As part of the “Roubaix, nourishing city” project, the Green Spaces department of the city of Roubaix and the Municipal Social Action Center have joined forces to produce vegetables and aromatic plants in municipal greenhouses and make them available associations that help fight against social insecurity.
The green spaces service mobilized
Within the municipal greenhouses, a 650m² location is now reserved for this crop. The Green Spaces service provides the seeds and elements necessary for growing vegetable plants.
The service agents will take care of the various production activities: sowing, repotting, planting, staking, pinching and watering the plants grown in the greenhouses.
As with all municipal greenhouse production, the use of phytosanitary products and chemical fertilizers will of course be strictly prohibited. Gentle production methods will be put in place to respect ecological balances, by promoting, for example, the existence of parasite predators and the use of organic products.
The harvest will be carried out by the CCAS
It was agreed to produce approximately:
- 1 000 kg of tomatoes
- 200 kg de courgettes
- 300 kg of pumpkins
- Eggplants and peppers (quantities depending on climatic conditions)
- Aromatic plants (parsley and basil)
The picking will be carried out by the Communal Social Action Center, depending on the seasonality of the harvests, from June 15 to October 15. If the operation is successful, it is not excluded to extend the production of vegetable plants over the autumn period.
The CCAS has also undertaken not to sell vegetables produced in municipal greenhouses to make any profit. The plants will only be used as part of its social actions in connection with various associations helping to fight against precariousness.
A space reserved for the Ferme du Trichon
An agreement with the Trichon Urban Farm was also signed during the municipal council meeting of April 18, 2024, to allow them to have a 20m² space within the propagation greenhouse to carry out their sowing and transplanting of vegetable plants. .
The City of Roubaix will provide the necessary seedling pots and soil. The Trichon Urban Farm will carry out the various production activities itself: sowing, transplanting and watering the plants grown in the greenhouses.
Photo Credit: Anais Gadeau, Communications Department, City of Roubaix
