In the Horta do Alto da Eira, everyone sows and everyone reaps.
A garden that belongs to all people and where all people can sow, harvest, and also, of course, play. This is business dynamics Alto da Eira vegetable gardenin Penha de França. Here there are no individual plots - the garden is really communal, it really belongs to everyone. The project is being run by the Regador association with the logistical support of the Penha de França parish council and funding from the BIP/ZIP program.
The Horta do Alto da Eira began to be created in December. The first step was to gather the interested community, including local residents, and make a general presentation of the project. Since then, meetings have been held on a weekly basis - announced both on Regador's social networks and in a placard installed at the entrance of the vegetable garden. In community, Saturday after Saturday, the Alto da Eira vegetable garden was taking shape.
One of the first steps was to clear and try to level the land, creating terraces so that the future vegetable garden could grow taller. A small wooden house was created to store the materials, and a vegetable garden was developed. workshop This little house - meanwhile baptized "Casa da Horta" - was given a roof. And a dozen fruit trees were planted ("medronhos, apples, pears, loquats...") and more than 60 wild shrubs "who will give us blackberries, raspberries, strawberries..."says Maria Freitas, one of the people responsible for the Regador association. "The vines there are still shy but the idea is that they will embrace these branches"he adds, pointing to a set of wooden structures where it is hoped that in the future there will be a juicy vineyard to eat or drink.
Everything that is planted in this garden belongs to everyone - it can be harvested by people who want to get involved in the project. On May 7, the Planting Party took place. Regador launched the invitation, brought the plants, beers, and invited two musician friends of the association: Catherine Morisseau gave us piano music and Daniel Neto some jazz, livening up an afternoon that turned out to be quite hot (temperatures of 30º). Picnic towels were spread out and, during the afternoon, whole families settled there to listen to the music and socialize. Children ran around. Conversations developed over a cold beer.
The Alto da Eira vegetable garden is more than just a vegetable garden - it is a garden of flowers and plants. "it is a meeting space, a social space, where a lot can happen". Conversations and debates have already taken place here, and for this month of June some festivals planned "to decentralize the Santos Populares a little bit". of the more traditional neighborhoods, Maria tells us. "The earth unites us." The Planting Party was, above all, a party - but there was also work to be done. Many were the ones who wanted to get their hands in the soil to plant a lettuce, Portuguese cabbage, eggplant, or the green beans. "This now grows in no time. You just have to water it"says one of the participants. Watering is everyone's job too - after all, this is a truly community garden.
The Horta do Alto da Eira has attracted many families from outside, but also some people from the neighborhood. Not everything always goes smoothly, but the problems get solved one way or another. It is being "all made from scratch"In December, it was a piece of land with nothing, only weeds," Maria points out, remembering. A bit of this pre-existing natural meadow was left to preserve the memory of the wasteland.
Regador says they are already looking for new funding opportunities so that the Alto da Eira vegetable garden project can continue beyond the BIP/ZIP they applied for. And they have plans for this possible future, such as creating a windmill that can automate the irrigation of the vegetable garden. For now, there is still a lot to do. After the Santos Populares festivities, a cine-concert will be organized here in Horta and there will, of course, be a Harvest Festival. If you are interested in following this project, it is best to follow the Regador association on Facebook and in the Instagram.
