This month in the garden - 2019

February

...is the most exciting in month in the gardening year. It's time to start sowing the seeds for all the summer in veg!! While it can still be very cold outside, all those pepper, aubergine, chilli and tomato seeds want to start getting planted into pots or seeds trays now. Protect them from frost in a greenhouse or on a sunny windowsill and when the last frost has passed in spring, the plants will be big enough to go in the ground. SEEeD (Semillas Espanolas Ecologicas en Deposito) were delighted to receive an invite from Maro Transition Towns group to join then for a seed swap. We love a seed swap and are looking forward to making new friends and connections and of course finding some new varieties to grow. Come along to swap some seeds and to hear about their project.

A postcard from Maro en transición

Here in our blessed sub tropical microclimate around Nerja and Maro there is a thriving international community of people interested in sustainable ecological living. Recently we have been making efforts to come together as a cohesive, inclusive community under the umbrella of the international transition town movement. Started in Totnes, UK, the movement aims to improve local communities' resilience in the face of the inevitable eventual exhaustion of easily accessible oil, transitioning away from our dependence by offering tools and experience in the organisation of grassroots community led projects.

So what does that mean in practical terms? Normally taking on the responsibility for our basic needs as local communities: our food, water, energy, shelter and economies: sharing of resources, and production and direct consumption in the local area where possible. There are around 50 initiatives in Spain alone. In Maro, through various open meetings, we have formed working groups which take turns in helping to develop each others projects, often in our veggie gardens. This is a great, enjoyable way to get a lot of hard work done quickly while at the same time bonding, and our toil is always rewarded with a tasty shared meal together afterwards. We also bulk buy organic staple foods together in a consumer group, have set up an online timebank and regularly exchange fruit, veg and seeds.

There are also plans to organise knowledge exchanges, mount a large scale community compost scheme and perhaps expand the exchanges up into the mountains, swapping avocados and chirimoyas for olive oil and chestnuts for example. As usual, there are no shortage of ideas, and the work is rather to focus and organise, perhaps more of a challenge in non-hierarchical projects, as few people have experience of working in that way, as well as maintaining motivation and continuity within a community of people who are regularly travelling. The physical, emotional and spiritual health of the community is of course a prerequisite for any other projects, and there is a busy WhatsApp village announcement board for local activities that include weekly alcohol-free dance sessions, theatre classes, car-sharing, help needed or offered, as well as the inevitable viral memes!

The next activity on the agenda is a seed swap in readiness for the spring, and we have invited the association "SEEeD" from Orgiva to join us. We're excited to meet them and help in their mission to spread biodiversity. All are welcome to come along with their seeds and envelopes and swap away.

If you live close to Maro and would like to get involved in the transition group, or would like more information, like the Facebook page: Maro en Transición
Saludos,
The Maro en transition team