The families who grow fruit and vegetables in the historic Hevsel Gardens in Amed have rolled up their sleeves again at the onset of spring. In the first step, the fields are cleaned of weeds. The first vegetables are already sown. However, many areas are fallow this year. The vegetable farmers in the Hevsel Gardens complain about the worsening economic situation.

"We have been here for a hundred years"

Haci Mehmet Sular (62) lived in the Ali Paşa district in the old town of Sur. The house of his family was destroyed by the Turkish state and the family had to leave the district. His entire childhood passed in the Hevsel Gardens, he tells: "We have been here for a hundred years. This soil is the heritage of our ancestors. My father brought me here when I was a little kid. Now I'm 62 years old and still make a living growing vegetables. I grow my own vegetables. I am alone this year, it will be difficult. But I can just breathe deeply when I come here. I like to work in the garden. If I do not come, I feel bad. I come back to myself in the Hevsel."

"The work does not pay off"

Sular spends most of his time in the garden. "I'm here from 6:30 am to 6 pm. This year I planted onions, tomatoes, lettuce, aubergines, rocket, parsley and garlic. The best vegetables grow in the Hevsel Gardens. This year sales are not good due to the economic crisis. We put a lot of work into the cultivation, but people do not have any money and so we sell our vegetables under price."

"This year will be difficult"

Also Ali Korban lives on vegetable growing for twenty years. "The Hevsel Gardens are my only source of income. My whole family works in the garden from spring to autumn. It's getting harder to live off of it. This year will be particularly difficult. The economic crisis in Turkey is becoming increasingly noticeable. "

"People have no money for food"

Hasan Akin (64) has been growing vegetables in the Hevsel Gardens for 45 years. So far, the income has always been the same, he says. However, he is also worried about the economic situation this year. Nobody wants to do business and many people do not even have enough money for food.