One of my best memories of biology lessons at school was the introduction into fauna and flora in microscopic size. We harvested some grass outside the school building and cut it into little pieces. We stored it in a jar with some water for 3 weeks and we explored the life inside of one drop of the liquid under a microscope.
On September 2019 we designed a new bed in the entrance of the art camp, which is part of the color garden of CASAdelDRAGON. After harvesting delicious cauliflowers and some onions in January 2020 we prepared the bed for a new season with salads and herbs beginning of March 2020.
We cleaned the stone frame around and inside the bed and collected a big pile of grass and rotten organic material.
We covered the soil with hay from another field nearby and we tested the watering system.
Finally the bed was ready. But we thought about all the organic material with was part of this bed before. If we take out season by season salads and vegetables we need to fertilize and re-energize the soil. We are using already methods like composting and terra preta and water from aquaponics. The question was: what else we can try to transform organic waste into something useful for our beds.
The memory of the magical biology lesson guided us to another experiment.
We stored all the organic waste from cleaning the bed inside a blue barrel and placed it under a carob tree nearby. We filled it up with stored rain water.
The water will cloud greenish, stink and in the next 2 weeks there will be a strong increase of numerous bacteria, both aerobic and anaerobic. A lot of them will be later food for paramecium, a single – celled – organism. We will add some of the liquid to the bed when we are going to water the plants in the bed.
Paramecium is a very good indicator for water quality and in many aspects an interesting organism (its DNA has double size compared to humans).
To transform organic waste close to the bed into a useful fertilizer is a strategy we will explore more. Following the second law of thermodynamics and reduce the increase of entropy will guide us to our food of tomorrow.
In early 2020 we had a lot of talks about living in communities, values and goals and further activities and upcoming projects.
It was also a time to reflext about the last years. The following collection gives an overview about social educative artistic activities of our community and address one Always re-emerging question: “What is this all about?”
In spain we are runing an artist residence, the house of the dragon (CASAdelDRAGON). One key to deliver informal education is a huge garden area called the color garden. It is our campus and space for a lot of social activities like camps in nature for families with kids (left photo).
Also we are involved in the summer school activities of APEAL, which is a NGO in Bucharest (Romania).
For the community project of ApEAL in Chiocanesti near Bucharest we collected some IT stuff to enable the association for computerbased workshops.
A group of biology students was building a bridge over one old water channel, designed by roman and arabic conquerors. This project was not part of the original workshop but the realisation of a common wish of the students to contribute in some way to the social project of our color garden.
The CASAdelDRAGON is an artist residence, guest house and a think tank for innovative social art projects. In the basement of the house we run a gallery since more than 10 years and we use the space also for partizipative art installations like the regalo bar, a shop, in which you can not buy anything, you just can receive a donation or you can donate something to others. It was quite a challenge for latin souls to use this opportunity.
Part of the color garden is a vegetable garden with a lot of young fruit trees. As an addition we are involved in beekeeping in the province of Castellon. This project address the actual situation of bees between industrial agriculture, micro-economical views on nature and sustainable needs for human habitats.
In a relation to the MLU Halle (Martin Luther University) we hosted from time to time biology students in the guesthouse. As part of one exhibition about social art we showed an smal scale aquaponic installation.
Magda from a little village near Bucharest was sitting on the terrasse of CASAdelDRAGON and said with tears in her eyes: “I want that my Children will see what i see now!” We where thinking the same 3 years before and we invited the first kids from Romania to visit the region of Maestrazgo, the land of the templer and deeply connected to the european history. In the following years we had several groups visiting and partizipating in our social art projects and we will continue this in 2020 and further on.
In our german home unit we established the “room for art” in the basement of one house. We invited people with interest in social art and contemporary education for a one day workshop to paint together. By transforming passive visitors to active creators of their environment we sculptured their brains, following Beuys and his idea of social sculpturing.
