Roof-Terrace Garden

The possibilities afforded by learning about the nature around us include more than just growing our own food. These months, we’ll explore local plants to learn what benefits we can gain from them and to make our own everyday items by collecting and transforming them.

Friday 19 January.  Kokedama. Bring it from there to here. 11:30 am—1:30 pm

Kokedama is a Japanese technique of keeping plants at home without pots. In addition to being a beautiful way to keep plants indoors, they also offer us the chance to learn more about our flora and how to care for them.

Friday 26 January. Hanging plants. A macramé workshop. 11:30 am—1:30 pm

We plant lovers like to fill as many spaces as possible with greenery. Hanging plants are a good way to fill places that would otherwise be out of reach. Learn how to make hanging pots with macramé, and along the way learn a bit more about how to care for creeping or hanging plants.

Friday 2 February. Art to ‘dye’ for[AS1] . Understanding natural dyes. 11:30 am—1:30 pm

One way or another, the majority of colours we know of come from the flora around us. This is a fun way to make prints using a very simple technique for creating decorations with plant motifs.

Friday 9 February. Soap workshop. Care for your skin while caring for the planet. 11:30 am—1:30 pm

This is a simple workshop where you can make your own soap using natural materials and learn about homemade natural cosmetics.

Friday 16 February. Candles and air fresheners. Another way of viewing our home. 11:30 am—1:30 pm

Learn more about the properties of plants, this time with a look indoors. After all, that’s where we spend most of the day, so it should be a safe, toxin-free space.

Understanding where our food comes from and how it is produced is the first step towards a healthy, sustainable diet. Join us and learn how to make seedbeds and different organic farming techniques.

Friday 8 March. Drop by drop. 11:30 am—1:30 pm

It may not seem like it, but the time of year when water is increasingly scarce is approaching, so we have to use piped water to water our crops. Learning techniques to lower the amount of water needed for plants helps to lessen the hydric stress on our environment during the summertime.

Friday 15 March. A garden in the city. 11:30 am—1:30 pm

This workshop will answer questions and teach you how to grow plants in the city, an artificial system where we can all do our part to make it as natural as possible.

Wednesday 20 March. SPRING CUTTINGS. Exchange of vegetable seeds 6—8 pm

In addition to being able to bring your indoor plants, as always, at this cutting session we want to expand the possibilities by sharing vegetable seeds and seedlings for those who like growing their own food. Plus, we’ll also hold a mini-workshop on vegetable gardens on terraces.

Xisela García Moure has been putting farming and sustainability techniques into practice in the city for more than ten years. A member of the Instituto de Transición Rompe el Círculo (Break the Circle Transition Institute) and a resident of Móstoles, she is aware of our city’s possibilities and interests. As an expert in organic farming and permaculture, she has worked on different estates and urban farm projects, and this year she aims to put her knowledge into practice by committing to a greener Móstoles that is more aware of this large town’s needs.

Since its inception, the Roof Terrace Garden was conceived as a space with a mission to go much further than a simple organic agricultural school, and with the goal to build a community. Today that challenge is more pressing than ever, and for this reason we need to open up our horizons and underscore the need for a direct practice of sustainability in cities, reinforcing concepts like grow-your-own, self-sufficiency, DIY and kilometre-0 production, incentivizing a culture of proximity.

Cities are a big drain on resources. They have to import almost all their needs and are highly vulnerable to the challenges thrown up by the growing and now palpable environmental crisis. But cities are also a source of opportunities if you know how to make the most of their potential. Our current model for cities came into being under a set of parameters that no longer make sense for the twenty-first century. It is up to us to take stock of the situation and to change the model towards one more aligned with the needs of our decade. During the year of 2023, we will focus on the possibilities that cities can offer, with the goal of raising awareness among the wider community and to equip ourselves with the tools to understand our surrounding environs and transform it.

