Orchards of the District of Fuencarral – El Pardo

Hello everyone! Following our route of urban gardens in Madrid, we have reached the gardens in Fuencarral – El Pardo. It is a district belonging to the city of Madrid and administratively organized in the neighborhoods of El Pardo, Fuentelarreina, Peñagrande, Pilar, La Paz, Valverde, Mirasierra and El Goloso. This district is the one with the largest area, but not the most populated, since Monte de El Pardo is within it, the urbanized areas represent less than 50% of the total.

The district is delimited by: the municipal districts of Las Rozas de Madrid, Torrelodones, Colmenar Viejo, Tres Cantos, San Sebastián de los Reyes and Alcobendas to the west, north and east, the district of Moncloa-Aravaca to the south, and the districts of Tetuán, Chamartín and Hortaleza to the east.

Now that we know something more about Fuencarral – El Pardo, let’s go into its orchards!

ORCHARD OF THE PILAR NEIGHBORHOOD

In the summer of 2007, a group of neighbors together with members of the La Flor Neighborhood Association transformed a piece of land next to Plaza Corcubión into a community garden. In its years of experience, the promoter group has involved, to varying degrees, a large number of «gardeners» and «gardeners», who are dedicated to planting seasonal vegetables according to the season. Also, in a timely manner, they have organized other activities and visits organized by a concerted educational center near the orchard. Annually, in addition, they collect used domestic oil to make soapsand organize a barter market. In addition to the Neighborhood Association, other entities collaborate in the project such as: the Expressions Cultural Association, the Magister in Participatory Research (UCM), the Virgen del Pilar School, the Madrid City Council (Fuencarral-El Pardo Municipal Board) and the Grupo Griot theatre.

MONTECARMELO ORCHARD

It is an initiative of the Carmen Pardo-Valcarce Foundation that works for the participation of people with intellectual disabilities in society. These solidarity urban gardens employ people with disabilities who work on plots rented by those who want a garden close to the city.

In addition, they organize an activity called «Orchard School» where every weekend courses related to the tasks in each season are taught, with topics such as initiation in the orchard, direct sowing, seedbeds, plant health, pruning and harvesting, among others. much others. There are also workshops for the little ones where games and activities are carried out to bring them closer to the countryside and learn with the five senses. To find out more, see our article “MONTECARMELO ORCHARD. An oasis of organic gardens in Madrid».

THE TABLE OF COMPOSURE

This garden was born as a community composting initiative in December 2010, which was enlarged as a result of 15M with the creation of terraces for growing seasonal vegetables and a spiral with aromatic plants. It stands on an occupied plot of land on a landscaped slope on Castillo de Candanchú street in Las Tablas, in the Valverde neighbourhood.

THE GARDEN WITHOUT NAME

This orchard is the result of the recovery of an abandoned lot where the participants demonstrate day by day their desire to work in favor of urban organic farming while socializing and having a good time in the company of their neighbors. This protest project was launched with clear objectives: to create a meeting and coexistence place, to offer a source of self-consumption, to promote healthy living habits, to maintain a space for environmental education, to conserve agricultural techniques and methods, and to reduce the generation of waste.by making compost. In the absence of other civic centers or places for citizen participation, in the garden they are open to initiatives that promote non-commercial ideas. They usually meet every Saturday at 10 in the morning and in the afternoon on weekdays on Calle Herrera Oria, on the corner of Calle Llano Castellano, although it has its entrance on Calle Labastida, 16.

THE GARDEN OF THE BEGO

This project originated thanks to the interest of neighborhood residents, with the support and participation of the Begoña Neighborhood Association, and under the initial protection of the activities of the Virgen de Begoña neighborhood plan. The success of assistance and collaboration has been important, since it is located in a common walking area, so neighbors of all ages visit it. The children of the neighborhood are an important part of the visitors, an important factor for the philosophy of the orchard to endure over time.

It is a space for leisure and learning, open to all neighbors, where everything produced is distributed among the participants and when there is a surplus, it is distributed to eventual visitors to the garden. Among the participants, there is a small group of neighbors who form a consolidated and stable team and numerous punctual collaborators.

The orchard is located next to number 1 of Calle Virgen de Aranzazu and number 5 of San Dacio. Why don’t you dare to meet him?

SCHOOL GARDENS IN FUENCARRAL – EL PARDO

As you know, there are a large number of schools in Madrid that, in recent years, have been incorporating the urban organic garden as a teaching tool to encourage respect for the environment, promote healthy lifestyles and bring the rural environment closer to the city. The district of Fuencarral – El Pardo, has a large number of school gardens distributed in the following centers:

• CEIP Josep Tarradellas (Valverde neighborhood)
• CEIP Leopoldo Calvo Sotelo (Valverde neighborhood)
• CEIP Republic of Paraguay (Valverde neighborhood)
• EEI Belén (Valverde neighborhood)
• CEIPS Gabriela Mistral (Valverde neighborhood)
• CEIP Enrique Granados (Valverde neighborhood)
• CEIP Príncipe de Asturias (El Goloso neighborhood)
• Virgin of Mirasierra School (Mirasierra neighborhood)
• CEIP Rabindranath Tagore (La Paz neighborhood)
• EEI The Court of the Pharaoh (Peñagrande neighborhood)

So far the urban gardens in Fuencarral – El Pardo. See you at the next Agrohuertistas!