This past winter I have been busy researching quite a few different growing options.  One of which is a sub-irrigated planter. Given the heat that we normally experience here in summer, together with the fact that we hope to be on the farm for a couple of weeks in December, I thought I’d give them a try – that way hopefully my vegetables wont die when I’m not at our (town) house to give them regular water – we don’t have timed irrigation there like we do on the farm.

So, this is my tutorial on how I made a sub irrigated planter.

Firstly, what I gathered together:

A container (I’ve used a styrofoam box which RSon got from the restaurant where his girlfriend works).  A bucket would work as well.
Enough bases from (in my case) recycled milk bottles, to “line” the base of the container.
A recycled bottle for the water inlet / fill tube
Piping

Cut your oxygen reservoir bottles at the required height.

Make a hole in the top of one of the oxygen / water reservoirs and insert your fill tube container – in this instance it was a clean oil bottle, with it’s base removed and the neck of the bottle inserted in the hole.

The, drill holes into the individual oxygen reservoirs and place them cut side down in your planter container.  It is not necessary to link the individual oxygen containers as water will flow along the base of your planter and rise up in all those openings.

Make a corresponding hole in your SIP container for the the overflow pipe and thread it through

Carefully add your soil, tamping down between the reservoirs in order that it can act as a wicking system until the roots of your plants / seedlings have grown down towards the water in the reservoirs

Plant up your sub-irrigated container

And finally, add water through the fill tube until you see water coming out of the overflow pipe.

The water won’t evaporate as it would when one waters from the surface, as it is not exposed to the heat of the day, but is, instead at the base of the plants where they need it most.  That should be sufficient water for at least 7 – 10 days.  When the fill tube is visibly empty at it’s base, and thus more water is required, simply add it through the fill tube again, until it overflows through the outlet pipe.

What has this cost me?  Just half an hour of my time, and ZAR1.00 (US 0.14 / 10p) for some piping for the overflow pipe. I have recycled a fair amount, which should stand me in good stead for quite a few years to come, because, as the plastic is not exposed to sunlight, it shouldn’t perish.  Environmentally, I am very chuffed. And, finally, I have a self-watering, raised veggie patch which has utilized waste packaging.

This would also work for all those northern hemisphere residents as this container could easily be utilized for all those hot days you’ve just experienced this past summer, or it could be planted up with early seedlings and placed on a covered verandah where it would be sheltered from the last frost of winter?  Invariably, restaurants have food grade containers which they have to, hopefully, recycle.  Make their job easier by taking some of that recycling off their hands and putting it to good use growing your veggies / salads

The Aviation Department cut the ribbon on the world’s first aeroponic garden in an airport on Friday. In the G Concourse of Terminal 2 at O’Hare, different varieties of lettuce, hot peppers and herbs are growing. They’re sprouting from 26 towers under special grow lights and using an irrigation system that runs inside the 8-foot tall white structures and recycles the water not absorbed.

Elie Maalouf & Rosemarie Andolino

The harvest, which comes about once a month, will be used in four restaurants at the airport, according to Aviation Commissioner Rosemarie Andolino. President and CEO Elie Maalouf says this meets traveler’s demands for fresh local produce.

During the aeroponic process, seeds are planted first in small cubes of nutrient-dense spun volcanic rock, which holds in water and naturally biodegrades. Once the plants are a certain size, they are transferred to the horizontal, aeroponic towers, where they sit under special lamps and undergoing a regular watering cycle of 15 minutes, with 30 minutes between watering cycles. The water used is recycled through the towers so that no water evaporates or is wasted. Once the produce is ready to be harvested, the remaining plant stubs will regenerate and grow more produce.

Some interesting facts about the garden:

• Garden provides year-round cultivation
• Can produce a higher yield per square foot
• Requires no weed pulling
• Garden uses about two-thirds less water
• Towers are 8 feet tall with a 30-inch diameter base
• Additional produce includes sweet basil, purple basil, dill, parsley, chives, gourmet lettuce mix, Habanero peppers, edible viola flowers, edible nasturtium flowers, thyme, oregano, red lettuce and green beans
• Aeroponic, very similar to hydroponic farming, is becoming increasingly popular around the world for farming in limited space

I live in Melkbosstrand (Western Cape, West Coast) and we have a real problem with hydrophobic soil. How does one rectify this cost-effectively and safely? Also, I want to plant some plants that are indigenous to the West Coast where I live and that are drought resistant. Do you have any ideas? How should I prepare my hydrophobic soil for these plants?

Thanks very much!

Regards,

Joey

Many product manufacturers are guilty of ‘greenwashing’ with their claims of green, eco-friendly or organic; misleading consumers into believing they are purchasing green products, when in fact they are buying into marketing claims. This is according to Rory Murray, Marketing Director of Tuffy Brands, who says that the direct dictionary definition of ‘greenwash’ is the act of misleading consumers regarding the environmental practices of a company or the environmental benefits of a product or service. According to TerraChoice Environmental Marketing, in 2009, 98% of all ‘green’ claims made by companies and brands were guilty of one or more of the ‘seven sins of green washing’, which include hidden trade-offs, no proof, vagueness, false labels, irrelevance, lesser of two evils, and fibbing.