This Hand belongs to a great person. Her name is Fadella. She was coming from Bahrein to study our community life and she gave us a very deep impact in the arabic spanish european history. Her finger points on a handmade ancient nail, laying on a stone which is part of a roman trade path (which is part of our color garden).
The hosue of the dragon is an open house. A lot of times we are sitting together and share the Food whioch guests and Friends and visitors. These events are not intensivly organised and prepared and they appear more spontaniosly – but exactly this delives a flair, with is great and special.
Our close friend Anne is runing a severgardens project in south France. Part of this UNESCO featured project is to explore, develop and share knowledge about natural pigments and dye techniques and ways to produce natural colors for artistic purpose (which is also part of our activities in the color garden in spain). We spend a very cold and long day in France to connect locals with organic products and techniques and developed some connections for the project of Anne.
Following an invitation we gave some lectures in Germany for students of Biology. Partizipative strategies and methods of social art projects for science and classical education might re-design the thinking of former education.
In the educative space of Cecile – permaculture Penyaflor – near Tortosa we invited the guests to paint with us, reflecting the theme L.O.V.E. Later these art works became part of an exhibition under the title AMAL.
In Romania we organised a workshop about leadership. A group of children, teachers, government officials and social workers was involved to create a game about leading a summercamp for youth. The game will be published as part of another social art project ARTSURPRISE. It will be a tool to train youth in social leadership.
The missing link is another social art project in which we connect social spaces like Ceciles Permaculture Penyaflor, EcoTros or others. Quo vadis – the question for all of us and especially for social entrepreneurs like Cecile.
German students are buildung a rocket stove in the color garden. They are highly motivated by creating the foundation of something useful for the lunch of the next day (and the next day was really the next day!).
In another open social space, the masia from Francesc, a friend living close to Gerona, was th stage for one art performance in the night. We created some light sculptures in the dark and enjoyed a conversation about art and relevance and sustainability of contemporary art.
To transform a passive event of a lunch into an active partizipation of the guests we invited some creatives in the color garden to prepare and enjoy local food and experimental cooking.
Learning something is in our opinion a personal process embedded into a social environment in which the person is free to discover and receive what (s)he is Looking for. Therefor the job of a contemporary living community with the goal of establishing a social space for informal learning and personal happiness is to create this space, to maintain it and to protect it.
Tine gave a workshop about awareness and meditation. The workshop was part of the educative activities of our free University (UNIIE). This underline, that we see our task more in enableling the space for informal learning than to just offer workshops.
A lot of people have a lot to tell. We want to enable them to do this… and to enjoy it at the same time.
Life brings people to the house of the dragon and they continue their way through their lifes. Some of them, as the nordic nod mosaic in the kitchen of the CASAdelDRAGON reflects, find back later and enjoy another time what they created and what others created in between.
If you have been reading this article till now – something we appreaciate a lot – you might belong to a group of people who really want to go deep into something. If you cross all These pieces of Information and ask yourself where is the red line in all of this, it is the power and success of partizipative art and ist influence on contemporary education. We are not aware about the outcome but we feel to be part of a wider movement of a lot of creative people all over the world. And even if we do not know if we will reach the goal, we are happy on the way.
In March 2019 we had 22 visitors from Germany for one week in Cervera del Maestre in the CASAdelDRAGON. As part of the joint venture between the free University of informal education (UNIIE) and the Martin Luther University Halle (MLU) the students worked on an aquaponics project in the Color garden.
Beside this main activity UNIIE offered some workshops and lectures. To build “a rocket stove in one day” was one of these workshops. First we digged a hole based on the sizes of a “proof-of-concept-model”.
Then we filled 60 % of the hole with stones and gravel. Every year we have to consider more heavy rain events. Sometimes the area is flodded for a whole week. The stone gravel mix support later the weight of the construction.
In the next step we isolated the foundation from the later basement of the oven. To level the basement we used left over pieces of ceramic stones and brought them on the same height.
Than we filled the space between and we used some iron pieces to increase the stability.
