At a time when we deplore the artificialization of the soil, “The Perched Gardens” reverse the trend and somehow naturalize artificial areas! Les Jardins Perchés is an experimental project in Tours Nord which combines 76 social rental housing units built by Tours Habitat with the creation of a professional urban market garden developing both on the roofs of the residence and on the ground. The tenants moved in at the beginning of 2020 and the first crops on the ground began in the fall of 2020. The objective is:
• Bring nature to the city • Develop a professional market gardening activity • Make this project a reproducible experience
Audrey Debonnel, agricultural engineer, is project manager “I live in my garden” and is conducting an experiment with the agricultural school of Tours-Fondettes in order to optimize crop spaces in the city. She explains to us in this report that several types of cultivation are carried out: cultivation of strawberries in hydroponics with chemical fertilizers, in hydroponics with organic fertilizers, strawberries grown in topsoil on the roof and in the ground at the bottom of buildings.
– @Isabelle Dorso
At harvest, analyzes will be carried out to find out which strawberries are good and nutritious and what differences appear according to their type of crop. To be continued…