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organize a gardening workshop
One of the new initiatives at the La Nos-
tra Casa de Fort Pienc was the gardening
workshop organized over the past few
months under the supervision of Humberto
Blanco Mata, our colleague and Agriculture
Technical Engineer who works at the Gar-
dens Department in Catalonia.
Due to its length, the workshop was ca-
rried out in four different days during which
Humberto supervised its development and
adapted it so that it would be of interest to
the residents who took part in this event.
Each session focused on one objective and
one product so as to teach the basics so
that participants could learn and practice
gardening as a new activity to motivate the
residents at the home, employees and vo-
lunteers.
The workshop opened with an introduction
to gardening and micro-vegetable patches.
The presentation included a slide show and
drawings. The audience learned about the
world of gardening and how it relates to his-
At the Nostra Casa de Fort Pienc retirement home in Barcelona
FCC Volunteers and the Esther Koplowitz Foundation
tory, society, and health. The basics on the
life cycle of plants were also discussed and
taught.
A brief history of gardening, the need for
gardens, the different types of gardens,
basic notions on how plants function, were
also some of the topics taught at the work-
shop.
In the practical part of the workshop, resi-
dents were shown how to plant seedlings
of seasonal vegetables and different types
of flowers, using potting soil, pots, seed-
lings and seeds. They planted radishes and
lettuces.
The second day of the workshop focused
on indoor and outdoor plants, providing
more in-depth information on plants and
explaining why some survive indoors (the li-
mited lifespan of plants was explained) and
some of the basic conditions required by
plants in order for them to survive (water,
light, and temperature).
On the third day, the main topic was vege-
table gardens and their adaptation to urban
surroundings. Humberto, or order to ex-
plain how this was possible, prepared and
distributed among the audience a basic
guide for vegetable growers.
On the last day, outdoor gardens, particu-
larly micro gardens were discussed.
Residents at the home, family members,
and volunteers enjoyed the presentations
(accompanied by a slide show of simple
gardens – in a balcony, the mythical and
enticing garden of Eden, and spectacular
gardens in different parts of the world (Ja-
pan, France, the United States, Spain, etc.).
Thanks to this workshop, they were able
to enter the world of gardening and learn
about its relationship to history, society, and
health (growing medicinal plants)).
The practical lessons enabled residents to
learn how to grow tomatoes, lettuce, and
basil at the home, to see how the garden
patch evolved, as well as enjoy eating the
produce which was sufficient for the prepa-
ration of various salads.
Residents were thus able to create a spe-
cial garden in their surroundings and with
their own resources.
Humberto Blanco Mata teaching the basics on planting radishes and lettuce.
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