Did you know? The Jardin des Plantes is home to many unique features. Among the most recent is a permaculture vegetable garden. Created two years ago on the initiative of Jean-François “Jeff” Fauveau, a member of our team of botanist-gardeners, this permaculture garden is now the winner of the prestigious national vegetable garden competition, organized by the National Horticultural Society of France ! This is a source of immense pride for our Faculty and the teams at the Jardin des Plantes. At the awards ceremony held on November 30, we met Jeff, who told us about this project.

 

A project born out of post-lockdown reflection

It was in 2020 that the idea of creating a permaculture vegetable garden at the Jardin des Plantes first took root in Jeff’s mind. Intrigued by current events at the time, our gardener had noticed that many people were turning to permaculture as a response to political and economic challenges.

Driven by the Jardin des Plantes’ mission to raise awareness, Jeff hopes that this garden will encourage the people of Montpellier to reconnect with agriculture and take back control of their food. To that end, he is designing his project around plant varieties that are best suited for our balconies, terraces, and gardens in our region’s Mediterranean climate.

 

A permaculture garden: what’s that all about?

When we ask Jean-François to explain what a permaculture garden is, he responds on two levels:

• The technical aspect: Permaculture stems from practices shared around the world that focus on observing soil chemistry in order to minimize human intervention in the soil and its structure. The goal is to combine specific plant varieties—primarily perennials—to create symbiotic systems, thereby avoiding the use of chemical inputs such as pesticides or fertilizers.
• The value system: According to Jeff, permaculture is more than just a practice; it is based on a value system aimed at “protecting the earth and people, and sharing the surplus.”

 

All in all, a permaculture garden is a garden designed with sustainability in mind, based on careful observation of biological ecosystems. Cultivated with respect for nature, the seasons, and people, it allows plants to be grown without the use of chemicals.

 

The permaculture garden at the Jardin des Plantes: a place of plant diversity, open to the public

Launched in 2020, the permaculture garden can be seen in Plot No. 4 of the School of Systematics at the Jardin des Plantes. Covering an area of nearly 200 m², the garden features more than 250 species of plants, all of which are edible. Among the species grown, Jeff tries to balance so-called “classic” plants with more “unique” ones. You’ll find tomatoes, eggplants, cucumbers, apples, grapes, and corn, as well as Daubenton cabbage, Rocambolle garlic, stevia, peanuts, and bissap. Edible flowers are also on hand to delight the taste buds of even the most discerning gourmets.

This permaculture garden is tended by Jeff, who also works to introduce it to the people of Montpellier through guided tours between March and November. Jeff takes this opportunity to offer advice on permaculture and share the fruits of his labor by giving visitors some fruits and vegetables to taste when the season allows!

 

An original project, winner of the 2022 National Vegetable Garden Contest

All of this variety and these educational initiatives have undoubtedly helped make this project one of the winners of the national vegetable garden contest!

After submitting an entry in June in Category 4, “Educational Garden or Plot,” the teams at the Jardin des Plantes hosted the competition judges in September for a two-hour visit, during which the judges asked our gardener a variety of technical questions.

A few weeks later, Jeff was delighted to learn that his garden had been selected as one of the 60 gardens in the competition to receive the Grand Prize for the best educational vegetable garden in France! 

Jean-François and Emmanuel Spicq, head gardener at the Jardin des Plantes, received the award during a ceremony held on November 30, 2022, in Paris. A source of great pride for Jeff:

“This is a wonderful surprise. I’m very happy—this project and this competition allow us to step outside our usual scope. It gives us the opportunity to connect with other national institutions and reach out to the wider world. I look forward to exchanging ideas with the other participants and winners to take this project to new horizons!”

 

 

 

More to Come on the Garden's Projects

In addition to putting our garden in the spotlight, this contest is indeed an opportunity to develop new relationships—whether for collaboration or partnership—with other gardeners, gardens, and/or institutions and organizations.

“I hope to gain new insights from these discussions that will help me apply permaculture practices to other projects. After the vegetable garden, I’d like to work with other fellow gardeners at the Jardin des Plantes to explore the possibility of creating a new permaculture plot focused on drought-tolerant plants!” Jeff tells us enthusiastically.

The plot, which has already been identified, will be located on the Dunal Dellile hill, another parcel belonging to the School of Systematics. We therefore wish our teams at the Garden the best of luck with this new project, which may provide an opportunity to enter this competition in a different category!

 

Practical Information:

• Visit the Jardin des Plantes: self-guided tours are available year-round
• Guided tour of the Permaculture Garden, led by Jeff Fauveau: May through November (growing season). Book your free tour here.