Lovedalia Tsewu from Gugulethu will join the country in celebrating Garden Day on Sunday October 21.
Having retired from domestic work in her early 60s, Ms Tsewu found she was simply unable to sit around in her home, with nothing much to do and only a state pension to support her.
After recovering from a hip replacement operation in 2013, she was ready to take serious stock of her situation.
She had a few beds of flowers growing in her yard, and thought about developing a vegetable garden. This could supply her and her two sons with nutritious, fresh food as well as her extended family who share her home: her late brother’s daughter, her three children and her partner.
She had no idea about how to grow vegetables but had heard about Soil for Life, the organisation that trains people to develop their own organic food gardens.
She put together a group of 15 people in her community and together they undertook a three-week training course with Soil for Life about four years ago. For Ms Tsewu the decision to start a veggie garden has changed her life.
Started on a small patch, her garden now spreads right across the yard and down a narrow lot alongside her house.
She not only feeds herself and extended family, but has established a second veggie garden at a nearby educare centre, which means that children there can now eat fresh and nutritious food.
With her eldest son, Raymond, as her assistant gardener and who also relieves her of some of the hard physical work, Ms Tsewu’s veggie production is at times enough to enable her to earn extra income by selling surplus to families in the community.
Right now, she is harvesting spinach and carrots, with tomatoes, green peppers and brinjals next in line.
She has also risen to the challenge presented by the drought gripping the Western Cape and severe water restrictions that have been imposed in Cape Town. She has installed six large drums to collect rain water and also uses household grey water to feed her crops. Some of the saved water is funnelled into bottles and transported by wheelbarrow to irrigate her educate centre veggie garden.
She has also contacted a state agricultural department to assist her to obtain larger water tanks, and a person there has even spoken about possibly accessing underground water, but she’s still waiting to hear whether she will get some extra help. Ms Tsewu is keen to share her expertise, but laments that no one has taken up an offer she has made to provide free training to other community members.
She would like them to experience the great pride she feels from growing her own food. “I have taught myself to feed myself, and I am able to feed my family, the kids at the educarecentre and to sell food to the community,” she says. “I have also trained my son Raymond, so if I am no longer able to continue developing the garden, he will be able to carry on.”
Vegetable growing tips from Pat Featherstone, director and founder of Soil for Life:
Mulch, mulch, mulch especially in summer. It saves water and protects plants and soil. Use compost, dry grass cuttings, newspaper, leaves, sticks, bark chips, peach pips or any other organic matter.
Urine is a useful fertiliser. Dilute it in a bucket of water and water the soil around your plants.
Be water wise: make a circular dam with your finger around each plant. The water sinks deep into the soil without running off.
Plant lots of legumes like peas and beans. Their roots are home to millions of microbes that take nitrogen from the atmosphere and convert it to a form your plants can use, which is key for growth.
Don’t throw your egg shells away. Crush them up and sprinkle them over your plants. They’re a great source of calcium,
which plants and vegetables need to grow strong – plants like cauliflower, broccoli, kale and Brussel sprouts really love calcium. You can also add your egg shells to a compost heap and worm bin if you have one-but in this instance dig them deep into the soil. Worms love them.
If you live close to the beach, collect seaweed at the beach. When you get home, rinse them with small amounts of fresh water so they’re not covered in sand or salt water and add it to your compost heap, worm bin or use as a mulch, i.e. on top of your soil. It rots quickly, releasing lots of minerals that help plants to grow, flower, fruit and to make more seeds.
Grow garlic between your vegetables, especially spinach and tomatoes. Why? Insects, which often eat our plants don’t like the smell so it will help keep them away from your plants. But a word of warning, don’t plant garlic near peas or beans – it actually stops them growing.
Old car tyres make excellent nurseries for growing seedlings. In summer paint them a light colour on the outside to prevent them becoming too hot. For more tips and advice go to www.soilforlife.co.za or follow them on Facebook or Twitter as @SoilforLife.