Sprig » organic vegetables

Ganics!

via Email — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 09:46:18 +0000

All this – minus the ironing board – for R120! All organic. You can say which fruit and veg you don’t like and they’ll replace it with something else. And they deliver! www.ganics.co.za

Permaculture! Food Garden 2.0

mol-d — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 10:30:03 +0000

As a follow on from Niall’s post, here is a simple guide to building your own permaculture vegetable garden. It is supereasy and rewarding – here is an update on the food garden 2.0 just 11 days after Niall’s pic:

Food Garden 2.0

Anyhoo, now to the steps…

STEP 1: Brick Layout

Lay out an area for your bed using some bricks.

Brick Layout

STEP 2: Paper Layer

Put down a layer of old cardboard and/or paper and moisten it.

Paper Layer

STEP 3: Dead Matter Layer

Create a layer of dead matter. We used leaves collected from the garden.

Dead Matter Layer

STEP 4: Green Matter Layer

Put down a layer of green matter. We used leaves from unwanted trees in the garden.

Green Matter Layer

STEP 5: Activator

Create a layer using an activator. We used kraal manure. Wet this layer.

Activator / Kraal Manure

STEP 6: Top Soil

Put down a layer of top soil and plant some seeds / seedlings.

Top Soil

Seeds and seedlings

CSA- OK!

Brendan — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 06:53:36 +0000

We’ve just finished our first vegetable csa here in cape town. A csa (community sponsored agriculture) is the ultimate in food box dorkiness; you pay upfront for the farmer to buy their raw materials, which they dispatch to you (if their crops are successful) and you get whatever they’re growing. There are tours to visit the farmers during the season (we were busy, so didn’t go), which adds an extra element to the experience. You pick your crops up from a central area, and that’s about it.
The joys of the system are that you are getting farm-to-table food; something can be in the ground that morning and you can eat it that evening (so its not irradiated and sitting in some warehouse for ages before it gets to you). I’m a big broccoli fan, and I haven’t ever had such green tasty broccoli before, similarly to the sweet potatoes (unfortunately we only had one week of them though). Its exciting receiving the week’s produce and wondering what’s going to be in there. Also important is the dinner party conversations which allow you to take your food douchery to another level.
Its not all about eating fresh vegetables and marveling at the provenance of nature. You do tend to get a lot of repeats (we ate a lot of carrots), there is the shlep of picking them up, and it costs a bit more.
After doing the winter one I would be interested in looking at a summer version, and perhaps one that also focused on fruit. I’d also be very keen to get a share of a pig or a cow. I don’t know how well I would relate to my bacon if I had to meet it first, but I like the idea of being a bit more responsible in terms of understanding where my food comes from and how its treated along that path. I think it was fairly successful, so I’m intrigued on how it will progress.