For this big challenge ahead, we are bringing on board the experience and collaboration of the Instituto de Transición Rompe el Círculo (Break the Circle Transition Institute) whose activity over the last decade has been focused on sustainability in cities, taking Móstoles as a groundbase for experimentation. With this purpose in mind, the Roof Terrace Garden now becomes the Community Sustainability Laboratory.

PROGRAMME 2023

Thursday 2 February 11:30-1:30 pm. Introduction to gardening in terraces. A roof terrace offers lots of possibilities no matter how small it is. In this workshop we will take a look at some of the new tendencies in organic agricultural we could apply in our terraces, overviewing all the various methods of agro-organic farming.

Thursday 9 February 11:30-1:30 pm. Preparation of seedbeds and growing crops in greenhouses. The creation of our own seedbeds is a simple technique we should learn to begin our own vegetable garden from scratch and how to accommodate the new plants into our available space. In addition, growing crops on a roof terrace has the advantage of making the most of a nearby space with a regular temperature which is higher than the general outside temperature at this time of year, thus allowing us to bring forward planting and growing to ensure a crop of early spring vegetables.

Thursday 16 February 11:30-1:30 pm. Designing a roof terrace vegetable garden. We will learn to make the most of available space in all directions, understand the plays of light and shadow and use them in our favour to obtain the greatest possible production in the least space possible. Vertical gardens, microclimates, direction, materials.

Thursday 23 February 11:30-1:30 pm. Growing in pots. A terrace is an artificial growing area but this should not prevent us from growing natural vegetables. With a good substrate and the right pots, we can plant whatever we like.

Thursday 2 March 11:30-1:30 pm. Companion planting. A good way of being able to grow the greatest number of plants in the least space possible is to learn to plant different crops in proximity and tips to grow with less space between plants than normally recommended.

Thursday 9 March 11:30-1:30 pm. Irrigation systems for terraces. The choice of a good watering method is crucial for the success of our crops. We will show you how to choose the best system for your little vegetable garden in such a way that we will use the least amount of water possible while ensuring that our plants get all the moisture they need. Irrigation systems, watering cans, gravity irrigation, self-watering.

Thursday 16 March 11:30-1:30 pm. Spring planting. In this workshop we will address the planting of vegetables we had previously prepared in seedbeds and we will learn to plant both with root ball and with direct sowing.

Thursday 23 March 11:30-1:30 pm. Preparing remedies and preventive measures against plagues. The fact of living in a city does not free us from the typical plagues that affect plants. We will learn to prevent attacks and prepare remedies and liquid fertilisers for our plants.

Thursday 30 March 11:30-1:30 pm. Companion planting in organic gardening. Companion plants are those that help us, among other things, to attract pollinating insects. This is even more necessary in cities due to the scarcity of auxiliary fauna.

In addition, at the end of the month of March, CA2M will host a plant cutting exchange for the third time. This year, besides exchanging indoor and outdoor plants, we will be carrying out a kokedamas workshop after which you will be able to take your new plant home with you, ready to go into its chosen place.

The garden on the museum’s roof terrace has already earned a name for itself as a beacon for agro-ecology in the city. Since we first started, we have gone through an intense process in which many different people have been involved, making it a meeting point where people work together and share their experience and know-how.

Since it was first set up, the roof terrace garden was conceived as more than a place to teach ecological agriculture because the founding mandate was to create a local community. This goal has been fulfilled today thanks to a hardcore of people who have now accrued years of experience, enjoyment, learning and sharing together based on the practice of agro-ecology and permaculture, recovering traditional rural knowledge and exploring ideas to face the challenges of sustainability.

Today this challenge is more urgent that ever, which is why we need to expand its reach and pay more attention to the direct practice of sustainability in cities, reinforcing self-sufficiency, producing food for self-consumption, DIY and locally-sourced production, promoting and motivating a culture of proximity. This will be our best weapon to respond to the major challenges of the twenty-first century, like climate change, the crisis in natural resources and the need to transition towards a model of society more respectful with the planet and the people who live in it.