In the next step we calculated the position of the burning chamber and prepared first the inside chamber mit “reflectarios” – ceramic which support high temperatures. Later we added the structure with ceramic bricks around.
To connect the stones we mixed soil with cal and cement (6:1:1) and water.
To build such a stove in only one day is a challenging experience for most of the students. Even to find a personal speed in using tools and working out details is part of a personal dialoge.
Everybody in the group rejected other offers to leave the project and we worked till late afternoon.
Working together and enjoying the result is main part of the workhops from our free university (UNIIE). In creating something with natural materials, working in nature and learning and practise at the same time is a key of deeper understanding and developing skills for further challenges.
The design of a rocket stove is based on physics. The advantage is, to heat up the air with any even less valuable wood in a very efficient process. Air with oxygen pass the wood chamber and burn in the burn chamber. The flame is strong because hot air leaving the stove sucks fresh air into the wood chamber and increase the burrning process.
The rocket stove in the art camp of the color garden is an additional fireplace to cook for friends and guests.
20 hours after digging the hole for the foundation we already cooked for the 22 students and some friends who joined us for lunch.
If you like to offer workshops as part of the UNIIE or if you like to join our activities use this application.
As part of our activities in education we offer some lectures in March 2019.
Julien Ramon – 2019-03-12 – 21.30 hrs – CASAdelDRAGON – “About being a tree farmer” – plans and struggles of a little family to arrive in the Spanish society and to set up a business in agriculture in east Spain. entrance fee: free
Brigitte Schaider – 2019-03-13 – 14.30 hrs – COLOR GARDEN – “The magic luck” artistic lecture in german language – entrance fee: donation base
Juan Petry – 2019-03-13 – 21.30 hrs – CASAdelDRAGON – “no rules, no dogs” – a short introduction in running a alternative living community and to establish another way of organising people on the way to peace and happiness. entrance fee: free
Please announce your visit today till 8 pm (mail, whatsapp, messenger or call).
Drumul spre acest colt de rai nu este deoc
greu, 2 ore cu masina din aeroportul din Valencia. Dar hai sa incepem cu
inceputul. Cum si de ce am ajuns in acest loc ? Dintr-o fericita coincidenta
l-am intalnit pe Juan, un om exceptional ce vine de fiecare data cand poate in
Bucuresti pentru a ajuta un ONG, pentru a conecta oameni, pentru a ne demonstra
ca desi suntem romani, tara noastra e atat de frumoasa si are atat de mult
potential incat un strain vine periodic sa ne ajute cu orice poate. L-am
intalnit pe acest om in Bucuresti. Ochii si zambetul lui iti pot spune multe
despre placerea cu care face tot ceea ce
face si cat de mult isi doreste ca toata lumea sa inteleaga ce isi doreste el.
Ce face el mai exact? O sa aflati in urmatoarele randuri, doar nu plecati.
Inainte sa il intalnesc pe acest om in
varsta cu parul alb si cu multeee povesti de spus , prietena mea Koro l-a
intalnit si ne-a facut legatura. Dupa primele 5 minute de vorbit prin mesaje am
hotarat sa imi cumpar biletul de avion si sa merg in micul colt de paradis ce
chiar exista pe pamant. Suna nebunesc, nu ? Dar veti intelege ca este doar
inceputul a ceva minunat, o usa ce ti se
deschide poate de cateva ori in viata, iar interesant este ca usa aceasta a
acestei vieti e deschisa pentru toata lumea. Nu va imaginati ca sunt vreun om
special, deosebit sau cu anumite calitati fantastice, sunt doar un om a carei
caracteristica principala este normalitatea si care a ajuns pe acest drum
dintr-o fericita coincidenta.
