Please note that this is a tweaked version of a report and agreement on a personal project of mine…. ive tried to keep the ideas in place….
Introduction
This document is meant to communicate to the Sports Club the plan, and intention for the construction of the Energy Exchange garden at the club grounds.
To establish and grow a garden, without funding, takes more time, lots of dedication and listening. Tasks such as building up the soil, planting of seeds and plants, garden design, harvesting, selling and getting organic certification have happened anyway… right through winter 2015. This in itself is miraculous to many people.
Vision
This vision statement is given to describe the vision for the future of the Garden.
1. The Sports Club garden will be a space of love and wonder, learning, listening, connecting, nourishment and joy for all members of Sports Club. The produce of this sustainable organic garden will be the freshest healthiest possible pick it with me, when in abundance to support a healthy and sustainable lifestyle.
2. The garden is set up using only permaculture techniques. This regenerates the soil back to a pristine organic state without exceeding the fertile condition to safeguard the health and healing properties of the fruits, vegetables and herbs.
3. The garden will create a beautiful place to engage club members and attract more people from surrounding suburbs in an inspirational place where they have access to locally grown food, medicinal plants and affordable workshops at good prices for their health and environmental benefit.
4. The garden will supply edibles that can be harvested firstly to volunteers, and as trade for seeds, plants and other materials. ……… shows keen interest in becoming permanently involved as far as volunteer labour goes. (Please note that without funding, being reliant on seedy saturdayz trades, I cannot guarantee what the garden can supply anyone. I do however have faith that it will produce what those who assist in it need, as no garden I have ever done has not done this for me.)
5. The garden will provide medicinal plants and herbs to Netanya in the future for her product range.
6. Joining a co-operative or creating a food hub in the area will be advantageous to the community and surrounds, as it will allow jhb urban farmers to distribute their produce through shops like ………………setting up a kiosk at the club for this purpose. This requires funding or joining a co-operative such as …………., which is a banking system without interest, and are willing to assist in setting up a greenhouse and kiosk.
Achievements
Establishing of the winter garden
The garden contains a variety of plants which can be found in the annexures of this document. These plants also have been adding value as being medicinal, edible, maintaining and adding to the health and fertility of the soil, creating fertiliser and anti-pest and anti-bacterial sprays.
The growing movements of ‘overgrow the system’, ‘grow food not lawns’ and ‘Food is free to all’ is taking root in the community and surrounds, in fact, all over the world. This means that eventually large food sections in our Pick n Pays will either be provided for locally or completely eradicated, as more people are now growing food and trading. From experience in community farming in urban environments, the problem was distribution, not lack of produce. Let the community bring in the food, and grow ourselves if that is what you want me to supply the members its can be done using jhb urban farm produce in a kiosk at the club.
Ivy
The ivy area is partially layered over with hugelkultuur. To be continued with volunteers.
Compost
Construction of a compost site, near the storage and staff house.
Training of two members of the staff to maintain the composting (or just watering the piles), or employing two labourers once every two weeks to turn the compost piles and layer bokashi.
Pest Control
Big hugel has been conquered, no more rats.
Weed Control
Most weeds are medicinal, and controlled by removing them root and all after the rains. Cardboard is layered underneath each bed, making it difficult for weeds to push through and take over.
Plants that attract bugs are introduced to attract bugs that eat weeds. Ecosystems restored or created, enhancing quality of soil and yield of harvest.
Organic certification of the garden
Netanya was approved by PGS, and granted a certificate for Naturally Grown Produce. This certificate will be reviewed in winter of 2016 again, after 36 months of farming the land it is deemed rehabilitated and Organically Certified. What does PGS certification mean? PGS South Africa operates according to the guidelines for Participatory Guarantee Systems (PGS) as defined by the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM).
“Participatory Guarantee Systems (PGS) are locally focused quality assurance systems. They certify producers based on active participation of stakeholders and are built on a foundation of trust, social networks and knowledge exchange.” (IFOAM, 2008)
PGS represent a real alternative to third party certification, especially adapted to local markets. Thousands of small farmers who grow organic produce are unable to certify their products. Many established organic producers are certified by third party certifiers. It is the system most countries require for organic certification. Third party certification can be quite costly and requires onerous record-keeping and infrastructure beyond the means of most small farmers.
