Three months ago, at the beginning of August 2017, I decided to turn a piece of my family’s plot into a vegetable garden based on permaculture growing principles.
It’s a work in progress, and it’s not easy, but it is definitely rewarding – in more ways than one! Of course, we get to grow our own food, and that is a huge plus. I am also learning a multitude of new skills and building essential knowledge. But, for me, personally, I get to spend time OUTDOORS in the sun, working with soil, plants, and living things. And this, perhaps, has been my biggest reward so far. I get to exercise, get fit, get a tan (although, I must say, I’ve always loved my porcelain-perfect skin), AND soak up the sun (which is a must for my chornic-yet-hopefully-soon-to-be-a-thing-of-the-past vitamin D deficiency).
I am in my late twenties, and I finished my last degree just over a year and a half ago. The process of trying to find direction after studying was and still is a challenge, and not always a good one. The endless feeling of being lost seldom leaves me. But, creating this vegetable garden has given me some sort of path to follow.
It all happened very organically, so to speak. My good friend from Urban Food Forest South Africa started to get me interested about permaculture and growing my own food ever since we became friends in late 2016. Even though I stay in a duplex with a very small (and paved) garden, she encouraged me to try my hand at growing a few things. She then promptly and very generously gave me my very first seedlings (a mix of lettuces, kale, spinach, and other plants) to try. Now, I wasn’t exactly a first-time gardener, as I had always loved planting things and nurturing them, but I had mostly grown flowers, some basic herbs, and house plants. As far back as I can remember, plants have always been a part of my life, especially with my mom encouraging us to plant flowers and herbs as kids.
I had a small number of plants already – very low-maintenance and water-wise plants, as there was (and still largely is) an extreme drought in South Africa. So, I thought a few more couldn’t hurt, and so I accepted the gift, and she sent me on a magical journey of discovery. I slowly began to want to grow more and more plants, and I would tell anyone who would listen about my new-found hobby and, especially, about permaculture. Most people just dismiss permaculture as “hippy nonsense”, or I get told that I am “one of those environmentalists”. But, it isn’t about being an environmentalist or a hippy; it’s about being interested in food security, in future generations having access to healthy, pesticide-free, nutritious food.
So, come August of this year, I decided to ask my parents if I could plant a few things on the family plot. They agreed and then the (slow but steady) journey of turning a dry, dusty, and grassy corner of the plot into an abundant vegetable garden began. Sometimes, it’s all too overwhelming, and sometimes, I lose hope, but seeing the progress we’ve made helps me to want to carry on trying. And that is all we can do – TRY. (Before and after photos to follow soon!)
We started small and having been growing 😉 from strength to strength ever since. With the help and expertise of Urban Food Forest, and the support (both financial and otherwise) of my family, the little piece of grass-filled, dry land, basically the nothing, has turned into something to be proud of and something that is the first step on the road to being more self-sustainable, more eco-aware, and more earth-friendly. It is still small, but who knows what it could turn into, and that is the fun part!