Mitra Youth Hostel

Mitra is a youth hostel, located in the city centre area, which offers accommodation to young students and volunteers. Usually these young people stay for at least a few weeks, and although they all have commitments to different Aurovilian Units, many of them are interested to learn a bit how to manage their own garden, as they see this is a valued habit in Auroville.

Because Mitra has many students with interest but little time to dedicate to the garden, our team decided to add an herb spiral made with bricks. This space adds an aesthetical element to a garden that is already very pretty, with flowers and a well landscaped area.

In this spiral a beginning of agricultural production was started, having the cooking team select what seeds to grow according to their primary needs, namely salads that they offer for dinner everyday. The spiral creates a small microclimate, as bricks capture humidity during the night providing moisture for the plants in the morning. It is also of very low maintenance, where the only possible threats are the wild peacocks that roam the area.
Another element we plan to add is a net, covering a wall, where creeping beans, spinach and other plants can grow vertically and provide more food variety along a more green environment.

The last elements we promoted in Mitra are fruit trees.

Many students in the last months expressed the desire to have fresh fruit for breakfast, and since there is a lot of sun hitting much of the available space, we started planting some papayas and bananas, along the already present lemon tree.

Mitra wants to be our model kitchen garden, where some perennial plants will provide spices and other herbs, medium term plants such as the creepers will add variety, and different shorter term plants such as salad will provide the bulk of the production. Along that, fruit trees who require practically no maintenance, will add variety to the breakfast options.

The students will be invited, during the weekends, to participate to the garden and learn elements of Permaculture and sustainable/organic farming.