Spring vegetables in the Marimurtra orchad

The types of vegetables we cultivate during this spring season are:

• Onion (Allium cepa)
• Broccoli (Brassica oleracea)
• Celery (Apium graveolens)
• Lettuce (Lactuca sativa)
• Tomatoe (Lycopersicum esculentum)
• Radish (Raphans satirus)
• Endive (Cichorium endivia var. crispa)
• Mangold (Beta vulgaris)
• Parsley (Petroselinum crispum)
• Garlic (Allium sativum)

All these vegetables will grow in our orchard during spring. Then we harvest them and plant our summer vegetables. The selection of the different types of vegetables follows a certain philosophy. On the one hand we cultivate traditional types of vegetables that are cultivated all over Spain, like for example the type of lettuce: Lactuca sativa. You can recognize them by a dark label. On the other hand we raise regional types of vegetables that are unique in Catalonia and not as known as the traditional ones. An example for this is the type of garlic named: Allium sativa. You can recognize them by a light label.

We cultivated legumes like peas and beans on purpose in the winter season, because they function like a certain kind of fertiliser for vegetables like tomatoes that we planted now for the spring and summer season. The legumes form a symbiotic relationship with a bacteria in which the roots can bind nitrogen from the air. When we harvested the plants in the beginning of March, we left the roots of the legumes in the earth because they still release nitrogen into the ground. By using this technique it is not necessary to use chemical fertilisers containing nitrogen to cultivate vegetables like potatoes, tomatoes or many other plants which rely on nitrogen.

Another technique that obviates fertilisers and insecticides is mixed cropping. This means that we grow flowers like borage, marigold, lavender, nasturtium and rosemary next to the orchard. These plants have multiple benefits for our vegetables. Some of them can store nitrogens like the legumes. Many of them have such an intense smell, that it protects the vegetables from pests. The roots of Marigold are so strong and deep grounded in the earth, that they are loosening and ventilating the soil. The beautiful colours of their flowers in combination with their intense smell is not only a pleasure for every visitor, but also the reason why these flowers attract many bees and bumblebees. They pollinate flowers as well as vegetables, which leads to higher quantities of harvested fruits and also has a positive impact on the quality and the size of the fruits.