Construction of the storage space
It was a busy time at the end of the Michelet garden in this sunny week of March! Thibault, Leo and Alex of aaa, reinforced by Yassine who came to help, led the project of building a storage space for garden tools and scrap materials. This storage space, which will allow you to store, sort and keep on good materials found in anticipation of future projects and activities of the R-Urban, was built with end-of-life pallets (by this we mean non-compliant in the transport sector, but entirely consistent for the use they are intended), wooden beams, and a tarp recovered from an advertisement, to protect from rain.
Spring of the poets at the Michelet Garden
For several seasons, the Hublot works to bring poetry where it is least expected and create artistical exchange. This season, Hublot has ordered the author Franco-Argentine Miguel Angel Sevilla in a series of texts, coplas, slams and micro-narratives on the theme “The 1001 Faces of Childhood.” As part of the Poetry Festival, the actors of Studio Asnières were projecting these short poetic forms in several neighborhoods, thus the meeting with the inhabitants of Colombes. We were very pleased to welcome them on the site of the Agrocité , and we thank the actors for this afternoon when gardening and poetry came together, just like the poems hanging in the trees.
Shared garden workshop
With spring, more and more people got the habit of coming to the Michelet garden on Saturdays. Individual plots represent a great opportunity for vegetable production but also learning new practices of urban agriculture.This weekend we continued work on preparing and planting: lawn watering, hoeing. Beyond the individual plots, we also began to develop the rest of the garden: marking the space for the AgroLab, cleaning and organizing the entire garden.
Prototype for a Vertical Hydroponic Garden
During the last few weeks we explored the various possible techniques to develop a vertical garden that could grow into a small space of the house: the window. We arrived first at the solution of hydroponics (earthless agriculture), which is growing plants performed on neutral and inert substrate (such as sand, pozzolana, clay pebbles, rockwool etc.. ). This substrate is irrigated regularly with a liquid stream that brings minerals and nutrients to the plant. This technique are widely used for market gardening.
Then, our research led us to the “window farming”, which is the latest evolution in sustainable food production in a closed cycle. This movement, initiated by newyorker Britta Riley, is a way to produce food using a simple but very effective method in urban environments. We added a biological filter to the original scheme, which can purify the water but also to enrich the nutrients needed by plants for their growth.
All the elements that make up our system are salvage or readily available (including the pump and timer which can be found in any garden shop or DIY): plastic bottles that serve as pots for plants , bamboo chopsticks, all connected with wire to the structure and a plastic container for the filter.
If you want to build one, you can find all the details in the section Local Products Site: Vertical Hydroponic Garden
Strolling through different gardens
Young and old, we met Saturday to stroll around the town of Colombes. Our tour began with the Garden of Eden, camouflaged by the social center and the fences, where we could admire the multitude of plants and fruit trees that will delight the inhabitants during the summer. Crossing to the other side of the railway, we stopped near the stadium, the Wild Gardens of Audra. There, we had a little lesson on shared gardens: we have identified some types of seedlings, learned some gardening techniques and tricks of craft. Then we returned to the Michelet Garden.Despite the rather long journey, the children have not lost their enthusiasm and have built castles with stones found on site.
Beyond the discovery of these gardens, the stroll was a moment of exchange of impressions, memories and dreams for everyone. By moving, we traced different stories about the gardens, the inhabitants of Colombes, buildings, etc.. Gradually, different people took part in the discussion, with some interesting observations but also with important suggestions that can complete the project R-Urban. The garden is being built from its inhabitants.
“Garden and sharing” workshop
Despite the gray skies and a cold winter, we were a dozen or so ready to get their dirty for cutting stakes, measuring, making nodes and shared garden picketting. That’s it: after a night of rain the two containers are full of water and can be used to water the seedlings.
We were pleasantly surprised by how hot it was in the greenhouse.
After plowing, some planted the slope at the entrance with bulbs of garlic, red onions and “Griselle” shallots. This is what will give a red face and welcoming to the garden this spring.
To reward the brave, drinks and cakes were donated by a neighbor. Another beautiful day at Michelet, another small step for the wasteland that becomes a garden.
Urban Agriculture
Saturday night at SCC, Fernando made a presentation of his projects: campo adrentro , School of shepherds , explaining the importance of urban agriculture initiatives today. Constantin has added a number of other examples: The 56 Rue St. Blaise , a project of aaa in Paris, Prinzessen Garden in Berlin, Roberta’s and Roof Farm in Brooklyn, Abbey’s Garden , a project in London. We discussed the draft of Michelet gaden. The initiators of “Jardins sauvages d’Audra” and the “Garden of Eden” were starting to exchange and collaborate with The AgroCité.
Sunday 15 – Workshop # 2: The installation of the greenhouse structure took a little longer than expected.Fortunately, Tibo and Leo have relied on extra-helpers. In parallel, we sowed some onions, tomatoes and aromatic plants with Fernando. The seedlings will be sheltered from the cold in the greenhouse. Three members of the 56 Rue St. Blaise collective came to help. Some inhabitants of Fosses Jean have registered to participate in the shared garden and a neighbor volunteered for regular watering of the seedlings. Thank you to all those who come for your help and your presence, thank you to Green Spaces Services Colombes for the pots plates. We will now have a roof over our heads and continue the winter works.
Other Links:
Plant depollution:
http://taste.versailles.inra.fr/inapg/phytoremed/
Fungi depollution:
https://www.ted.com/talks/paul_stamets_on_6_ways_mushrooms_can_save_the_world.html
Urban agriculture in the former industrial city of Detroit:
http://www.arte.tv/fr/3414950, CmC = 3414946.html
Urban agriculture in the former airport in Berlin templehoff:
http://www.tempelhoferfreiheit.de/besuchen/karte-und-anfahrt/
Networks of Urban Agriculture:
http://urbanacker.net/
Collective discussion Michelet site
We had a discussion of the first hypotheses on the Michelet garden project around sketches and a model of collective work.The topics discussed revolved around urban agriculture, eco-cultural activities and green pedagogy. To make progress in the future project aaa discussed about techniques, methods of cultivation and processing (direct sales or kitchen, etc..) Which may take place on the site.
Deambulatory Performance in the Michelet Garden
The Michelet site was the starting point of a deambulatory performance in the festival “TRAVEL into the comics” organized by the town of Colombes.
The wasteland was opened to the theatrical representation of “The abandoned treasure of Anois Unbido” and its pirates, staged by the Theatre of Kalam, in collaboration with the CSC des Fosses-Jean, the town leisure receptionists, Strata’j’m, with the participation of local residents.