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Gardening in your Jimmy Choos 

“The garden suggests there might be a place where we can meet nature halfway.” – Michael Pollan 

Isn’t it funny how we all fought against eating our veggies as children and now delight in the crunch of fresh and organic greens for dinner? 

With the boom in population, the drastic change in climate that we’re experiencing and the rise in urbanisation, we should all consider meeting nature halfway if we can. 

One way you can achieve this meeting is by cultivating your own veggie garden, whether you have access to a garden or not.

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Urban Gardening vs Urban Farming 

Urban farming is a wonderful initiative where the average city dweller can go in for a proper farming experience. This includes keeping animals and growing vegetables. There are a surprising number of urban farming initiatives in South Africa at the moment. 

We here at HOMEMAKERS think that, though pulling on your wellies and warming up your chicken call might be enticing, we’d rather start with something more manageable. And less muddy. 

Urban gardening is, at its core, growing your own food in an urban setting. It can include: 

• Vertical gardens 
• Balcony gardens 
• Trellis gardens 
• Tepee gardens 
• Picture frame gardens 
• Indoor gardens 
• Flower box gardens 

There are many benefits of urban gardening like promoting greener cities and relieving the pressure on our environment and food supply. Furthermore, it promotes healthier lifestyles and food security. It can even lead to job creation and a greater sense of community. 

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Urban Gardening in South Africa 

There are many initiatives and companies that are doing the most with urban gardening and farming all around South Africa. If you are not of the green-thumb variety and would prefer not to get your hands dirty, consider getting in touch with one of the following companies. 

Urban Harvest 

This self-proclaimed pioneer edible garden service was established in 2006 by Ben Getz. They install and maintain food gardens. 

In the words of their founder: 

“I believe that by working with people and nature to create an abundance of healthy, organic and locally grown food in our communities, we can reawaken traditional values, a deeper reverence for the earth and practically re-establish a healthier balance in our lives.” 

Urban Harvest wishes to enable people to grow their own food thereby ensuring a more sustainable lifestyle for everyone. They aim to make gardening fun, easy and rewarding. 

Get in contact with them here if you would like some help setting up your own urban garden or would just like to hear more. 

Solid Green 

Solid Green is an environmental consultancy company that aims to “create comfortable, healthy buildings that are highly efficient in their energy, water and resource utilisation. The result is a built environment which is more sustainable and better for all.” 

They have been making their voices heard around the country, but especially in Johannesburg. Solid Green is launching an urban farming project in Rosebank. 

Contact them here if you are interested in getting involved. 

Abalimi Bezekhaya 

Abalimi Bezekhaya promotes small scale urban farming.  They are a development organization that partners with active members of the community to aid their urban farming efforts. 

Their website states: “Abalimi has community garden centres in both Khayelitsha and Nyanga that provide affordable and accessible resources such as seedlings, manure, tools, fertilizers and pest control, and act as demonstration gardens used for training purposes.”  

If you want to lend a hand, contact them here.

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