Theoretically, you can grow vegetables anywhere there's sunlight. As long as you have that, the smallest surface will do, from a windowsill or balcony to a few pots at the back door. In fact, the smaller you start, the less overwhelming the project will feel and the smaller the loss in case of a failed crop.
Since we published our (Afrikaans) book about starting a vegetable garden, we've heard from several readers who've thrown in the towel after one disastrous season, often because they were a little too ambitious at the start. We also felt like giving up in the first year or two, but through trial and error you learn what won't grow in your garden or tends to fall victim to pests. And we made our peace with the fact that the only plants that grow in Koringberg in midsummer are herbs.
The other question that often comes up in readers' letters (most likely after a failed harvest) is whether growing your own vegetables is really cheaper than buying them at a grocery store.
In our experience, first-time vegetable gardeners are often astonished at how much time, dedication and patience - rather than money - a food garden demands. Still, number crunchers often want to know whether, "realistically speaking and in terms of time and money", a food garden offers a positive return on investment. The answer to the question is a confident yes, although the "return on investment" won't necessarily make sense on an Excel spreadsheet.
Why grow your own vegetables?
Before talking about rands and cents, lets look at all the non-financial benefits of gardening. That way, you can decide for yourself how much each benefit is worth to you - "realistically speaking and in terms of time and money".
Hobby, exercise, meditation
Denne historien er fra Spring 2022-utgaven av go! Platteland.
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Denne historien er fra Spring 2022-utgaven av go! Platteland.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
There are few secrets in Verlorenvallei
All platteland towns have that one famous (or infamous) character who knows everyone's business. Meet Livia Hoogenboezem, the keeper of every piece of gossip in Verlorenvallei...
Make magic with winter's abundance
This winter menu is our invitation to look beyond the bewildered herb garden, move out of your comfort zone and bake a loaf of bread, appreciate the beauty of a head of cabbage, and invite the rain gods to the table to feast with you on venison pie, pudding and cake.
It takes a family
Christian Fry and his fiancé, Pippa de Lange, arrived at Dombeya with just a day to spare before the Covid-19 hard lockdown commenced in 2020. Their purpose was to save the Fry family farm from being sold. They've settled into life in their Elands River Valley haven now but continue to dream big and work hard.
For the love of birds...
They may be called birdwatchers but they are in fact using their ears. As Johan van Zyl discovered on his maiden outing as an \"avian tourist\" with BirdLife South Africa to find the 450 bird species that live in the Garden Route and Little Karoo.
To the babbling brooks of Sabie
Roughly every five years, Jaco and Jens Reverchon get itchy feet. They hopped around Cape Town, moved up north to the Greater Kruger and then, recently, put down roots next to the Sabie River where they live a peaceful life with their animals.
Creativity & community in Dinokeng
The driving force behind the successful Makers Village in Irene has now implemented the same concept in Cullinan, creating an incubator and exhibition space for entrepreneurs and artists. Platteland dropped in at this budding creative hub to find out what it's all about and came away impressed.
Willie Strauss Never an idle moment
A variety concert... that is how to approach your life and career when you want to survive as an artist living in the platteland. So says singer, lyricist and radio food expert Willie Strauss, who entices visitors to Die Sinkstoor in Cullinan with traditional offal and his mother's Bushmanland boerekos.
To die for
How do you avoid the tourist avalanche if you live in an Afromontane forest where holidaymakers descend in December? You drive to lonely outposts in the mountains of the Cape, says photographer Obie Oberholzer, and you make pictures rather than take them.
1 Fiat 500 2ha 4 boys...19000 miles!
When the go-cart that an engineer father had built for his four sons couldn't handle the tufty terrain on their 2-hectare plot in Montana, Pretoria, they hunted down a Fiat 500 in a salvage yard. They only wanted its suspension system, but Mom intervened, the car was saved, and those little daredevils clocked up an impressive 19000 miles - all without leaving the plot.
SUTHERLAND Cold town, warm hearts
Life in Sutherland in the Northern Cape isn't always easy, but even those who leave tend to return. Come with us to find out why.
