Durban - Residents who started food gardens when the Covid-19 lockdown struck are now enjoying the vegetables of their labour.
It has also been an investment in well-spent family time.
“My daughter and I spend quality time together chatting while weeding, hand watering and harvesting just enough for a meal,” said Durban North resident Charli Wiggill.
“We can plan for the next crop but need to learn patience because nature takes a while to produce the rich rewards.”
To shield themselves from the obvious problem in KwaZulu-Natal - monkeys - Charli and Riley grew their garden in a monkey-proof built cage at little cost from bits and pieces they had lying around.
“The monkeys have been watching very closely as the produce has become more verdant and a tiny one managed to squeeze in at the gate on one occasion. Last week they also tried to rip up a corner of the chicken-wire, but Riley cable-tied it shut again.
“I have also grown some crops outside of the cage as a peace offering to our primate friends.”
There was some trial and error.
“My daughter and I completed research for organic earth-friendly powders and potions to enhance and protect our crop of vegetables and, to a large extent, this was useful. Garlic, cinnamon and bicarbonate of soda have many uses. However, the fancy electronic sonic mole repellent has our resident mole burrowing past the gizmo daily and almost bumping it out of the ground.”
Charli said he thought radishes would be their first crop and that they would battle with others.
“Well, months in and the radishes are little stringy things of little substance while the tomatoes are all at least a metre high and starting to produce profusely. That said, I installed a simple overhead watering system and subsequently realised that tomato plants should be watered at ground level because, if water remains on the leaves overnight, fungus can take hold and destroy the plants.”
There was something the veggie garden taught the Wiggills about themselves.
“I cannot believe how much tea we drink in a week. I have been adding all teabags and coffee grounds to the veggie patch as they are great for fertilising.”
Nearby, the Herd-Hoare home felt the first buzz around lockdown gardening when they were at the local hardware store on the March day most folks were stocking up on booze, baked beans and toilet paper.
“About 20 people were already there by 7am, looking to get their hands on all sorts of timber and equipment for lockdown projects and we all started sharing ideas and tips,” said daughter, Shannon, who was there with her father, Chris.
They chose to plant in boxes for raised beds to be placed on top of a space of unused garden with generous sun where they could not dig down because of a pit below.
“So we decided to build up.”
As a salad-eating family it was their choice to plant greens, which didn’t attract monkey business, unlike the tomatoes.
“I think that in the future, when we decide to plant, perhaps, crops bearing fruit, we’ll build a monkey-proof cage.”
“There is such joy in cultivating our own food and knowing where it comes from and, from a nutritional perspective, having access to fresh, leafy greens straight out of the ground and into the salad bowl within 45 minutes.”
A Morningside resident, who gave his name only as Mohamed, said he had started his garden in which micro herbs, kale, chad and spinach were thriving, out of lockdown boredom.
“I was wandering along a dead end street and saw some bamboo someone had thrown out, so I used it to make beds that I filled with soil from my garden.”
Micro herbs, a favourite for salads and curries, shot up in no time and Mohamed ended up selling them to people who called in at his house to buy face masks.
Like anyone else in Durban, he encountered the monkey problem when the beans he grew disappeared, so he has stuck to greens.
Leigh Jansen, commenting on the issue of lockdown gardening in Durban on the Facebook page Self sufficiency and sustainable living (South Africa), said Durban people were often unaware of the importance of seasons and believe that because there is no frost, anything will grow at any time.
“People should not judge their gardening skills by what their gardens look like in July and August,” she said, adding that March was a difficult time to start a garden and that August and September would be “a walk in the park” by comparison.
Meanwhile, Shannon, who is an environmental studies graduate, believes it’s time for people to get involved in vegetable gardening.
“It’s more tricky if you don’t have land, but it’s an activity we should all definitely be engaging in.
“I also think we need to start rethinking the way we plant our verges and what trees we have on our streets. As beautiful as coral trees and jacarandas are, we would have a better society if we replaced those with pecan nut trees or other fruit-bearing trees.”
She also said lawns are “a bit of a waste”.
Charli, who is the head at Curro Heritage House Independent School, said learning how to grow food was important as an education.
“Many schools have working kitchen gardens and most schools have their pupils grow a bean plant to experience the thrill of observing the growth cycle of something they have planted.
“I also believe we need to get our hands and feet into the soil for some balance in our city lives.
“Learning where food comes from and that it takes a while to grow before harvesting is possible is a good lesson against excess consumption and wastage.”
He said that he subscribed to the idea of “guerrilla gardening” where citizens took over patches of wasted city space and started gardens to help feed the poor and vulnerable.
“In fact, I wish the municipality would take a lead in this and start the process of converting some of the many wastelands in our city into corners of hope.”
EThekwini Municipality said it encouraged the maintenance of verges in open and unkempt spaces in the city and also the focus on gardening and beautification through its Adopt a Spot programme.
“It allows residents to take over certain spots and keep them clean/safe by using them in a way that benefits the community in which they live,” said city spokesman Msawakhe Mayisela.
“Through the programme, the city seeks to eradicate and prevent illegal dumping on vacant verges and open spaces by educating residents about an individual responsibility through adopting and nurturing a spot. “
For further information, contact Durban Solid Waste at 0313118804.
The Independent on Saturday