“Greenwashing is not a new concept, as consumers have been mislead about the environmental benefits of products and services for years, there is an ever increasing list of dubious marketing practices,” he says. “Green is no longer just a colour but has become a movement to make money. There is no regulation in South Africa to combat these claims and we firmly believe that a regulatory body is needed to monitor claims. Currently the only association taking strides to assist with this is the Advertising Standards Authority and even then the resultant impact is not entirely useful.”

He says that some of South Africa’s brands are entirely guilty of greenwashing with their use of vague claims such as ‘organic’ when their products may contain highly suspicious and harmful chemicals. Other claims include, ‘environmentally friendly’ and even ‘eco-safe’ when, he says, they aren’t. Murray adds that consumers should demand the truth and the whole truth, as false claims amount to fraud. He points out that the most common claim in South Africa sits right within the ‘vagueness sin’ and this is the Mobius loop, the recycling symbol that is intended to mean that the product is made from recycled material. He explains, “This is the nifty little recycling symbol found on almost all packaging but does not have a qualifying statement which makes it completely misleading to the consumer. Does it mean the whole product, or that package or both and is it 100% recycled material or less and is it post-consumer waste or pre-consumer waste? Because there is a big difference.”

Consumers need to be warned he says, against purchasing products that have these symbols on them. Check the content and how it was recycled, only when a product is recycled from a high content of post-consumer waste does it have any claim to be green as it actually has an impact on the environment. “Unfortunately there is no label that exists for this type of information, it seems that it is the consumers responsibility to check the wording on products carefully and make an educated decision themselves based on limited information,” he says. He says that the only way to tell if a product has a genuine green claim is to audit the entire supply line and not just the end product. In terms of recycled content it is important to analyse the raw material input to see what environmental impact the product actually has and ultimately what they are able to claim.

How to spot greenwashing? 1. Read between the labels – check the wording on packaging carefully. In South Africa the green movement is not yet regulated and therefore there are no certification or green seals for products so manufacturers can do pretty much whatever they want. If a product says natural and contains arsenic it doesn’t necessarily mean it is safe. 2. Use common sense – some companies make green claims when you blatantly know that their products are destroying the environment you need to exercise your right to choose. 3. Don’t be fooled and be suspicious – don’t trust anything unless you have verified them yourself. 4. Look out for buzz words – organic, sustainable development, clean, eco-friendly etc.

Companies readily provide details of their green activities and initiatives, which I feel is important as it contributes to an overall ‘green consciousness’. However, it is sometimes difficult (if possible at all) to differentiate between those companies that use ‘greening’ and eco-friendliness as a promotional tool and those that are committed to real change… Below are some examples of South African companies that promote sustainablilty and eco-friendliness… What do you think?

1) Nedbank

Nedbank Capital has launched South Africa’s first Green Index which serves as a benchmark for environmentally -conscious investors. The Index has the potential to become the industry standard in measuring performance of companies with environmentally sustainable business practices. Nedbank’s commitment to environmental preservation is illustrated through this initiative which tracks the performance of companies selected on environmental criteria primarily including carbon and climate change risks and opportunities. The Nedbank Green Index is a strategic fit with Nedbank’s desire to be a leader in the sustainability space and a key contributor to the Green Economy. It will allow clients who share Nedbank’s aspirations in the Green space to demonstrate this in their investments. The index is rules-based with a clear, transparent methodology based on objective and independent data. The index will be verified by an independent calculation agent on an ongoing basis with daily values published on data service providers such as I-net, Bloomberg and Reuters.

To ensure the objectivity of Nedbank’s Green Index, the Index is built on the Carbon Disclosure Project (“CDP”) database and the UN-register of Clean Development Mechanism (“CDM”) projects in South Africa. The CDP is an independent not-for-profit organisation, based in the United Kingdom, which holds the largest database of corporate climate change commitment and action in the world. The CDP has 551 institutional investors as signatories representing over $71 trillion in assets under management. CDM projects based in South Africa are also incorporated into the rules-based methodology as these represent demonstrable commitments from companies to reducing their carbon impact and growing the Green Economy.

The premise for the Index is that companies who are better positioned for a changing environment are better suited to sustain their future performance and should, over the long-run, outperform their peers. Back-testing of the Index has shown that the Index can outperform the market, as it has done for the past three years – by more than 20%. While the performance of the Nedbank Green Index in relation to the market may vary in the future, what this demonstrates is that investing based on environmental criteria does not have to cost investors in performance. In a single stroke, investors can confidently invest for their own futures and that of our planet. The Index will provide a platform for companies to show off their green credentials and hopefully the Index will encourage other companies to implement more environmentally-sustainable business practices.

2) Woolworths

Woolworths reduces municipal water consumption by 27 000 kilolitres a year. In another innovation, Woolworths has tapped into an underground water supply to meet some of its daily water needs. Woolworths installed a water treatment system that uses water under their Cape Town Head Office building to flush toilets, run the building’s car wash, the fountain outside the building and the cooling towers for the air conditioning units. This will save the Cape Town municipality an estimated 27 375 000 litres of water a year or 75 000 litres of municipal water a day conserved by Woolworths. In addition, the retailers water bill will be reduced.