Si uite-ma peste nici 2 luni in acelasi avion cu acest om minunat mergand spre Valencia, unde un prieten de al lui ne astepta sa ne duca la casadeldragon ( minunata casa pe care Juan a construit-o in 20 de ani cu ajutorul a numerosi prieteni) . Si am pornit pe drumul spre paradis. Eu, impreuna cu o multime de intrebari in minte pentru ca nu intelesesem prea bine ce e acolo si unde sa o ajung. Auzisem ceva despre un sat vechi, o casa construita din ruinele unei cetati, o gradina imensa in care arta si stiinta se imbina.. Oooops.. am uitat sa mentionez ca sunt studenta la facultatea de fizica si principala mea preocupare si curiozitate a fost despre cum foloseste stiinta ca sa creeze mini sere, cuptoare si tot felul de ¨nebunii¨. Prima seara cred ca a avut un impact imens. Am ajuns in fata casei si ma simteam ca o printesa intr-un castel de mult uitat. Am intrat si am inteles ca omul care a construit-o nu a realizat doar o casa frumoasa, ci o casa vie, plina de amintiri pentru ca in fiecare colt de casa o sa gasesti cate ceva special, un desen, o pictura, o constructie din mozaic, o masina de scris sau una de cusut, pentru ca fiecare om care a contribuit la aceasta casa a lasat cate o amintire, ceea ce o face sa para ca are viata, vorbeste de la sine aceasta locuinta, nu ai nevoie de prea multe intrebari. Primul lucru bifat deja, casa, o capodopera, o munca incredibila dar minunata, acum urmau restul intrebarilor. Cine sunt acesti oameni? Ce fac ei aici? De unde vin? De ce acest loc ?
Incet incet am primit toate raspunsurile pe
care le cautam si, cu siguranta ceva mai mult de atat, o lectie de viata despre
cum se poate trai si altfel.
Asadar, in prima seara am luat cina la una din prietenele lui Juan, ceea ce mi s-a parut foarte dragut din partea ei sa ne primeasca si sa se poarte cu noi ca si cand am fi fost la noi acasa, dar, dupa cateva zile de stat aici am realizat ca nu este doar un mod dragut, ci pur si simplu un mod de a trai, pentru ca ei toti, sunt o mare familie. Care toti? Daca as sta sa ii enumar cred ca m-as incurca in numarat, pentru ca din aceasta superba comunitate fac parte toti oamenii care doresc. Si, dupa cateva zile am realizat cat de saraci suntem noi in comparatie cu ei, cat de lipsit de calitate traim in mare parte a timpului, cum fugim in fiecare zi dintr-o parte in alta fara sa avem timp sa ne oprim sa admiram rasaritul sau sa vorbim pentru cateva minute cu vecinii nostri. Nu stiu daca si voi faceti parte din aceeasi categorie de oameni ca si mine, dar banuiesc ca multi dintre cei ce vor citi acest articol o vor face in timp ce sunt la munca in fata unui calculator sau in pauza de masa pentru ca mereu alergam dintr-o parte in alta si niciodata nu avem timp pentru ceea ce conteaza. Dar pana la urma cine stabileste ceea ce conteaza? Noi! Asa cum acesti oameni au stabilit ca pentru ei e mai important sa aiba o comunitate superba, ca o familie, sa se cunoasca extrem de bine, sa nu fie niciodata singuri cand iau masa si sa primeasca pe oricine doreste sa vada cum traiesc ei cu bratele deschise. Ba chiar, mai mult de atat, sa ii gazduiasca si sa le ofere orice au nevoie fara sa ceara nimic la schimb. Poate in momentul in care vei citi , te vei intrebar daca este posibil sa traiesti asa, dar eu sunt exemplul viu care a fost, a vazut, a inteles si a ales sa scrie acest articol in semn de recunostinta pentru toata munca depusa de acesti oameni si pentru a ridica un steag, pentru a face un semn celor ce s-au saturat sa traiasca intr-un haos total. Daca