Can Cadena urban garden in Barcelona

Good Agrohuerters, today, I am going to talk to you about one of the visits I made to an urban garden in Barcelona (Spain), it is the Can Cadena urban garden, also known as the Masia de Can Cadena urban garden.

The Can Cadena orchard is also an Experimental and Educational Center for Agriculture and Gardening. It is located in the neighborhood of Sant Martí de Provençals, specifically in calle Menorca 27; It belongs to the network of urban gardens of the Barcelona City Council.

During the week it is not open to the public, but on weekends it is. During the week, only the neighbors who have the assigned plot can access the site, to carry out their horticultural work, and visits from schoolchildren are also received. Visiting hours on weekends are Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

How the Can Cadena urban garden works

As I have previously mentioned, it belongs to the network of urban gardens, so to opt for a plot, a series of requirements must be met, which are:

-Be over 65 years old

– Be registered in the district where the orchard is located

– Be trained for agricultural work

-Do not live with a person who has already been assigned a garden plot.

The orchards are awarded through a lottery. These rules are common to all the urban gardens that belong to the Barcelona City Council. With this they want to encourage older people to dedicate themselves to an activity that helps them learn about organic farming, socialize and have a hobby throughout the week.

This orchard really represents a part of the countryside in the city, because in it, in addition to finding plots for cultivation, there is also a small farm. It has a small variety of animals such as: rabbits, chickens, sheep and lambs. Interacting with animals is prohibited. This farm serves above all for the little ones to become familiar with domestic animals, so that they learn above all what they feed on and what their way of life is.

On the other hand, in this orchard there are around 30 plots, each with dimensions that vary between 25-40 m ². In the plots, users grow seasonal vegetables, so we can find mostly tomatoes, cucumbers, courgettes, onions, artichokes, cabbage, beans, lettuce and peppers now in summer. There are also several planters with aromatics such as mint and basil. In addition To store tools or work supplies, each user has their own storage shed.

In principle it is an orchard, ecological or that most users treat in this way, so that they can be sustainable with the environment, and especially with the area in which they are located.

Irrigation is done by hose, they have a water tap at the beginning of every two plots. And also close to it there are buckets to add the pruning remains to make compost. In this place they are very aware of making compost, since next to the farm we can find two large compost bins, which are common to all users. These are traditional, compost is only made with pruning remains, or vegetables.

In this urban garden we not only find vegetables, but also have trees that surround the entire enclosure, which have a sign with the name of the species to which they belong. They are mostly fruit trees and we can find lemon, pomegranate or orange trees; It should be noted that the fruits they produce should not be consumed by visitors, and many are used for compost.

Apart from enjoying all of the above, we also find an area with picnic tables, so we can take a snack and enjoy the day, nature at its best within the city.

Not only is there fun inside the enclosure that houses the orchard, but also outside, since it is located in a park (Parc Sant Martí). In the park you will find a lake, ping pong tables, a church, several children’s play areas and of course you can also have a picnic.

Finally I have to say that in general the orchard is very well cared for, no type of pest was seen on the plants, and the vegetables looked very healthy and appetizing. The rest of the enclosure is also a delight to visit, because everything is taken care of to the smallest detail. For all these reasons, Agrohuerters invites you to visit it whether you are from Barcelona or if you are going to visit this beautiful city. Until next time!