Audry and Masana from Mpumalanga

Where did you grow up, where do you live now, and anything else you’d like to share.

Masana grew up in Giyani, Limpopo and Audry in Johannesburg, Gauteng. And now we are living in Mbombela, Mpumalanga.

How did you start growing?

We started soon after the COVID-19 pandemic when we realized that certain foods were no longer available on the shelves and several stores limited the number of things we could buy. We realized how vulnerable we were. We went to the hardware store and bought a few planters, compost and seeds. We grew our first cucumbers, beans, lettuce, peppers and tomatoes on our balcony (which barely had any sun).

What are you most proud of about your growing?

We are most proud about starting. That is possibly the biggest hurdle. We had a misconception that we needed a lot of space, knowledge and resources to get started. However, after COVID when we planted on our balcony we realized that it was not as complicated as we thought. Growing is a journey, it’s about; first and foremost, starting, experimenting and learning from your mistakes.

What is the most helpful piece of advice you received when you were starting out?

You don’t have to go fully sustainable; you just have to start doing something that moves you towards that goal.

What advice would you give younger or earlier on their journey?

The advice we would give is don’t take on too much too soon. We did this and quickly burnt out and to some extent started having regrets about being on this journey. But after realizing this, we slowed down, we reflected on what we really wanted to achieve, and we gained our energy back. Part of this journey is to enjoy it. If you see it as some competition of sort, you will miss out on a lot.

Is there anything else you would like to share?

From Audry: Don’t over think this stuff (the growing or the homesteading). Don’t be stuck in analysis paralysis. It easier than you think. Use what you have and experiment.

From Masana: Grow things that excite you and that will grow well in your climate. When we started, we faced a lot of challenges; pests, weather, limited knowledge and experience since it was our first time growing. Having crops that I was excited to see the following day or crops that were thriving boosted my morale and made me believe that this was possible.

Where do we see South Africa growing: We are excited to see more millennials taking steps towards sustainability and self-sufficiency. We are also excited to see the decentralization of food especially fruit and vegetables. With more community gardens and small-scale farmers emerging we think that access to fresh, healthy and affordable food is on the horizon.

If you have a favourite quote that help you please share.

Audry: I do not have a favourite quote but here is something to remember. “Vegetables need 3 things: 1. water, 2. soil (or a growing medium) and 3. Sunlight. So, get growing already.”

Masana: It’s a lot of hard but rewarding work. So keep it simple.