South African Gardening Blog » food

Permaculture in a pot

Niall — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 10:02:21 +0000

After visiting the recent Sustainable City’s exhibition, and seeing the Giba Organics display, I was inspired to set up a permaculture vege patch in a series of containers, with a helping hand from Mr Wooden Spoon. It doesn’t look like it from the pics, but it was a hella windy day and topsoil, kraal manure and leaves were flying everywhere!

Check out our step by step photo-guide at our Flickr group or in the gallery below.

Winter Garden

Helen — Wed, 12 May 2010 10:11:28 +0000

I have recently planted my winter permaculture garden. This seems to be a really good time to grow veges in Durban. It is not too hot or humid and everything seems to thrive. I have planted various lettuce and salad greens, beetroot, radish, egg plant, cabbage and, of course, marigolds to keep the pests away.

The kitchen garden

via Email — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 05:32:34 +0000

A raised bed outside my kitchen – all the plants used to get out of hand so quickly, so I am experimenting with growing herbs and vegies in pots of all sorts and sizes – growing well so far.

A true garden salad

Niall — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 08:31:25 +0000

This garden salad came out of the garden. Both the beetroot and greens are products of our small permaculture beds, and boy do they taste delicious. Mixed with some vinegar and Crème fraîche this salad is quick and easy to make, if a little lurid in appearance.

The ingredients ...

Beetroot

Greens

A lurid pink salad - tastes nice!

Food gardens & Ecology workshop

Niall — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 08:28:44 +0000

This looks like an interesting course:

This programme looks at issues and practices such as food sovereignty, horticulture, permaculture and ecological literacy together with some collective civic responses that are beginning to take place and which could provide a range of meaningful environmental actions.

The course will be of interest to the school teacher, community member, environmental educator, home gardener and anyone interested in a more sustainable and meaningful manner of living.
The following themes will be investigated:

Ecology & ecoliteracy: how nature works
Agriculture & environmental risk: the effects of farming on the environment
Horticulture & basic botany: how plants grow
Permaculture & principles of ecological design: some ways of growing food sustainably
Activism & education: gardens as places of learning

The workshop will be held at Entabeni Education Centre. The programme will include discussions, presentations and practical work sessions. Participants will be encouraged to share their own knowledge and experiences.

For bookings and information on logistics and accommodation: Adri Mari du Plessis (Entabeni Communications) Tel: 033 263 2441 entabeni@enviroed.co.za

Drakensburg 20-22 November 2009

Download the flyer …

Michael Pollan at Bioneers: How Much Oil Are We Eating?

Niall — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 04:27:16 +0000

The 20th Bioneers, a three day conference celebrating breakthrough sustainability solutions, was held last week. The agenda was chock full of speakers on a wide range of topics, from the arts, indigenous knowledge and restoring our ecosystems to youth and women’s leadership, including Michael Pollan on the food system.

Food Garden 2.0

Niall — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 14:40:42 +0000

This is our second permaculture bed, raised off the ground and constructed with sheet mulching. Mol-d will be posting a step-by-step guide to setting one up so I won’t go into any details, but allow me to introduce the plants.

Food Garden 2.0

Radish, me thinks.

Beetroot - can't wait for these guys to grow!

Lettuce pack.

Tomato seedlings, courtesy of Pete.

Good ol' comfrey.

Update: City Hall Food Garden Project

Niall — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 06:42:21 +0000

It has been over a month since the first seeds were planted in the eThekwini Municipality city hall food garden (more on the project here). The attached pictures show how the plants are progressing. The growth of the plants has been excellent, which is expected in this rainy season. A few plants have been taken during the night and the cabbages are being attacked by a pest. The team working on the garden are trying to identify an appropriate organic solution for the cabbages. The management team is also going to meet in the near future to decide on when to harvest the plants. As some of the plants are being taken, an option is to harvest earlier than planned to ensure that TAFTA (the project beneficiary) receive a substantial harvest.

How food shapes our cities

Niall — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 05:30:47 +0000

Every day, in a city the size of London, 30 million meals are served. But where does all the food come from? Architect Carolyn Steel discusses the daily miracle of feeding a city, and shows how ancient food routes shaped the modern world. Understanding the flow of food will help us reconnect with what we eat. (Recorded at TEDGlobal, July 2009, Oxford, UK. Duration: 15:41)

Watch Carolyn Steel’s talk on TED.com, where you can download this TEDTalk, rate it, comment on it and find other talks and performances.

Launch of Lawn Reform Coalition

Niall — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 18:23:07 +0000

We need something like this in South Africa, such a great initiative:

WASHINGTON, D.C., September 14, 2009 — United by their common goal of reducing the impact of lawns on the environment and human and animal health, nine of the leading horticultural communicators in the United States announced the formation of the Lawn Reform Coalition, a media campaign that will provide up-to-date information for home and business owners across the country.

“With lawns covering as much as 50 million acres of our nation, requiring copious amounts of water, fertilizer, pesticides and fossil fuels to maintain, they have become a drain on precious resources that we can no longer afford to waste,” said filmmaker and author Paul Tukey from Maine. “At their worst, lawns are toxic blankets that aren’t even safe for our children and pets.”

Using the website LawnReform.org, social networking groups and downloadable materials, the members will focus their message on regionally appropriate lawn species, eco-friendly care for all lawns, and ways to reduce or replace lawns, including by growing food.

“If your lawn serves a useful purpose, like playing ball with your up-and-coming Cy Young Award winner, how about downsizing to the minimum necessary size, managing your water wisely, going fossil-free, and giving the chemicals a rest?” said Billy Goodnick, a California landscape architect, writer and television host.

“People need practical ideas for managing their yards in eco-friendly ways,” said Susan Harris of Washington, D.C., cofounder of the Garden Rant blog. “The good news is we’re starting to see better lawn types on the market, and more lawns – even golf courses – being cared for organically.”

Just as several Florida counties, Washington, D.C., and numerous other American municipalities consider restrictions on certain lawn and garden pesticides and fertilizers, the Lawn Reform Coalition stated several goals of its campaign, including: 1) Reduced fertilizer and pesticide runoff in waterways; 2) reduction of the use of potable water supplies for irrigation; 3) widespread education about lawn alternatives; and 4) reduction of the use of gasoline-powered mowers, trimmers and blowers, which account for 5 to 10 percent of air pollution in summer.

“My personal goal is to share design ideas to help you think outside the lawn!” said Shirley Bovshow, a landscape designer and television host from California.

Other members of the coalition include: Tom Christopher, a New York author; Tom Engelman, a California conservationist and founder of the Grass Roots Program; Evelyn Hadden, a Minnesota-based public speaker and founder of the website LessLawn.com; Susan Morrison, a northern California Master Gardener, designer and speaker; and Ginny Stibolt, a newspaper columnist and author based in Florida.

“As a garden designer, I’ve seen first-hand how willing people are to choose eco-friendly alternatives to lawns once they have the right information,” said Morrison. “I’m thrilled to be a part of the Lawn Reform Coalition’s mission to spread the word.”

For more information, visit www.LawnReform.org