Last Updated on July 18, 2020 by Lucienne
My husband and I had our fourth anniversary last week and being the even number it was my turn to arrange something for us to do on our special day. Being the farmer at heart that he is I thought he would enjoy a trip to explore urban gardening with a farmer.
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My guests often ask for tips on what to do around Johannesburg. This urban farming experience is definitely one I would recommend. Also a nice little addition to A Cosy Garden Cottage welcome book.
We were met by our hosts Ashleigh and Negin. We climbed up the ladder to the garden. At first I was a little disappointed as I was expecting to see a much larger garden. My disappointment was soon replaced with intrigue as Ashleigh and Negin began to explain what urban farming is all about.
Ashleigh took us on an educational journey explaining different soils and the quality of soils. It was the first time that I had ever come across rock wool as a growing media for seedlings. He continued to explain growing from seed versus taking cuttings and the benefit of each. The roof-top garden is mostly fertilized with worm castings from their worm farm. The castings are also used in a very simple hydroponic setup. The worms are fed with the garden waste – a neat little ecosystem.
Negin then took over and started talking about the plants in the garden and how they can be used in cooking. It was then when we realized that Ashleigh was the farmer and Negin was the foodie, what a great team. I was pleased to find that they supplied the restaurants at the bottom of the building with a lot of herbs. Produce can’t get more local than that!
Their urban farming project is mostly an educational one with a focus on teaching people living in the area and school children how to grow their own vegetables. The garden we visited is their ‘show’ garden but they have many more gardens across the CBD spanning across enormous buildings where they grow larger crops.
I left the garden, cuttings under my arm, feeling inspired to start growing microgreens again with my new-found knowledge gained from my new friends Ashleigh and Negin.
This experience, explore urban gardening with a farmer, is very easy to find as it is right below a huge wall mural of Nelson Mandela, a beacon not easily missed. I would truly recommend you make a visit to their garden if you live in Johannesburg or if you are just visiting. Ashleigh and Negin were wonderful hosts full of energy and excitement to share their venture with us.
Visiting Johannesburg? Then why not let us host you in our Cosy Garden Cottage, I will be able to tell you about our day with Ashleigh and Negin first hand.
So interesting! Would love to visit this garden.. Thank you for the info
Thank you Deborah. The garden is definitely worth the visit.