Friday, 30 August 2024, 10:16
-
Copiar enlace
-
WhatsApp
-
Facebook
-
X (antes Twitter)
-
LinkedIn
-
Telegram
-
Threads
Ecological agriculture is the aim of the project that regenerated the first plant nursery in Malaga owned by a Dutch family. In 2021, a group of experts in ecological agriculture decided to embark on a project that brought with it the reopening of the El Alamillo nursery in Alhaurín de la Torre, which was abandoned, to make room for an agricultural project in the heart of the Guadalhorce Valley. They were looking for a place where different workshops, events and courses could introduce society to the world of ecological gardening in a “dynamic and fun” way.
Joseba Laserna, one of the founders, explains that their project is divided, on the one hand, into Huertum, focused on urban agriculture and, on the other hand, into the El Alamillo Ecological Nursery project, focused on developing the plants in which they specialise: ecological, therapeutic and edible.
“We are dedicated to developing plants that you can’t find anywhere else; in our nursery you can buy organic rosemary, for example, which is difficult to source elsewhere.”
The project was born through the hard work of biodynamic farmer Alonsi Navarro, Lola Marié and Laserna, among others, who came together to launch this project.
“We created it to reopen the nursery with a different focus, oriented towards growing aromatic, culinary and even native plants and explaining the benefits they have and what they are used for,” explains Laserna, who emphasises that this nursery not only serves to give the corresponding importance to each plant and explain how they are grown, but also to give information on how they can be consumed and what they contribute to the garden and the environment.
Inside the greenhouse.
SUR
“When a person comes to the nursery, we give them a little training to teach them what each plant can contribute,” says the founder, as one of the Malaga project’s lines of work is educational. In addition to the plants in which they specialise, the nursery has an area dedicated to micro-plants, specifically a shed with artificial light and fans that allow them to grow more effectively.
“They are very beneficial for nutrition and health, you eat five grammes of lettuce microgreens and it is as if you were eating a whole lettuce,” says Laserna. It is the My Greens project that gives its name to the centre for the production and experimentation of these types of plants located in the Alhaurín nursery, and which are increasingly appearing on the tables of more and more homes, restaurants and hotels, as its CEO Sonsoles Jiménez explained to this newspaper.
“We develop plants that you can’t find anywhere else,” says Laserna.
On the other hand, the nursery also provides services to restaurants – some of them with Michelin stars – designing them their own vegetable garden and creating it.
“We are specialised in urban agriculture, but with the nursery we have taken a further step towards therapy, to demonstrate that our plants, which are indigenous and native to the area, can be used to design gardens, integrate them into the kitchen and do so while maintaining a commitment to the environment, people and cities,” says the founder of the project.
From hardy olive trees to rosemary, every plant at El Alamillo Nursery has been selected for its hardiness and beauty, including highly valued aromatic, medicinal and culinary plants.
“Grown outdoors, our plants are truly hardy and climate-adapted, making them ideal for Mediterranean gardens and our team of passionate experts are always on hand to offer personalised advice on how to grow and use these plants effectively,” says Laserna, referring to whatever area they work in, whether it’s creating an aromatic garden, making medicinal infusions or experimenting with new culinary recipes.
Advice, training for schoolchildren, professionals and the creation of gardens – some for private use or for restaurants – are not the only services they provide, as they also support research, development and implementation of new ecological and natural plant development techniques and advise on land regeneration.
Images are for reference only.Images and contents gathered automatic from google or 3rd party sources.All rights on the images and contents are with their original owners.
Comments are closed.