te sperie ideea ca nu vei avea din ce trai aici, nu iti fa griji. Sunt atat de multe de facut incat nu vei avea timp sa te plictisesti. Frumusetea lucrurilor consta in faptul ca nu trebuie sa faci ceva azi sau maine, ca nu ai o sarcina de indeplinit pana la finalul lunii sau a saptamnaii. Tu esti cel care hotaraste ce face si cand face si cum face. Pentru ca tu esti cel care decide, tu esti intotdeauna cel care decide. Daca te sperie ideea ca poti da gres si ca asta nu e o viata pentru tine, ci doar preferi sa iti spuna altcineva ce ai de facut pentru ca atunci vei spune ca daca nu esti fericit e responsibilitatea altora nu a ta, te inseli. Pentru ca tu ai ales sa ti se spuna ceea ce ai de facut, deci e responsibilitatea ta orice s-ar intampla. Asa ca ce alegi? Ai putea sa decizi dupa ce faci un drum pana aici, in acest colt de rai in care mai mult ca sigur toti se vor bucura sa te primeasca, sa imparta casa cu tine, sa imparta mancarea lor cu tine si timpul lor cu tine. Ei sunt doar oameni pe care viata i-a adus cumva impreuna, intr-o minunata comunitate. Nu sunt doar spanioli sau englezi , sunt pur si simplu oameni de peste tot din jurul lumii, oameni care au ales sa traisca aici si sa faca parte din comunitate, oameni cu diferite povesti de viata, atat de diferiti, dar, totusi, atat de asemanatori, avand aceleasi idei despre viata ideala. Totusi, sa nu va imaginati ca au descoperit perfectiunea si ca sunt niste oameni pentru care totul merge perfect. Asa ceva nu exista. Ei au descoperit doar frumusetea de a incerca, de a gresi si de a o lua de la capat. Au descoperit ca daca esti fericit si imparti asta cu cineva te face de doua ori mai fericit. Au invatat ca daca mananc ceva delicios si impart cu altcineva, pur si simplu devine si mai bun. Au invatat sa greseasca impreuna, sa progreseze impreuna si sa fie fericiti impreuna. Sa rezolve totul impreuna, pentru ca sunt mai mult decat o comunitate, sunt o familie care e pregatita oricand sa primeasca noi membri. Fie pentru totdeauna, fie pentru o zi, fie pentru o saptamana, nu conteaza, esti binevenit oricand. Au bratele deschise pentru oameni veniti din toate colturile lumii si daca ii intrebi cati oameni le-au trecut pragul casei in ultimii 30 de ani de cand acest loc exista, vor spune putin timid ca au pierdut numaratoarea pe la 1500 de oameni si ca nu conteaza cati, conteaza doar ca ei sa aiba parte de un timp cat mai placut aici.
Pot spune ca am avut parte de o experienta
superba aici, ca am invatat mai multe decat as fi crezut, ca am vazut ca se
poate trai intr-un fel atat de frumos si de simplu incat nici nu ti-ar veni sa
crezi. Nu ai nevoie de prea multe. doar de o minte deschisa spre orice
propunere, de la stiinte exacte, pana la arta, oamenii acestia au imbinat totul
intr-o poveste de viata incredibila pe care doresc sa o imparta cu cat mai
multa lume, sa nu o tina ascunsa pentru ca si tu, oricine ai fi, de la sofer de
taxi la cel mai cunoscut medic, poti intelege ceva minunat din acest loc. Am
invatat ca nu poti fi dezamagit daca nu ai asteptari de la nimeni, am invatat
ca nu trebuie sa faci ceva daca nu iti doresti. Am invatat ca exista oameni
care au timp sa aiba 3 mese pe zi, si sa isi acorde tot timpul din lume pentru
a le pregati si a manca impreuna cu alti oameni. Am invatat ca exista liniste
chiar si acolo unde viata nu a fost prea frumoasa . Am invatat ca singura
problema care nu se poate rezolva e moartea si ca oricum poti muri maine dar
singurul lucru important e cum ai trait pana atunci.
