The City of Cape Town has embarked on an innovative Home Composting Programme, providing free home composting containers to encourage residents to start composting at home. Instead of throwing away your household organic waste, including fruit and vegetable waste, eggshells, tea bags, leaves, etc. you can use it to generate compost for your garden. In April 2016, the City … [Read more...]
Bringing food security to low income housing in Joburg
Green Acre Living has identified 700 low income households and works to enable these homes to achieve sustainable food security. Methods taught through training sessions, weekly workshops and a mentoring process are based on agroecology principles. Urban food security is an ongoing challenge against the backdrop of high unemployment rates of 25%, a faltering economy, ongoing … [Read more...]
Turn your home into a green zone, one room at a time
Often the thought of recycling or being more energy efficient makes one think of expensive contraptions, modern interiors or fittings, and a lot of extra work to make the home more eco-friendly. While the results may not be physically visible all the time, doing your bit in the home on a daily basis is not as difficult or expensive as you may think, and can even save you money … [Read more...]
A friend in need: learning about companion planting
If you imagine "companion planting" to be a pleasant potter around the garden with a friend, you may be on to something. But it is also a system of buddying up the various plants in your garden to help control pests, maximise planting space, assist with pollination, encourage growth and improve yield. It can even enhance the flavour of your produce. I went along to a … [Read more...]
Joburg rooftop garden plants seeds of success
Working with the Johannesburg Housing Company and other partners, the JDA has planted a useful garden on the roof of a building in the inner city. Here, herbal remedies are grown alongside vegetables. While food security is on the agenda internationally, in its National Development Plan, or Vision 2030, the South African government has made clear its intention to alleviate … [Read more...]
Recycled polystyrene used in new Table Bay mall construction
More than 15 tons of recycled, Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) have already gone into the production of 20,000 Greenlite Concrete blocks used in the new Table Bay Mall that is currently being constructed. Expected to open its doors at the end of September this year, this 65 000 m² regional shopping centre is located on a 20 ha site on the corner of the R27 (West Coast Road) and … [Read more...]
Drought adaptation DIY style: steps to save water
January was not for chickens in the Cape – extreme drought and fires saw the gardens shrivel up and die. So sad to witness and feel the distress all round. Once our veggie plants got stressed the diseases followed. Watching your water consumption with Stage 3 water restrictions and growing food without the farmer’s concessions calls for innovation. How to capture each … [Read more...]
Simple pool conversion via floating island
I’d known for years that my chemical pool was not cool at all. And pumping the salty or chlorine backwash water towards the wetland was not the way a responsible citizen should behave. I see my neighbours’ water flowing down the street and into the storm water drains. Everything ends up in the environment, always. There is no away on this planet. I have written some stories … [Read more...]
Win a floating edible island and fight the drought
Water shortage? How to use what you have and thrive. List as many benefits as possible to this home-made system and stand a chance to win one floating island, worth R1200. PS the floating islands are vegetated with edible plants. Food. Make your list in the comment space below this story. Entries close 31 October. … [Read more...]
Why bother with natural cleaning products?
Over the past few months we were creating more awareness about the great eco-friendly cleaners one can use in the home. We told the story of our friend who uses his grey water from his washing to water his lawn and garden plants. And why he uses the Better Earth laundry gel for his laundry. I wonder whether people realise just how toxic some of the normal chemical laundry … [Read more...]
Food Gardening Part 4: The art of companion planting
Companion planting is the art of combining different plant species in a group so all the plants in the group benefit from each other. A group of mutually beneficial companion plants are known as a guild. Companion planting brings a range of benefits to a food garden. It can improve soil fertility, attract beneficial creatures to the garden, help repel pests and diseases, … [Read more...]
Insects – an organic food gardener’s best friend
The idea that insects are a good thing for a food garden might seem contradictory. After all, most food gardeners have battled against caterpillars chomping leaves into lace, aphids sucking the life out of plants, or cutworms decapitating newly planted seedlings. But there is a whole host of beneficial insects out there and encouraging these into your garden is vital if you … [Read more...]
How to multitask with natural cleaners
We enjoy lots of feedback about our products and more often than not it is complimentary, which is pleasing and rewarding. Every now and again our customers tell us about other uses for our products which we hadn’t thought of. Sometimes the ‘other’ uses are quite unique to the customer needs and sometimes also quite surprising. Below are some of the more interesting ‘other’ … [Read more...]
