Planting veggies and herbs in their Durban North garden began as a weekday hobby and has now sprouted into a full-time business for Andrew and Karen Donkin.
“Growing organic food has endless benefits,” says Karen. “It’s healthy, delicious, economical and incredibly satisfying, both mentally and physically. You have more control over the quality of food you’re feeding your family and you’re doing the earth a favour, too. You’ll also waste less because you end up picking only the food you need on the day you plan to eat it.”
“We had endless frustrations when we started our veggie garden at home,” Andrew tells us. “As our patch began to flourish, so did the local troop of monkeys which tasted, tested and destroyed every plant before its fruit could be harvested. It was quite soul destroying to watch them sabotage our efforts!”
Bird netting
It was then that he decided to build a simple framework covered with bird netting to keep out the monkeys. Next he introduced raised beds to keep pests and moles at bay, and found it a convenient feature as you don’t have to bend as much when tending to your plants. He also added a built-in irrigation system that connects to a standard garden hose. With healthy living their priority, the Donkins set about researching the formulation of safe, home-made alternatives to the pesticides and fertilisers that line our supermarket shelves.
And so the fledgling veggie garden project grew into a business.
Home Organic now supplies instant, animal-proof vegetable and herb gardens which come fully installed, irrigated and with your choice of seedlings. If you’re a DIY fan, the units are available in kit form and can be ordered from as far afield as Port Elizabeth, Cape Town and Johannesburg. They’ve also introduced balcony units which are perfect for flat residents or simply to brighten up your patio or outdoor area.
You’ll find a bunch of tried and trusted home-made pesticide recipes on their website: www.homeorganic.co.za, along with information on fertilisers, companion planting, links to related websites and a variety of accessories. There are interesting tips, too: did you know, for instance, that sprinkling coffee grounds on the soil will keep away the ants; crushed egg shells sprinkled around the base of your plants will deter slugs and snails; sage and marigold repel insects from newly seeded areas; earthworm “wee” is the best fertiliser around and, my favourite, a small plastic or Tupperware container filled with beer and sunk slightly into the soil will attract slugs and keep them away from precious plants.
“Growing your own organic garden is easy and lots of fun. Make it a family affair and involve your children,” says Andrew. “It’s a brilliant way to teach them the importance of eating organic food, and how your health is related to what you eat.”
And just think of the time and money you’ll save by strolling to your garden to pick your herbs and vegetables, instead of hopping into your car (fuel emissions going into the atmosphere …) and driving to the shops.
Useful info: Home Organic has a stall at Shongweni Farmers’ Market in Assagay (Saturdays from 6.30am to 10am); The Food Market at The Hellenic Hall in Durban North (last Saturday of every month from 8am to 4pm); and at Salt Rock’s Litchi Orchard Market (1st and 3rd Saturday of every month from 8am to 1pm). Contact Andrew or Karen at 079 048 4232 for further information.
Dig in and do your bit for a greener future. – By Julie Douglas
ORGANIC PESTICIDE
(note: this is a very potent mixture)
1 head of garlic; 4 onions; 1 Tbs crushed/dried chopped chilli; 2 Tbs cooking oil; 2 Tbs liquid soap
Blend the garlic, onion and chilli and let it stand, covered, for 24 hours. Add oil and liquid soap. Keep refrigerated in a sealed container. Use 1 tablespoon of mixture to 1 litre of water for spraying
1 Comment
I’ve seen their products at the market at Shongweni on a Saturday. You could do it yourself of course, but way too much PT. Rather use the professionals.