Siyakhana's Bounty Highlighted in Garden News
Recently Jill Humphreys of the Bedfordfordview garden club and a group of DA counselors visited Siyakhana. Jill's article below for the Bedfordview Garden Club is a glowing description of Siyakhana's lush summer crops.
Bedfordview Garden Club
Newsletter : March to June, 2012
A visit to Siyakhana… Now this is what vegetable gardening is all about! What a glorious, irrepressible profusion of healthy, colourful, deliciousness! “Intercropping” is the way to go. Fruit trees, underplanted with herbs, tomatoes and all kinds of YELLOW flowers (of course these are the guys that attract the bad bugs away from the fruit). Marigolds, verbascum, nasturtium and sunflowers! The Sunflowers rise with statuesque determination above all else (except for the fruit trees) and demand to be noticed! They also attract the bees and the birds – both important aspects of the success of the garden. Even though the birds do steal an occasional snack of veggies, there is enough to share! They return the favour by also snacking on damaging insects. Hlangi, our knowledgeable and enthusiastic guide announces proudly: “This is a garden with NO Chemicals!” It is fed on composted wood chips and garden waste. The garden offcuts and weeds are put into black plastic drums, with tightly fitting lids, water is added and the mix is left to bubble and squeak! After a couple of weeks it will be ready to be administered in the garden at a ratio of 4 : 1 with water.
As the whole hectare of garden is on a slope, the gradient is used for natural irrigation. Furrows and swales are dug to allow the water in and trap it. The furrows are covered in grass so there is no erosion. Even though the grass is kikuyu it works well as it is strong but controlled and its rich deep green, spongy surface, is a most comfortable pathway.
An interesting and important crop of particularly nutritious yellow sweet potato is about to be harvested. It is called, “Bopelo”. Cowpeas (good morogo) and a type of cabbage “Choemolia” are grown in a shaded patch. I had no idea there was such a thing as a shade tolerant cabbage! But there they are, looking healthy and robust like everything else.
Various varieties of squash, pumpkins, butternut, cucumber and zucchini form a cheerful and effective ground cover all over the place; also providing erosion protection and weed control. The cross pollination of these various species makes for more resistant crops.
Little groups of bamboo wave around – conveniently growing stakes and struts for the garden structures.
The presence of flowering clover is an indication of the good acid content of the soil.
Charmingly, Hlangi assures us that growing a vegetable garden teaches one responsibility as there are “no short cuts”. Patience is surely one of the hallmarks of successful and enjoyable gardening!
Yours in gardening!
Jill
