Visiting the Campo de la Cebada orchard

Very good to all crazy people of the garden!

The following story narrates the adventure lived in the visit to the Campo de la Cebada, the first visit to an orchard outside mine, any resemblance to reality is no coincidence, so we will leave its protagonists almost anonymous:

It was a hot afternoon in May, the sun was shining after the last rains in April and although it was not appropriate to go out in short sleeves, the first heats encouraged it.

I had made an appointment with Lucía Muñoz (you already know her from her articles on this website) at 6:00 pm, to visit the urban garden of La Cebada in the heart of the city. I arrived a little earlier to take a walk around the place, I love that space upholstered with graffiti, recycled buildings and crowds at close range enjoying the afternoon in the middle of the hustle and bustle of the city.

There are not a few Sundays that I drop by there to have a drink with friends and enjoy some of its activities, concerts, talks or simply see the panorama. But he still did not know the members of the horticultural team that gave that square one more reason to be a reference place in Madrid’s leisure.

The visit to the orchard of “El Campo de Cebada”

My surprise was enormous when I received a message from Lucía, she was about 30 minutes late and I would have to start with the report… At that time I had no idea who to talk to or what to do, since she had been in charge of contacting him. group, I was just the cameraman who accompanies in a discreet background the person who asks the questions. And now I had to ask some questions to a guy I didn’t know yet.

So, I bite the bullet and approached a group of people who were chatting near the terraces that made up the urban garden. My hunch was rewarded when they told me that they were part of the collective that managed that. I told them that I was finishing agronomists, that I was making a YouTube channel for people to learn how to make a garden and the truth is that the idea seemed good to them.

But when I pulled out my sticker-covered construction helmet and camera, I went from being a normal person who had an interest in orchards to a weirdo and a bit of a freak who was going to record in his joint. Nothing happened, it was completely logical that a person like that would not be taken very seriously since it is something shocking for everyone a man with a construction helmet who is recording you … But with a little effort I would earn his respect and trust It was just a matter of staying there.

More people arrived and began their chores, they took the implements out of an industrial container (like the typical ones on the docks that are stacked one on top of the other), they removed the weeds from the terraces and began to till them with the hoe to give the soil that pumping over that it needed to increase its porosity and thus absorb more water (I don’t always say this just to say it, it’s just like that).

After a while recording them while they worked, one of them came up with the great idea of ​​putting me to work. To me! By God, what nonsense to put a poor homeless cameraman to work without his editorial colleague! But in my eagerness to find out, I climbed onto one of the terraces and began to pound the ground with the hoe.

I did not last even 3 minutes before the aforementioned very kindly explained to me how it was used (I have already told you that in the agronomist school there are no hoe management classes and the truth is that they would be very necessary) and after a few more attempts my technique was adequate to get off the ground well without breaking my back, for which I am really grateful.

A sociology student was also around there, very pretty, it must be said, and my hoe tutor was very concentrated telling her everything she needed to know about the space, the orchard, etc. So when Lucía finally arrived at the appointment, I was drenched in sweat after beating the ground for about 15 minutes (it’s not much, but for me it was very hard).

Lucia, who is also very pretty, caught the hoe tutor’s attention and we were finally able to get a mostly acceptable explanation about the garden, the space, etc. After which she was also put to work chopping the remains of the previous crop to put them in the compost bin.

After a while we got tired and we were able to enjoy one of the refreshments that they offer over there watching the others work, they answered the questions we wanted to ask and we got a pretty cool report that you can see below (I also leave you the links of Lucia’s reports):

The community garden «EL CAMPO DE CEBADA»
Composting and Planting in an urban garden

Jokes aside, it is worth visiting an orchard, but it is much better to work in it to be able to live the experience from the inside, learn new things and feel part of a job well done.

The truth is that after that day, I didn’t help them again (I already have enough with my garden) but whenever I go back to have a drink there I see the terrace that I tilled with everything that is growing in it and I can say: I have been a part of it!

A greeting and do not stop approaching the Plaza de la Cebada.