Ergon House Agora Athens offers restaurant guests a different farm-to-table experience, bringing the aromas of the Greek countryside directly "from the wall to their plate."
In the historical centre of Athens, just below the Syntagma and a stone's throw from the Ancient Agora, the Ergon House multipurpose hall places the dining experience at the heart of Greek hospitality. Emphasising quality raw materials, it has an outdoor area of 1,000 sq.m.
The Agora is a paradise of Greek flavours, with fine products from local producers that visitors can choose from and then enjoy on their plates.
In this space, bathed in light that penetrates the large glass ceiling, a vertical fragrant garden climbs a 25-metre-high wall, filling the air with the familiar aromas of Greek flora: oregano, basil, rosemary, sage, and lavender.
The green vertical garden is more than a modern technology of landscape architecture with high aesthetics. It is an advanced ecological method of cultivation that improves air quality and reduces the temperature.
Its installation requires special know-how and was carried out by a specialised group of agronomists who also undertake its maintenance.
This is an innovation in hydroponics, where different climbing plants and seasonal herbs cohabitate together with the help of natural light and are collected and used in the restaurant throughout the year.
Although vegetables such as lettuce, spinach, and cherry tomatoes can also thrive in vertical indoor vegetable gardens, their cultivation needs special attention, proper lighting, good drainage, and regular fertilisation.
For this reason, resistant and easy-to-grow herbs were chosen, which grow in ideal conditions in Ergon's garden: the large patio with abundant natural light that diffuses from above ensures stable and quality growth conditions in the vertical garden since the temperature and humidity can be more easily controlled indoors.
The plants need constant care with a thorough monitoring of the humidity levels at regular intervals. Watering is usually required every 3-4 days, depending on the needs, the type of plants and the conditions of the space.
Evi Tsiropoulou is a columnist for Cantina. Translated by Paul Antonopoulos.
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