Nu cred ca sunt lucruri pe care sa nu fi le auzit inainte, sau sa nu le fi stiut. Frumusetea lor consta in faptul ca le vezi, sunt mai mult sau mai putin palpabile, dar le simti, le auzi, ii vezi pe toti oamenii astia traind asa, si nu, nu a fost pentru niciunul din ei o viata perfecta, nu s-au trezit din intamplare cu averi sau mosteniri imense, doar au ales sa nu faca din viata asta o lupta pentru lucruri lipsite de calitate si valori, au ales sa munceasca din greu pentru altceva, pentru o liniste si o pace pe care noi, in cele mai bune cazuri, reusim sa le avem la pensie si poate nici atunci, pentru ca de cele mai multe ori suntem singuri, si nu, nu e rau sa ai timp pentru tine. Nu va imaginati ca nu poti avea timp doar pentru tine, nu va imaginati ca locul asta e o fuga de realitate, e pur si simplu o alta realitate, una pe care nu o vedem, sau o ignoram sau, pur si simplu pare mult prea riscanta. Bineinteles ca nu sunt singurii oameni care au facut asta, si ca mai sunt multe comunitati care se bazeaza pe aceasta idee, dar este prima comunitate pe care eu am intalnit-o .
O sa va intrebati daca dupa atatea laude am ales sa ramand definitiv aici, intrebare pe care si eu as avea-o in locul vostru. Raspunsul este nu, iar argumentul este simplu. Mi se pare ca asta este doar inceputul unei frumoase calatorii prin viata, ci ca am descoperit un loc, dar mai sunt sute, poate chiar mii de locuri de explorat si de descoperit. Am ales sa imi urmez visul, sa vad mai mult si mai mult si mai mult pana cand pot alege si decide cum vreau sa traiesc. Dar va invit sa vedeti cu ochii vostri, nu prin ochii mei. Sa vedeti o alternativa a vietii haotice, sa vedeti ca pacea vine dinauntru, sa cunoasteti oameni si povesti de viata, sa va cunoasteti pe voi. Va invit sa explorati un loc ce a prins viata doar din intamplare, fara un motiv anume, locul acesta a fost ales de oameni in repetate randuri, vremea este superba, satul este uimitor, oamenii sunt mereu zambitori si, desi pare o populatie putin imbatranita au atat de multe zambete de oferit incat nu vei putea sa nu zambesti in fiecare zi. Va invit sa vedeti si lucrurile pe care voi le-ati face diferit. Evit sa le numesc greseli pentru ca sunt doar parerei de viata diferite. Suntem datori noua sa incercam sa facem mai mult si mai bine, suntem datori celor din jur sa impartasim astfel de experiente . De ce am ales sa scriu acest articol? Pentru ca mi s-ar parea egoist sa pastrez aceasta experienta doar pentru mine cand toata lumea ar putea sa o aiba, pentru ca este posibila, minunata si incantatoare aceasta experienta si pentru ca poti invata atat de multe, de la cum sa ai grija de o gradina, la cum sa iti gasesti linistea si fericirea. Daca va intrebati cati ani am petrecut aici ca sa realizez toate asta o sa va raspund sincer, 9, dar nu ani, zile. Stiu ca pare incredibil dar multumita altor oameni minunati din viata mea aveam deja toate informatiile acestea in minte, precum cred ca mare parte din voi le au, dar in 9 zile, locul asta mi-a dat incredere, speranta, si confirmarea faptului ca informatiile din mintea mea nu sunt doar o lume idilica ci ceva ce se poate construi atat de simplu atata timp cat iti doresti , atata timp cat structura nu e complicata si vointa exista incat va doresc tuturor celor care citesc articol sa treaca macar o data in viata printr-un loc ca acesta si sa se bucure de placerea de a trai cu adevarat si de a vedea ca exista viata dincolo de stres, dincolo de munca. Daca ati citit pana aici, vreau sa va multumesc si sper ca ati simtit macar o parte din ceea ce am simtit eu si ca ati cunoscut o parte dintr-un simplu om, Ana.
