Index Anillo Verde de Vitoria-Gasteiz

These market gardens were created in 1998, based on the transformation of an area formally used for farming, containing degraded meadows and uncontrolled landfills. They are located on a municipally-owned plot of land open to the public, designed and managed by the Environmental Studies Centre (CEA) and its aim was to create a space for environmental training, awareness and leisure.

• Address: Campo de los Palacios street
• Timetable: 8.30-20.45
• Target public: Schoolchildren and general public

The bioclimatic building

This building was constructed in accordance with bioclimatic architectural criteria, in order to take maximum advantage of natural resources (sun, climate, relief, soil) to provide light, heat, aeration, water, etc. This building has been designed to provide the users of the kitchen gardens with services such as lockers, dressing rooms, toilets and a machinery and agroforestry tool store. It also has a small office for attending to the public and a weather station that collects and provides information on: temperature, rainfall, wind, humidity and solar radiation.

The forestry nursery

This is used for the production, maintenance and acclimatisation of several different species of native plants in the municipality of Vitoria-Gasteiz and Alava. It contains more than 100 species of trees and bushes, including the most important in our natural systems: beech, oak, ash, holm oak, willow, alder, etc.

The cultivation techniques used to seek technological and sustainable production and aim to save resources through the use of long-life or biodegradable materials, as well as organic fertilisers. The nursery is divided into several different spaces including greenhouses, bare-root crop fields, shades areas, acclimatisation greenhouses and a substrate store.

The market gardens

The market garden area consists of a collective garden for practical training, individual kitchen gardens and irrigation pools. Here, a programme of ecological agriculture is developed, intended for non professionals of over 55 years of age and consists of a theoretical-practical course of ecological horticulture. Participants are later granted plots for cultivation. This initiative represents, on the one hand, an alternative for leisure and social integration and, on the other, the promotion of healthier, non-aggressive agricultural techniques for the environment.

The orchards

In the orchards, a number of different species are grown: apple trees, pear trees, cherry trees, peach trees, plum trees, quince trees, fig trees, hazels, walnut trees, vines, raspberries, redcurrants, etc. The fruit trees are grown ecologically. Drip irrigation is used to make maximum use of water

The pool and glass greenhouse

A clear visual reference and focus of attention, the glass greenhouse stands over the pool and is accessible by means of a wooden boardwalk placed over the water. Constructed according to bioclimatic criteria, it houses collections of seasonal plants to make it an interesting and pleasant place to visit.

The rock garden

Opposite the pool and greenhouse, a rock garden has been created with a collection of annual and perennial plants. In general, these are species that require very little soil and survive in extreme conditions. They grow horizontally and their function is to provide the soil with a covering. Most have bright and colourful flowers and they are aromatic plants that attract honey-loving species of insects, which are very beneficial for pollinating the gardens.

The arboretum

Distributed throughout the Vegetable Gardens, there is a representative sample of the native forests of this Municipality: oak wood, riverside woodland, silver birch woods, holm oak woods, gall-oak groves, beech woods and mixed woodland, which have been used for the design of an interesting auto-guide tour.

Last update: 04/15/2008