We have spent six years attempting to tame this mountainous terrain; endless hours wrestling with weeds rooted in Australia and many sleepless nights picking off regiments of snails and a various assortment of other vegetable guzzling insects by torchlight as it’s the only time to catch the little blighters napping.
Any type of agriculture in Calasparra, dusty and hot for much of the year and freezing in the winter, is hard. Water is scarce and is the principal source of disputes between neighbours mainly due to the archaic irrigation system (a series of ditches and channels dating back to the Arab occupation of Murcia) and the completely incomprehensible rota system.
Calasparra was in danger of losing its agriculture industry until the financial crisis came to the rescue. In the boom years many residents with country plots left them to run to weed and even left the olives and fruit on the trees unharvested “because it wasn´t worth the effort.” However, in these cash strapped days you rarely see a plot of land or garden uncultivated as the wily locals recall their agricultural skills in order to put food on the table.
Common advice locally when we started out six years ago was that the Calasparrian insects were so big and vociferous that only the strongest poison could deal with them. Ecological gardening may work in the UK but with “our pests” it was laughable, locals agreed.
We didn´t take their advice. This is why we passed so many nights picking off tiny snails with enormous appetites which were attempting to gnaw through the stem of our potato plants or sneaking about the tomato plants with two small boards poised to pulverize the incredibly destructive but armour plated green “chinches.”
We couldn´t even persuade a “man with a tractor” to give the soil the first plough because we wouldn´t use chemical weed killer and the locals were more concerned the roots would damage their precious machines than with earning the money. So we bought a massive old fashioned rotivator with a mind of its own and did it ourselves!
Our first attempts at vegetable gardening were vanquished by the joint forces of weeds and pests but we still had one major asset: over fifty olive trees. Every year we brought in an olive harvest of between 700 and 1000 kilos and the satisfaction bolstered our faltering efforts with the rest of the land.
When we were forced by financial circumstances to close the published edition of NEXOnr and began the webpage it coincided with the end of a three year fight with bureaucracy for the ecological agricultural certificate for our land. The certificate dates back to May 2010 and we brought in our first harvest of ecological olives.
Six years on our land is hardly recognizable. We have built an eight metre polytunnel, which is currently bulging with organic vegetables and seeds supplied by supportive friends who have sent or brought them from the UK. The vegetable garden, now two fields, is stone free (well almost) and weed free and we have spent a hectic month sowing every conceivable vegetable, herb and flower in an attempt to beat the burning summer sun.
It has been a massive task and we are only two: without the support and the physical help of our friends and fellow ecological farmers the mammoth task of taming this wild and rocky terrain would have been impossible. For us this is the beginning of a long held dream: to grow food with just water and sun.
Of course, we are able to use anything that nature has to offer and consequently I have moved on my from my childhood phobia of stinging nettles into actively seeking them out (they make a great natural fertilizer and also help protect against diseases and pests). We have even cultivated a few in a tiny shady, wet corner but they never last: the Calasparra sun will see them off by June.
We have planted our borders of natural protection with a variety of flowers and herbs that “attract good pests and deter bad ones” and even if they don´t work they will be very decorative and we are gearing up for the relentless sunshine which will hatch a million tiny hungry mouths ready to march on our produce. We won the battle last year and we will win it again.
Why do we bother? Firstly, it’s a wonderful excuse to spend every free moment outside in the beautiful Calasparra countryside looking out on two different mountain ranges and the valley and rice fields that tumble out before us. Secondly, it is precisely because Calasparra, in common with much of our planet, is so beautiful that we don´t want to poison it!
Ecological gardening, like ecological anything, is probably a passion. If you have a passion for nature, are intrigued by our planet and enjoy back breaking work it is right up your street. Heroic efforts are rewarded by totally chemical free day fresh produce with flavours you had forgotten existed. It is conceivable that most if not all ecological gardeners are also food enthusiasts and/or cooks.
The first product we have for sale is this year’s ecological olive oil. You can find information about the oil in the Products section of the link page below. Just click on the link or look for the SALDI Ecological Garden Produce advert and lick on the advert.
Compare our price with the price of similar ecological products we are sure you will be pleasantly surprised.
Link to webpage:SALDI Ecological Garden Produce