The underground water runs about 20 metres under Woolworths Head Office building in the centre of Cape Town. This water flows into the City of Cape Town’s storm water system, and is eventually discharges into the sea. After much enquiry, the source of the underground stream is still somewhat of a mystery. Alex Kuzma, Head of Engineering Services at Woolworths says, “We started investigating this project three years ago. After consulting with the City of Cape Town, and a range of experts, we realised we could harvest the underground water, treat it and use it instead of municipal water. Everyone wins: Woolworths, the City of Cape Town, residents, and importantly, the environment. This is part of our Good Business Journey, which helps to conserve natural resources and conduct business as responsibly as we can. The conservation and management of water is a major focus area of our Good Business Journey programme, as it should be in a country where water is a scarce resource.”

3) Caturra Coffee Company

South Africa’s local coffee market, held at the forefront of ethical sourcing and sustainability, is upping the ante on “green” packaging with the launch of a joint venture between Laskas CC and NatureFlexä Films. Laskas CC’s first client, Caturra Coffee, will introduce the first range of compostable material under the name African Renaissance Coffee® – a new-to-market premium 100% indigenous African origin espresso beans and ground coffee export brand.

“Consumables claim to be green, biodegradable and sustainable, but the Achilles’ heel is usually the packaging,” says Klaus Becker, MD for Caturra Coffee. With Caturra Coffee’s African Renaissance Coffee® and Lasks’ new NatureFlexä, the South African consumer will be able to enjoy premium indigenous African coffee blend products including beans from Ethiopia and Kenya while simultaneously relishing in the knowledge that once the empty pouch has been added to the backyard compost heap, the decomposition process begins almost immediately,” he adds.

NatureFlexä Films can be applied to a broad cross-section of packaging needs ranging from fresh fruit and vegetable packaging, bag making, sugar and chocolate confectionary wrapping to hygiene product packaging, bakery packaging, dried foods packaging, home and personal care packaging, lamination, lidding and reamwrap. The film can appear in either transparent, coloured, white or metallised colouring; is heat sealable for use on horizontal or vertical packaging machines; is static free; has a high heat-resistance, and enjoys a range of barrier properties that compete favourably with conventional OPP, PA and PET films.

“Most packaging materials are technically recyclable,” says Becker, “but how much of it is actually being recycled on a day-to-day basis?” Laskas’ NatureFlexä Films provides an offering that will short circuit the municipal refuse collection and separation process or the need to incinerate, enabling South Africans to take responsibility from beginning to end by disposing of used packaging in their garden compost bins. The films are both biodegradable and home compostable since the primary raw material, wood pulp, is used to produce cellulose acetate, and is sourced from managed forests. Although biodegradability aids the recycling process, plastics, tins, glass and packaging are often recycled away from the home by local municipal authorities or on tender.  Home compostability, on the other hand, proclaims its name – allowing packaging to be added directly to home compost with newspaper, wood, organic matter, etc. Compostable packaging therefore becomes the consumer’s ally, helping to fertilise garden foliage and keeps the earthworms happy! “Our green credentials have an exponential knock-on effect,” says Becker.

The project, thus far, has repaired the Mphola community’s broken boreholes and provided water tanks for rainwater harvesting, alleviating a critical shortage of water.  The rainwater harvesting system will collect approximately 400 000L of water yearly and will provide water for the project. Permaculture and sustainable farming training has been given to community members working within the project as well as local women and the establishment of food tunnels is well underway. The organic vegetables grown are sold as well as donated to various schools and the project also supplies the surrounding communities with seedlings.

Rainwater harvesting

The project is planting 20,000 indigenous trees (Papea capensis – Jacket Plum).  These will provide oil for the production of biodiesel, as well as animal fodder and fruit for human consumption and for sale to local and international markets through value-added products.

Jacket Plum

Currently, 40 residents are employed and at least 1,000 community residents will directly benefit in the next two years.

source: ACT

Can you please inform me in, where I would get this plant/seeds?

Kind Regards

Jean Heynike

No watering necessary, or soil or compost.

Easy gardening.

Helen

African Cotton

In Durban, nature will happen!

I just have to share the results of adding a few aloe and euphorbia cuttings along with some leaf litter, to feedbags half filled with wood shavings dumped in our factory carpark.

Make no mistake getting the planet back to safe levels of CO2 in the atmosphere wont be easy, but with only one planet it has to be a challenge we are up for, and if everyone plays a small part, we can make a difference- (click here for some quick tips).

The world leaders are currently meeting in Copenhagen to sign a global climate deal that could very well seal the fate of this earth- if you are as concerned as I am that ALL countries sign a fair, ambitious and binding agreement then have a look at an amazing group of people around the world actively taking a stand against apathy.

www.350.org

It is not too late to get involved!!

The 350 campaign are urging people form all corners of the globe to organise climate change vigils between the 11-13^th December. You can either join an event near you or create your own.

So join a massive movement of people around the world and be part of something BIG!

There has never been a more urgent time to take action!