicely shaped jaun-carlos's beard is?

[@scottslinger1003]

Wow! Thanks Pete

[@Adrian-qo2ub]

Wow!, It's amazing 👏👏

[@Sammybizness]

One word, Awesome!

[@jamerican_usnavy]

Juan Carlos is a good man.

[@lucasvieira8357]

Amazing and beautiful!

[@daphnebrooks116]

This is a insane food forest I love ❤ it

[@DomingoVlogs]

Amazing Family!We are also slowly building our food forest, this video is truly inspiring! see you always sir

[@101TamaraJones]

This is truly the most incredible homestead build I've ever seen. It is INDEED a dream and now this example will be my goal. I wonder if Juan Carlos has made a blueprint of his property with the different plants listed (especially this extraordinary companion planting!)?? Thank you for sharing!

[@nickngunjiri4282]

All the way from 🇰🇪, this is awesome

[@JhunDumsTVXj]

Wow amazing

[@keeslocksmiths8407]

Wow so beautiful

[@FoodNTravel1234]

OMG! This is absolute Heavan; it makes me just want to move there lol

[@sunmoonandaliens]

This is real life Willy Wonka!

[@chrishodgers2982]

Very beautiful property ,, great tour ,,, lot hard work ,, nice

[@SanDiegoCrypto]

Living the dream!!

[@i2manu]

Great going Pete,keep it going ,love and best wishes from India

[@jeanyang6735]

I love your farm so neat and beautiful..

[@ElimanGibba]

Earthly & Heart-Ly Impressive. Big Up.

[@thmavimukthisampathkumaras8406]

I love this 😍

[@sherylhokianga6075]

How Wicked!..Amazing Property!!!

[@nello8630]

Amazing video. That's what paradise looks like.

[@PeteKanarisGreenDreamsFL]

It really is!

[@mrjuliusmars]

Amazing!

[@Snyc2030]

What an inspirational story. Love Costa Rica.

[@patriciamidal1934]

Beautiful place ❤❤❤