THE STANDARD: Growers are assessed according to a set of Basic Production Principles. These principles are based on the AFRISCO Organic Standard and in compliance with PGS requirements in the South African Draft Regulations. It must be noted that PGSSA has no relationship with AFRISCO and that AFRISCO neither supports nor endorses PGSSA. The choice to use the AFRISCO Standard as baseline is due to the fact that the standard is in general use across Southern Africa and is accredited by IFOAM.
Connecting/Networking
I have brought in …………….. to advise and they are happy to have me as an agent that makes use of the product that usually goes to community farms. This process of sourcing restaurants in the Green – strip, and waiting approximately 3 – 4 weeks for food waste to ferment, will determine the time of re-starting the layering of the compost. In the interim, shade cloth can be erected and successive workshops organised.
Netanya has traded for or self seeded everything in the garden. Only compost was purchased and is still short by about 80 cubes. Cost is estimated at R900 per cube if delivered, one avenue where funding is required if the garden is to be completed over a short period.
Awareness and Education – START A BLOG
A record of all activity is available in blog posts on the Art of Permaculture page of Netanya’s blog www.artofcraft.co.za
Garden Planning
What will be done
• The garden will be completed (plants are in the annexure)
• The ivy area will be layered over with hugelkultuur and various edible and medicinal plant seeds raked into it, aloe varieties and alfalpha to be planted on the slope and transplanted into bags over 6 months replaced by edible and medicinal plants.
• Community involvement – 8 permanent volunteers who assist in creating a record of all activity in the garden, which will be used to design a model for small families to be self-sustainable off the size of land allocated
• Community involvement through networking (share and like on facebook), journalists in area can write articles, use of community green waste if compost can become what it can become, also bokashi, allotment gardens can be set up to supply club and restaurants in the community
• Continued use of recycled waste from the bar (planters still in the back of my mind)
• Suggested fundraiser talk of taboo surrounding owls and medicinal infusions
• Netanya will focus of planting food for assistants and herself, as well as medicinal herbs and plants for her income only.
• FAIR TRADE and RESPECT at all times.
Activities to be done
Short term, within 3 months
Engage the community by offering more workshops and interactive gardening days with a tea garden in the garden.
Soil testing for PGS
Irrigation extended hose or sprinklers
Tool shed/storing tools, supplies, materials.
Drying herbs
Shading area
Signage: what is what, maybe some simple garden rules, guide participants e.g. no unsupervised children allowed or Im a plant I have properties 
Connecting area
Picnic table for teas and gathering
Middle term, within 6 months
Fruit trees
Set up complete
Long term, 36 months
Bringing the garden to full capacity, self seeding plants, food forest attributes established
Rain water harvesting
Eco village hub – food collection boxes, kiosk, greenhouse
Organic certification
Planning
The Sports Club Involvement
The Sports Club Benefits
Attractive food and medicinal herb garden onsite
Healthy food
Organic medicine
Place of connection and community involvement
Organic waste recycling
Positive publicity
Eco – Friendly
The Sports Club Involvement
Continuation of the use of the land allocated, and waste for 36 months
Newsletter and Gazette reports connecting with members
Composting site
Please advise whether your staff have the capacity to maintain the piles with approximately 2 labourers 1 day a week or if I should seek a means to employ labourers to maintain the piles, and offer to take community green waste into the compost area so people can come drop off stuff and pick up compost or trade for materials they are short of in their own piles at home. We need a lot of soil for the grounds…. Either two people get paid or it becomes a workshop space, doing the same thing over and over, or its kept a two-man job for at least 6 months, then compost can become a product from the garden to club members.
