There's much more to gardening than just growing vegetables or pretty flowers. There are many benefits that come with growing a garden. What we are doing is bringing nature into our homes and lives. By creating a garden, we develop skills and gain knowledge. We also create a beautiful, peaceful and even productive environment that benefits the health and wellbeing of the whole family or community.

 

The earth, sun, wind and water; the forests, mountains, oceans, rivers and deserts all have a strong and magical effect on us, allowing us to feel energised and peaceful. The act of creating a garden allows us to connect with nature and experience the magic of life on this planet - not only in nature but between people as well.

 

Education and skills
The garden is a teacher to children and adults. There is much knowledge to be gained. We gain this knowledge from our parents, friends, professionals, books, and through experience. Some of the things we learn about when we garden are:

 

Ecology: We learn that plants, animals, insects, the weather and seasons are all part of a natural system, and there is a strong inter-relationship between all of them. In the garden, if this harmony or balance is disturbed, the result is diseased or damaged plants.

 

Seasons: Plants come from different regions of the world - some from cool climates and others from warm climates. We therefore learn to plant according to the weather in our own region. For example, we wouldn't expect a desert cactus plant be happy and healthy in a high-rainfall area where the ground is wet most of the time! When it comes to vegetables, grains and leafy crops usually prefer cooler weather, and flower and fruit crops usually prefer warmer weather.

 

Soils: We need to learn how best to cultivate our soil according to its type, ranging from sandy to loamy to clay soils. We need to know about the different  organisms that make up soil, and how to make the soil fertile and keep it healthy and alive. We also need to learn different methods of making healthy soil, such as trench gardening, using green manure crops and mulching.  Commposting teaches us how to collect and recycle plant and animal waste materials and create compost with them to feed the soil.

 

Plant nutrition: We need to know about the essential plant nutrients - nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and other trace elements.

 

Seeds: It's important to know when to plant seeds, as well as how to sow and care for them so that they grow properly. We also need to know how to make the correct soil mixes for the different seeds, as well as how much to water, how to thin out and transplant seedlings and, of course, when and how to harvest plants.

 

Plants: We have to know about how the various plant grow - their size, shape, whether they like sun or shade, whether they can withstand wind or not, what their uses are, etc.

 

Water: It's essential to know how much water the different plants need because some plants will die if you water them too much, and some will die if you water them too little. We also learn to use water-wise practices such as collecting rain water, irrigating wisely and planting in the rainy season.

 

Pest & disease management: It's also important to learn natural ways of controlling pests and diseases, so you don't use lots of dangerous chemicals that can poison wildlife, insects or even pets and children! Some ways to control pests naturally are crop rotation, companion planting and using herbal plant remedies.

 

Pruning, staking and feeding: Many plants need to be pruned (cut back) at certain times, and some need to be staked to hold them up - and all plants need feeding sometimes!

 

Harvesting: Of course, it's vital to know when to harvest your crops, whether they are flowers, fruit, vegetables or herbs - as well as how to dry herbs.

 

These are all the things we need to know about in order to make our plants grow, but there are other things, too, that we need to learn, such as the uses of plants. Some plants are used as food, and some as medicine. Some also have commercial value, meaning we can use them to generate income. And, very importantly, we need to understand how important it is to plant trees for the greening of the planet, to help produce clean air and facilitate rainfall.

 

How can we develop our knowledge and skills?

Through learning and interacting with the natural environment, we learn how to care and have respect for all life on our planet, including ourselves!

 

Garden calendar: May
This month, plant the following, which will give you colour and food in spring:

Vegetables: Broad beans, cabbage, Chinese cabbage, herbs, leeks, lettuce, onion, peas, radish, spinach, garlic

Bulbs: Daffodils, freesias, ranunculus, tulips

 

Flower seedlings: Ageratum, alyssum, calendula, carnations, dianthus, larkspur, lupins, nemesia, pansies, phlox, snapdragons, stocks, sweet William

 

Cook the whole cauliflower in a little bit of water until it is just tender. Smother with the zesty tomato sauce, sprinkle with grated cheese and serve with crusty brown bread.

These are pampoen vetkoekies - an old-time favourite

Makes 25 servings

Eat five servings of fruit and vegetables every day

 

Most of us know that to be healthy we must have a balanced diet. This means that we should eat something from each of the three food groups every day; body building foods (proteins), energy foods (carbohydrates, fats and oils) and protective foods (vegetables and fruits).

Climate change is arguably the most crucial issues of our time and is the biggest environmental challenge that we face. While many of us agree that we must do something, it seems too vast a problem for any one of us to tackle, until now.

 

The Carbon Standard Consortium has been formed to make it easy and affordable for government, individuals, corporations and communities, their office buildings, schools, homes, meetings, events, conferences, celebrations, a business unit, product or brand to offset carbon emissions by planting trees.

As part of an organic gardening practice, companion planting is used. This is the art of planting certain plants together – because they are good for one another, and avoiding planting certain other plants together, because they don’t grow well together.  As with relationships between people, certain plants like and dislike one another, so we plant certain herbs with vegetables to improve their growth and flavour – and some of the herbs also have strong scents which repel harmful pests or may attract beneficial insects.

For very little money and effort, you can have the healthiest soil around.  Here¹s how to make lovely compost that¹ll give you prize fruit and veggies.  In our last article "Don't Panic - It's Organic" we gave you a taste of what materials should go into a good compost heap. Now here is the nitty gritty.

Plants get most of their nutrients (food) from the soil. With the help of microorganisms (tiny living particles in the soil), the mineral and organic matter in the soil is processed into a form that plants can use. These nutrients dissolve (break down) in the water in the soil and are taken into the plants through their roots.

Organic gardening is the best way to get the most out of your soil and crops ­ after all, it¹s the way nature designed things! Dave Golding tells you how it works.

Did you know that all life on earth is sustained by only one percent of available water. Isn¹t that a miracle?  While most of the earth¹s surface is covered in water, 97 percent is seawater. Most of the remaining three percent is locked up in ice caps and glaciers, deep underground or suspended as vapour in the air.