Fishing and Agriculture  
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                       an independent guide to the CostaTrafalgar including Conil, Vejer & Barbate

Since the last issue the weather has been relatively warm, with the exception of the two weeks prior to Christmas. The sun coupled with a lowish rainfall have meant the crops we wrote about have come grown rapidly and are already being sent to market. The following photos were taken on Sunday, January 2nd 2005.

Carrots straight from the soil - approx 2.5kilos

Carrots are placed in the washing tank

After soaking the remaining soil is washed off under pressure

Cleaned carrots prior to being seperated into 1 kilo bunches for the market

Runner bean tent

The carrots were being pulled on Sunday as they were part of a special order. The runner beans have already been cropped.

 VEGETABLES FROM CONIL

North of the main approach road (N340) to Conil lies the agricultural heart of the town. Rising up from the coast it offers a well-drained and rich red soil perfect for producing the wide varieties of fruits and vegetables that add another dimension to the economy of the region. This area has a reasonably high level of rainfall, more so than the Costa de Sol on the Mediterranean coast. The land is divided up into different sized parcels and tended by the people of Conil. Particularly noticeable are the large polytents dotted about the countryside. These tents are all sizes but a standard is around 3 - 4,000m2.
The majority of plots are worked by families who sell their produce directly to one of the large co-operatives located in the area. Some of the main wharehouses can be seen from the main road as you enter Conil.

A

B

C

D

E

The photographs for this article were taken on one such plot covering approximately 23,000m2. The plot is worked by two brothers, who live in Conil. At the time of photographing, and writing this article - the last week in October - there were a wide variety of fruits (tomatoes) and vegetables at various stages of growth, some inside the polytents, and some outside.

The soil being exceedingly fertile would permits rapid re-cropping. The fertile soil combines with temperatures that rarely fall much below 8-10C. The photographs here show ripe tomatoes on the outside vines (A). The two main polytents are presently housing a new crop of tomato plants, 4,000 to be precise in photo (B) and 3,000 runner bean plants in the slightly smaller polytent (C). The tomatoes raised inside are protected from a small pest, a minute white fly by the use of muslin screens across the sliding entrance doors. (D). The exterior shots show an area of parsley (E), a herb used a lot in the preparation of local dishes. Presently the brothers are also growing carrots.

Despite the abundant rainfall, which tends to fall in very heavy bursts, the summer months can see little or no rain fall from April/May until October. This necessitates the use of irrigation systems. There is a relatively high water table in this area, and all plots have their own wells.

The farmers' main concerns for the future are ones that are not exclusive to the area, namely the effects of cheaply imported fruit and vegetables from Morocco.

We will return to this land later on in the spring, and see what is being cropped then. We will be following how the sales of the fruit and vegetables mentioned above went.

the fruits of a neighbouring plot