To face up to this formidable challenge, we have the experience and collaboration of Instituto de Transición Rompe el Círculo [Break the Circle Transition Institute], which focuses its activity over the last decade on sustainability in cities, taking Móstoles as a testing ground. That’s why today our roof terrace garden now becomes a Community Sustainability Laboratory.

PROGRAMME 2022

BLOCK 3: TRADITIONAL KNOW-HOW AND KNOWLEDGE ABOUT PLANTS
THURSDAYS 11:30 AM - 1:30 PM

THURSDAY 29 SEPTEMBER – 4:30-8:30 PM
Plant cuttings at Museo CA2M
Once again, we are inviting plant lovers to join us in another session of exchanging slips and cuttings of indoor plants. This time, as well as swapping, we will also run a short half-hour theoretical workshop on the basics of looking after plants, held twice during the day: at 6:00 and again at 7:30 pm, for those unable to attend the previous one. Regardless of whether you attend the theoretical workshop or not, slips and cuttings can be exchanged uninterruptedly between 4:30 and 8:30 pm.

THURSDAY 6 OCTOBER– 11:30 am - 13:30 pm
Autumn planting in the garden
We will plant vegetables in our edible forest.

THURSDAY 13 OCTOBER– 11:30 am - 13:30 pm
Medicinal plants and natural remedies
Exploring natural homemade remedies. How to prepare natural oils, ointments and recipes for everyday ailments.

THURSDAY 20 OCTOBER– 11:30 am - 13:30 pm
Listening to the city flora
The plants that grow in the cracks and corners of our towns and cities listen to us as we pass by in our day-to-day coming and going. They are largely ignored, but their forms and colours cry out to us to be listened to. In this session we will step outside the museum and discover curious facts about the flora on our city streets and give them the care and attention they deserve.

THURSDAY 27 OCTOBER – 11:30 am - 13:30 pm
Recognizing local edible herbs
With globalization, many local plants which were once used for curing ailments and for cooking have now been forgotten about. In this session we will take a walk around Móstoles and learn to recognize these overlooked plants that are worth recovering.

THURSDAY 3 NOVEMBER– 11:30 am - 13:30 pm 
Making seed bombs
After all we have learnt about herbaceous plants in popular culture, now is the moment to take over our city by sowing these plants in abandoned lots which have great potential for growing. Learn how to make seed bombs and join our Guerrilla Garden, scattering seeds around the city.

THURSDAY 10 NOVEMBER– 11:30 am - 13:30 pm
Organic gardening: the role of coupling in chemical-free growing
We will learn to combine different plants, shrubs and trees to ensure a bio-diverse garden that maintains the fertility of the soil and makes it resistant to plagues and illnesses.

THURSDAY 17 NOVEMBER– 11:30 am - 13:30 pm
How to make a homemade worm composter
A good way of reducing residues produced at home is composting leftover food and peelings. Learn to build a worm composter and to maintain it throughout the year.

THURSDAY 24 NOVEMBER – 11:30 am - 13:30 pm
Residue-free Christmas
Christmas is the time of free of most compulsive consuming and greatest generation of waste. We will show you how to reduce your environmental footprint with a number of ideas to ensure a sustainable Christmas.

THURSDAY 1 DECEMBER – 11:30 am - 13:30 pm
Healthy recipes for Christmas
If we wish to change our model of society, it is time to break routines associated with certain times of the year, such as Christmas. A menu for Christmas does not have to be expensive or full of gourmet products. In this workshop we will show you original, healthy and inexpensive recipes for the holiday season.

BLOCK 2: SELF-SUFFICIENCY IN ORGANIC GARDENING
EVERY THURSDAY 11:30-13:30
Growing locally and learning to be self-sufficient is becoming increasingly important to ensure our food sovereignty. Join this course and learn how to grow with us and why it is necessary for our cities to commit to sustainability. 

THURSDAY 24 MARCH 11:30 – 1:30
Growing crops in the city.
We will prepare seed beds for the spring in our organic garden and provide pointers on how to prepare a garden of potted plants to produce our own zero-km food.

