Growing your own Potatoes
Learn how to grow your own potatoes in your own back yard and beat the potato price increase.
The Wilson’s get rid of the (City) menace… Part 2
[Here is part two of the Wilson's efforts in becoming self-sustainable, in part 1 Tristram laid our the groundwork and what/why their family is embarking on this journey. Once again we wish him and his family well and all the best for the coming season.]
Well, it has been an interesting time. Winter has brought with [...]
How to make a simple Cold Frame
Here is the promised article on how to make a cold frame. This is a simple project that should not take more than 2 – 3 hours. I built both of these in 3 hours, the longest part of the job is measuring and cutting.
A cold frame is used specifically to allow for the germination [...]
Poultry for Sustainability
Am I the only one, or have you also noticed in recent years that young girls are ‘developing’ at an earlier age? My firm belief is that this phenomenon is intrinsically related to the amounts of hormones, antibiotics and associated junk that have been fed, injected and variously sprayed onto the food that makes up [...]
Bargaining, Bartering and lessons in haste.
We live in a world where most things can be bought electronically, you can pay your bills, buy things, sell things (yes I’m guilty) browse the local super market, even buy individual songs online and not just the whole album.
What I’d like to do is talk about an almost lost art. Bartering and bargaining and [...]
Planning an Orchard..
if you are determined to do something in your garden that you are sure to gain years of pleasure from, an orchard is the way to go. It need not be a full blown orchard but a few fruit trees will make an immense difference in your persuit to self-sustainability.
Frugal Living – Making the most of what you have.
There are many instances where one can make use of traditional “throw-away” items in ones household by putting them to a second use, or even with a bit off effort make a store bought item at home that is firstly healthier, secondly tastier and thirdly more cost effective.
The War on Heirlooms
Being in the Heirloom and Open Pollinated seed industry is for me one of the best vocations, I love the fact that I get to grow and eat many varieties of vegetables that most people never get to hear of, let alone taste. The sheer beauty of some of our heirloom vegetables is astounding, and [...]
What should you be planting now (Late Summer- Autumn)
It took me a few years to work out that a winter veggie garden is not planted just before or in winter. (OK I admit, I can be a tad slow) The winter garden is one that is planted in late summer or very early autumn, with very little planted in winter. In winter all [...]
The World Cup of Food prices
Over the last few weeks I have been pondering the impact of the 2010 FIFA World Cup on us normal South Africans. Looking at the influx of people, we will have well over 600 000 people visiting us in a 6-8 week period. I had been seeing reports of price escalations in the order of [...]
A seed is often not what it seems……
I’ve had a number of discussions in the last while with people over the difference between organic, heirloom, open pollinated, hybrid and GMO seeds. The belief that most people have is that organic seeds are all heirloom or open pollinated. This is not the case, in fact the opposite is true. So here is a [...]
Our Journey to Self Sustainability
Our journey into the practical side of self sustainability. We are learning day by day to grow and process our own food, using ethical production of our food as a starting point.
Makin’Compost
Makin’ Compost
I have a love affair with compost heaps, don’t laugh I’m serious. I’ve been known to wait at our local municipal dump on Saturday mornings in early spring with a high-side trailer and getting the locals to dump their spring clean-up matter into the trailer. This then goes home to start a few [...]
The Silent Bomb and Monsanto’s Mistake
In 2008 a Silent Bomb struck South Africa, the massive fallout and shockwaves ran unnoticed throughout our society. People may have complained about the rising prices in shops, and wondered why the government has not fixed the problem. However they have no idea what caused the problem, they just sit around and wonder at the [...]
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