Blue community gardens – cultivation below the surface
A blue community garden is a cultivation platform in the sea for cultivation and storage. It can be compared to an allotment on land, but instead of potatoes and carrots, algae and mussels are grown.
What is a blue community garden?
In a blue community garden seafood are grown and stored. Unlike crops on land, you do not need to add nutrients or water to the crops. There are enough nutrients in the sea in the form of nitrogen and phosphorus. The blue community gardens can be built either at sea or near the coast.
Which species are suitable for cultivation and storage?
It's important to only grow and store the species that already exist in the local environment so that new species are not introduced to the area. This needs to be investigated at each location before a blue community garden is placed.
Species tested at the test facility
- European oyster, Ostrea edulis
- Blue mussel, Mytilus edulis
- Sugar kelp, Saccharina latissima
- Sea lettuce, Ulva spp.
- European shore crab, Carninus maenas
- Baltic shrimp, Palaemon adspersus
- Rockpool shrimp, Palaemon elegans
- Sand shrimp, Crangon crangon
- Tunicates, Ciona sp.
Blue community garden in Gothenburg
During 2022, a platform for small-scale cultivation has been built in Frihamnen in Gothenburg. The blue community garden is built as a future prototype. The goal is for it to be a meeting place for the seafood of the future, where visitors can learn more about seafood and farming, but also get to participate in growing and preparing new food from the sea.