FamiliaFeliz Info(rmation Day) 2018 – 10 – 06 from 10 am to 10 pm – Cervera del Maestre – Castellon – Spain
We come together with members, helpers and friends of our community to talk about further steps to develop our living community. We will show you our projects, resources, partners and opportunities and we are interested in your dreams, ideas and projects.
We will enjoy this day with delicious food and a lot of fun.
We have a lot of space for cars, caravans and vans and mobile homes and we have some caravans on our colorgarden plot and limited places in the artist residence CASAdelDRAGON in the village nearby. Accommodation is free.
You could apply here for staying up to 3 nights for a short visit around this Info Day or apply here as a volunter for a longer visit.
In the beginning of the color garden project we managed around 3 ha land and started with cleaning the first stone walls and implementing the first raised beds. After some years we added time by time new installations and “features” in the bio garden, the sculpture garden or even inside the social area near the open kitchen.
At the same time we had more and more visitors and guests, in october 2017 first time students from the biology department of the MLU Halle (Saale) Germany. Later in spring 2018 we welcomed again students from Halle, first from the “Burg Giebichenstein (art university)” and later new students from the MLU Halle (Saale). They where interested in aquaponics and in management of natural resources. More and more it became usefull to establish a system of sign posts in the garden to route the visitors between all the different locations.
In spring 2018 we expanded the area up to more than 8 ha and we placed new signposts in crossings and important places.
Also we liked to play a little bit with the words and wrapped some of the targets in an artistic linguistic way.
The choice of Hercules pointed out an area where we are able to accommodate horses or donkeys. But the place is also linked to a powerful and important decission of Clara related to the horse project. We liked to underline this powerful decission of her and we will remember it linked to another famous decission in the greec mythology, the choice of Hercules. By the way, we like classical music too.
Gonzo, the kid from Jitka and Thomas, is testing the mountain of olive trees. The cooperative of the village clean the harvested olives and collect a very big mountain of soil, leaves and broken olives. Nobody will use this biomass and we decided to test i in some beds in the garden and as a compost starter in some raised beds in the aquaponics area.
We harvested 8 trailers full of this leaves and soil. Around 2 cubic meter of biomass was donated by the cooperative and will help us to develop the color garden.
Because we are not able to proof the toxic quality of the donated bio mass we used it only in some beds. Also we want to monitor and verify the effect of this exploration.
The web is full of successful stories about aquaponics. But we are not sure about the economics around aquaponics. We are on the way to establish different system layouts in the color garden and campus of UNIIE. As part of this project we want to know, how to build a system in smaller and medium size, how to make it profitable and what are daily needs of a running system.
As reference and for a possibility to compare the aquaponics system we created in the same space and location a “classical layout” (raised bed).
We mixed soil waste and olive tree leaves from the local agriculture cooperative with our own soil from the garden.
We planted salad (lettuce) and onions and spinach in a first trial.
We set up four raised beds in early january 2018.
In each bed we placed 16 – 32 plants (one square meter). We are pouring two times per week with 10 liters of water per bed.
The aquaponics area – called “huerto de peces” – is located in the color garden of the CASAdelDRAGON in Cervera del Maestre. In the first step of the project we created 24 wood boxes based on pallet stacks in early 2018.
Two (red) are used as working spaces and to guard tools. Six IBC tanks (blue) are used to store water (or later fishes).
The infrastructure is setup between some fruit trees (round brown).
sixteen boxes (green) are used as raised beds, little green houses or later aquaponics flow tanks.
two boxes support a large aquarium (blue with “f”) with 460 l water capacity.
The idea behind is, to create a realistic setup for aquaponic validation in the color garden. According to the local conditions (clima, temperature, sun shine) and the “human factor” (people available for maintaining, knowledge) and economical implications (budgets, investments, ROI) we want to know if “fish in the garden” makes sense for us.
The multifunctional usability of the setup will offer us to compare classical maintanance in gardening with aquaponics.
Step 2 will be to add technical and electronical components like solar panel, sun heating for water and air, pumps, and devices (adruino based) to monitor the system components.