Contact: participation@sempervirens.fr

Local gardeners:

Residents will be fully involved in managing the garden, from the rooftop vegetable plots to the greenhouse cultivation and community gardens. Organized into an association of about thirty volunteer members, they will be responsible for managing plant and seed stocks, planting, and harvesting. All residents of the block and neighboring communities will also be able to participate and enjoy the garden.

Time spent gardening:

A few half-days could be set aside throughout the year to allow employees belonging to the association to manage their plots. In groups of about ten, they will garden at key times of each season.

• End of winter: sowing in the greenhouse and preparing the soil for spring

• Spring: planting directly in the ground.

• Late autumn: Soil preparation, cleaning and mulching to put the soil into dormancy.

Manage the vegetable garden through a landscape design agency:

In addition to the time freed up for gardening, the local gardeners will be able to come in their free time to maintain and harvest.

They will follow a schedule outlining the tasks to be carried out each season, and from one year to the next, which crop rotations to implement to manage their soil and prevent depletion. The landscape design firm will come to the site to organize intervention days during planting, where they will provide advice and bring new plants for the vegetable gardens.

The site as a whole is treated with plantings that maximize the variety of plant layers (fruit trees, hedges, shrubs, and understory vegetation) in order to offer greater biodiversity and limit areas of simple lawn (which are very poor in biodiversity despite being green spaces). The treatment of the boundaries throughout the block truly supports biodiversity by varying the layers and thicknesses of vegetation. The boundaries between the private space and the heart of the block are defined by welded wire mesh fences lined with hedges, the boundaries with the underground slopes are railings also lined with hedges, and the boundaries between the private gardens are defined by wooden screens and espaliered fruit trees of old Lille varieties (apple and pear trees).

The fruit trees offer the added benefit of promoting pollination and thus enriching the biodiversity of the islet. Furthermore, their blossoms and fragrance in spring enhance the landscape, enriching the atmosphere of the islet and giving it a restorative and calming quality. Finally, planting fruit trees is consistent with the island's role in providing sustenance and sustenance.

Thus, the landscaping within the island maximizes the creation of diverse ecosystems and harmony among the planted species. The parking lot embankments favor mesophilic plants, while the swale and pond support species suited to hygrophilous environments. Furthermore, the food-producing function of several parts of the island necessitates sustainable management practices that exclude the use of pesticides.

Community gardens: The last area dedicated to gardening is located in the northern part of the plot. It comprises allotment gardens, mostly for individuals or families. This space is dedicated to gardeners from the block and the surrounding neighborhood who wish to further develop their gardening practice and produce larger quantities of their own vegetables. A partnership with members of the shared community garden is certainly something to consider, particularly for sharing seedlings or seeds. The greenhouse can be made available for these purposes. Furthermore, this part of the gardens echoes the historical layout of the rest of the neighborhood, as it follows the characteristic strip-like shapes of the area.