Near Toulouse, the “Jardiniers de Tournefeuille” germinate an ecological conscience
“It’s important for me to help people who can’t garden because they live in apartments,” says Dominique Dupouyvice-president of theassociation “The Gardeners of Tournefeuille“. Asked by The Independent Opinion, Dominique says that she herself lived in a building for a long time. When she moves into a house with a garden, his desire to make a vegetable garden one immediately sprouted. From this experience, Dominique and 8 other Tournefeuillais were created the association in 2003. Today, the collective counts 150 families.
Social scope
“The gardeners of Tournefeuille” offer above all a moment of exchange and meeting among gardening enthusiasts. “At each workshop and course, gardeners pass on their know-how to dozens of curious people, all in a friendly atmosphere,” says Dominique with satisfaction.
The first garden “Sunflower”, behind the “Le Phare” concert hall, only welcomes local residents of Tournefeuille. The second garden, near the rowing lake, belongs to the town hall of Toulouse. It thus welcomes Tournefeuillais and people from Toulouse. The concept of these cultivable plots is based on a natural gardeningsuch as permaculture or the non-use of pesticides.
The members of the association also notice a regain interest in ecological and organic gardening:
We perceive a clear evolution of ecological interest, especially among the youngest. From college, children understand the importance of eating organic, and then, we also notice this in young parents, who are themselves aware of the issue”, notes the vice-president of the association.
Ecological fiber
The collective makes sure to get involved in the ecological influence of allotment gardens. In addition to promoting natural and organic gardening, “Les Jardiniers de Tournefeuille” participates in local and national initiatives. For example, each year, the national week “An alternative to pesticides”, organized by Future Generation, is an unmissable meeting of the association. This year, the action takes place from March 20 to 30. The opportunity to hold workshops and evenings on the theme of ecology or even botanical outings.
On April 9 and 10, a 2-day gardening stage is planned, on the theme of eco-gardening. “At each session, the participants are always delighted, because they can apply the methods acquired during the courses at home. The didactic scope of our project is a success” confides with pride Dominique.
Another major action of the association: micro-forest planting. In total, 1,200 trees were planted in the town on December 11 and 12, 2021, in partnership with the association Trees and Landscapes of Autan. The trees are chosen from local species, in order to promote biodiversity, but also to optimize their adaptation.
>> READ ALSO: Biodiversity: near Toulouse, a micro-forest is born with 1,200 trees planted
A fruitful future
At present, the association’s projects continue to flourish. And for good reason, the collective is part of theCommunal Biodiversity Atlas, a national action. Thus, the association participates in it by holding workshops on wild pollinators. In order to highlight them, the “Jardiniers de Tournefeuille” are setting up “a path for pollinators”. This is a route showing how welcoming people near the town. The path take root near from the town’s high school, over a kilometer and a half. The project will span 2 years“says Dominique.
A second action is also underway. She lives at introduce students with disabilities to gardening. “We work with the CROUS to implement this initiative” explains Dominique. Finally, still with a didactic concern, a botanical trail will see the light of day in the family gardens in which signs will be put in place to list the plants.