Organic vegetable gardens of Convent of the Capuchos inaugurated on 25 March

After 400 years, the land is once again being cultivated at the Convent of the Capuchos in the Sintra hills. Launched by Parques de Sintra in January this year, this unprecedented project to create organic gardens in the same spaces that were used by the Franciscan friars who inhabited the Convent for almost 300 years starts next Saturday, the 25th. On that date, the first four vegetable gardens will be inaugurated, awarded through a competition that included about 50 applications from residents of the municipality of Sintra. The symbolic moment in which the plaques with the names chosen by each gardener for their garden will be unveiled is scheduled for 11:00 am.

To ensure that the gardeners have the knowledge they need to cultivate their organic gardens in line with the project's objectives, Parques de Sintra is offering a free theoretical and practical training workshop on the weekends of 25 and 26 March and 1 and 2 April, from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm. Over four sessions, the selected gardeners, their companions, and some other people on the list of candidates will receive training on organic farming, soil preparation, fertilisers, composts and substrates, planting and sowing, and pests and diseases, among other topics. They will also be assisted in developing an annual plan for their garden, reconciling their dietary habits with the set of species that can be grown in the space. The workshop will be led by Carla Vinagre, an agronomist, producer of aromatic and medicinal organic plants, and agricultural auditor and trainer.

The Convent of the Capuchos, which has always maintained a deep connection to the community over the centuries, is once again part of the daily life of the people of Sintra who, through this project, will give a new life to the space, cultivating the land and enjoying the best that the Sintra hills have to offer. While four plots have been allocated in the first phase, it is expected that the total number of plots for cultivation will be increased to 25.

With this initiative, Parques de Sintra, in line with its mission, recovers an experience that has marked the history of the Convent of the Capuchos, bringing it into the contemporary world and promoting organic production, integrated production and the recreation of the use of traditional agricultural practices, in the name of sustainability and environmental awareness.