THURSDAY 31 MARCH 11:30 – 1:30
Sharing the CA2M roof terrace. A session with Elena Alonso and the roof-top garden
This introductory session will talk about how to design and create ecosystems based on the principles of permaculture and will set the ground rules for starting an urban forest garden on our terrace. The session includes the participation of the artist Elena Alonso, whose installation Al cuidado de las pequeñas sombras (Caring for little shadows) will help us to understand the need for a better inter-species relationship in order to maintain a balanced ecosystem.

THURSDAY 7 APRIL 11:30 – 1:30
Planning a forest garden in the city
What’s the difference between an ordinary forest garden and an urban forest garden? An understanding of microclimates. What are the shortcomings and the needs of a terrace garden?

THURSDAY 21 APRIL 11:30 – 1:30
Planting a forest garden: tree stratum
We start by planting the biggest plants. Why do we choose these species?

THURSDAY 28 APRIL 11:30 – 1:30
Planting a forest garden: shrub stratum
We continuing planting with shrubs and small fruit trees. Why do we choose these species?

THURSDAY 5 MAY 11:30 – 1:30
What should I plant in my garden? Planting the herbaceous layer and annual plants 
Learn to calculate the number of plants and the space required depending on your needs.

THURSDAY 12 MAY 11:30 – 1:30
Preventing and treating plagues
Plagues affect us equally whether we are in the city or the countryside. Learn to observe your plants, to prevent the attack of insects and other pests and prepare homemade organic remedies.

THURSDAY 19 MAY 11:30 – 1:30 
Closing circles in a garden
In order for your system to be 100% sustainable you have to make the most of the resources it offers without generating residues.

THURSDAY 26 MAY 11:30 – 1:30 
Jam workshop
Late spring is a good time for seasonal fruits. This workshop will show us how to make jam with the short-lived summer seasonal fruit that we would like to enjoy at any time of year.

THURSDAY 2 JUNE 11:30 – 1:30 
Preserves workshop
Another way of making the most of surplus produce is preserves. It is especially important to pay extra care to hygiene conditions to ensure that the canned or preserved food lasts longer and in optimum conditions.

THURSDAY 9 JUNE 11:30 – 1:30 
Making bread at home workshop
One of the easy and most gratifying ways of being self-sufficient is to make our own bread. Learn to make sourdough starter and basic recipes for making bread at home.

THURSDAY 16 JUNE 11:30 – 1:30 
Preparing a sun drier (double session 10:00-2:00)
Sundrying food is a little-used practice that helps to preserve food throughout the year with their nutritional qualities practically intact.
Join us in this double woodworking session in which we will design and build our own drier for summer gluts.

THURSDAY 23 JUNE 11:30 – 1:30 
Seed collection
In the last of our self-sufficiency workshops we will learn to choose and preserve seeds from our garden so that we don’t have to buy them every year.

THURSDAY 30 JUNE 11:30 – 1:30 
Cool recipes for a sustainable summer
We will conclude the year’s course with a celebratory workshop full of healthy recipes with sustainable locally-sourced products at a time when the summer garden starts to come into its own and offer us a huge variety of produce.

BLOCK 1: THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF INDOOR PLANTS 
EVERY THURSDAY 11:30-13:30

The world of indoor plants
17 February 11:30-13:30h
What do I need to grow indoor plants at home? Find out what are the best plants to suit your home, your tastes and your time.

Basic care for indoor plants
24 February 11:30-13:30h
Is direct sunlight good for my plants? How much and how often should I water them? When is the time to compost? We will help you.

Plagues and illnesses of indoor plants
3 March 11:30-13:30h
Just like garden plants, indoor plans also suffer attacks from insects and funguses. What can I do about them?

Reproducing indoor plants
10 March 11:30-13:30h
How do you make slips and cuttings? Can I divide my plants?

A greenhouse at home
17 March 11:30-13:30h
What are the benefits of having plants at home? Are they suitable for every room? Could my plants cause me any harm?