Annexures
Planted To be planted Companion Plant
Angelica x 1 Angelica x 7 Hellebore, Ferns, Epimediums
Alfalfa
Amaranth White and Red Corn, Tomato, Onion, Potato, Strawberry
Aniseed x 8 Coriander, Broccoli, Various Plants
Apple Mint x 8 Brassicas & kale
Asparagus x 8 Dill, Coriander, Tomato, Parsley, Basil, Marigold, Comfrey, Strawberry
Broadbeans Corn, Sunflower
Baby Marrow x 8 corn, beans
Basil x 1 Basil x 7 Pepper, Tomato, Marigold, Asparagus, Oregano, Petunias
Bright lights spinach red Succession crops / rotation Cabbage, Celery, Eggplant, Cauliflower, Strawberry, Faba Beans
Bringal x 8 Bush beans
Bright lights spinach yellow Succession crops / rotation Cabbage, Celery, Eggplant, Cauliflower, Strawberry, Faba Beans
Black radish Succession crops / rotation Bush Beans, Pole Beans, Carrot, Cucumber, Lettuce, Melons, Peas, Squash, Nasturtium, Chervil, Melons, Parsnip, Spinach, Broccoli
Borage x 2 Borage x 6 Tomato, strawberry, fruit orchards, Squash
Bunching Onions anything
Calabash x 30
Catnip X 1 Catnip x 7 Eggplant, Beet, Pumpkin, Squash, Hyssop
Cinnamon Tree x 3
Calendula x 50
Chamomile German Cabbage, Onion, Cucumber
Creeping Sage x 1 Creeping Sage x 7
Comfrey x 10 Comfrey x 30 Avocado, Asparagus
California Poppy
Feverfew x 3 Feverfew x 5
Fennel x 2 Fennel x 20 dill
Foxglove x 8 Apple, Potato, Tomato
Garden Mint x 1 Garden Mint x 20 Tomato, Cabbage, Beets
Garlic Rose, Carrot, Tomato, Beets, Raspberry
Green Sorrel x 1 Green sorrel x 5
Gotu Kola – Centella x 8
Horse Raddish x 8 anything
Hops x 8
Jerusalem Artichoke x 10 Asparagus, Sunflower, Corn, Tarragon
Kale Succession crops / rotation
Red winter kale x 8 Thyme
Kohlrabi Beet, Onion, Oregano, Mint, Sage, Thyme
Liquorice root
Lovage x 1 Lovage x 7 Cucumber, Asparagus, Bean, Beet, Brassica, Onion, Leek, Peas, Potato, Lettuce, Squash, Zucchini, Corn, Tomato
Lazy Housewife / Contender Beans x 20
Lemongrass x 2 Lemongrass x 6
Lettuce Mix x 30
Lemon Verbena x 1 Lemon Verbena x 7
Lemon Balm x 1 Lemon Balm x 7
Mustard Succession crop / rotation Cabbage, Brassica, Radish, Brussel Sprouts, Turnip, Collard, Kohlrabi
Meadowsweet
Mugwort x 1 Mugwort x 7
Mullein x 1 Mullein x 9
New Zealand Spinach Cabbage, Celery, Eggplant, Cauliflower, Strawberry, Faba Beans
Naustersium x 2 Naustersium x 6 variety Cucumber, Radish, Squash, Broccoli, Cabbage, other vegetables, fruit trees
Oregano x 8 Squashes, peppers, cabbage
Purple Carrots Pepper, beans, chives, garlic, basil
Peas Bush Beans, Pole Beans, Carrot, Corn, Cucumber, Radish, Turnip, Celery, Chicory, Spinach, Parsley
Pelagonium Mint x 8
Parsley x 1 Parsley x 7 Tomato, Asparagus, Carrot, Rose, Onion, Chive
Purple cauliflower x 6 Succession crop / rotation Oegano,sage, spinach, onion
Potatoes Variety x 50 Bush Beans, Cabbage, Carrot, Celery, Flax, Horseradish, Marigold, Peas, Petunia, Onion
Pineapple Sage x 8 Carrot, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Rosemary, Cabbage
Pineapple mint
Peppermint
Rose Scented Geranium x 1 Rose Scented Geranium x 7 Cabbage, Corn, Grape, Rose, Tomato, Peppers, Eggplant
Rosemary x 4 Rosemary x 5 Carrot, Cabbage, Beans, Sage
Rue x 8 Rose, raspberry, blackberry
Rocket x 1 Rocket x 7
Spaghetti Squash x 8
Sage x 8
Stevia x 1
Shallots
Sun hemp Cover crop
Spekboom x 20 Spekboom x 30
Artemesia Southernwood x 8
Salad bernette x 4
Tree Tomato x 8
Sweet Potato variety x 20
Swiss chard x 20
Wilde AlsArtemesia African Wormwood x 1 Wilde Als x 7
Wheatgrass x 6
Wild tomatoes
Viola x 2
Yarrow x 9 Yarrow x 20 Bee balm
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