Communal gardens on the rooftops of Paris

© grandpariscirculaire.org

Discover the vegetable gardens perched up high thanks to Peas & Love, a company that lets you harvest fruit and vegetables all year round…without having to do any gardening. 

© Peas & Love

the concept of a communal vegetable garden

Since 2017, you’ve been able to become an « Urban Farmer » thanks to Peas & Love. But what exactly does that mean? It’s a really simple concept: rent a vegetable plot on the roof of a building, maintained by a Community Farmer, and you can enjoy seasonal fruit, vegetables and aromatic herbs. This will improve the way you eat and provide communal vegetable gardens from which you can enjoy an extra harvest.

a community experience

With its cooking and gardening workshops, great information and communication via an app, the Peas & Love project aims to promote the values of sharing. The products to be planted are chosen by a vote, where everyone can express their opinion, and the overall aim is to cut down on waste.

© D.R.

open to all

Urban Farmers rub shoulders with one another but they also get to meet Community Farmers who are on hand to keep an eye and ensure the gardens are well-maintained. They’re always available to offer advice and notify plot owners via the app when their crops are ready so that these can be quickly gathered. It takes a bit of effort, but not as much as looking after your own garden. Everyone’s welcome, green-fingered or not!

becoming an urban farmer

To get involved, head to the Peas & Love web site. There you can sign up, select your very own farm and choose the number of plots you want. You’ll then be able to see when the next plot is available and select your membership: 1 year for €38 per month and €100 sign-up fee, 3 years for €34 per month and €100 sign-up fee.

After doing all this you arrange to meet with a Community Farmer to select your plot and you then receive a whole range of practical information about the farm and a welcome pack.

where can you find peas & love farms?

Urban Farmers can currently take advantage of farms in Paris and in Brussels.

In the French capital, there are two gardens: one is on the roof of the headquarters of BNP Paribas Real Estate (167 quai de la bataille Stalingrad, 92130 Issy-les-Moulineaux) and the other on the roof of the Yooma Hotel (51 Quai de Grenelle, Paris 15ème).

In Brussels, the Peas & Love vegetable garden is perched on the roof of the Caméléon store (15 avenue Ariane, B-1200 Woluwe-Saint-Lambert).

© Au goût d’Emma

In short, Peas & Love brings the spirit of conviviality to the notion of Eco-responsibility in order to share the fruits of Mother Nature on the rooftops of our major cities: perfect if you’re not lucky enough to have a little patch of land yourself…or if you’re not too keen on gardening!