Fin from Observatory

Tell us a little about yourself!

I grew up on a 100-hectare cattle farm in the Cotswolds, in the UK. At the time (knowing nothing different) it didn't seem all that remarkable to me, but nowadays when I get the chance to visit, the beauty of the place really stuns me. About a third of the farm is old-growth native forest, and the majority of the rest is pasture. 

I wasn't all that interested in farming, or growing, as a kid, but ate regularly out of my parents' veggie garden, and I have no doubt that growing up where I did was a huge influence on the passion I have found in my late 20s!

Since starting my own growing journey, I have also come to learn that the methods of land and ecosystem management on our farm in the UK are much closer to what we might describe as "regenerative" than most of Western agriculture. I'm sure that being surrounded with happy ecosystems (above and below the surface of the soil) also gave me a strong start down the right path.

I now live in Observatory, and make a living in software. In my free time I look after my own, relatively small, garden, and tend to a couple of other spaces nearby with a friend, Kobus. He has a few allotments at which I occasionally help out, and we share a small market garden which serves the Back Area Gardens Deli in the Oude Molen Eco Village in Pinelands. 

How did you start doing what you are doing now? 

In 2022 I bought a house in Observatory, and during the house-hunting process, one of my primary motivations was to have a reasonable garden space. Having just come out of a couple of years of various levels of lockdown living in an apartment, I knew that access to my own outdoor space was completely crucial for my mental health. At that point I had barely kept a houseplant alive, let alone grown a vegetable, but I felt a strong draw towards growing. 

After some renovation work, my 7m x 13m garden was entirely covered in heavy red clay, and as an ecosystem, it was in a sorry state. The red clay had baked in the hot summer sun, and getting a pickaxe through it was tough, much less a garden fork, trowel or root. I chatted to a landscape designer friend who had completed a Permaculture Design Course, and he pointed me in the direction of Charles Dowding, a no-dig market gardener and prolific online educator from the UK, from whom I learned a lot in my early growing days!

Quite quickly I was obsessed with absorbing every piece of information that I thought might be useful in the garden, and made my first compost pile in February 2023. Since then it has been a bit of a wild ride engaging with and learning from the invisible ecosystems beneath our feet. 

One aspect of my (short!) growing journey that feels important to highlight is the importance of a shared passion, and community. Kobus, with whom I share the market garden space, and at whose allotments I semi-regularly help out, has been a bottomless source of inspiration, and combining our enthusiasm for soil has definitely led to a quantity and quality of action that could have felt like a slog if done alone. I hope he'll feature in a future "stories" segment, as his approach to growing is far more proactive and productive than mine! 

What are you most proud of in this process? 

I think the pace at which I've managed to (with a lot of help!) enable my own garden to transform from a barren dustbowl into something of an oasis in only 18 months, and on a relatively small budget, has been a source of pride. I'm also just happy to have played a small part in the flourishing of soil ecosystems in a few different locations.

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

The first bit of advice was still probably the best I've received; to focus on the soil life above all, and the plants will grow themselves. As growers, I believe that we should see ourselves primarily as custodians of life in the soil. I know it's a cliché to say, but nature doesn't correct perceived plant nutrient deficiencies with additives, and nature doesn't control 'pests' with generalised physical or chemical barriers. If soil life is allowed to flourish, it's likely that plant life will follow suit!

What advice would you like to give to others who are younger/earlier on their journey? 

There probably aren't that many people earlier on their journey than me, but I would give the same advice I received, which is to focus above all else on soil health. I would learn about, and focus on, the principles of soil management:

1. Maximise soil cover

2. Maximise biodiversity

3. Minimise soil disturbance

4. Maximise living roots

I would also encourage people, growers or not, to try and consider the in-flows and out-flows that keep their life ticking. Organic 'waste' is the one that's spoken about the most as an outflow, and is really really important to consider (do try making compost if you have space!), but is just one of many. For example, how often do you think about where the contents of the toilet end up when you flush? Where did the oil in your packet of Lay's start its life? How many continents did the cotton in your t-shirt visit on its way to your closet?

Those questions are not at all intended to provoke guilt or hopelessness (although those feelings can happen!), but I feel like being aware of them has helped to adjust my behaviours and patterns of consumption in a way that is hopefully beneficial in some way.

I know I'm much more likely to go out into the garden and water things if the hose is already in the right place, and more likely to prune my tomatoes if I leave my pruning knife in the same place by the door, so I instinctively pick it up as I enter the garden. A tidy space is definitely not required to maintain good soil and grow good veg, but for me, small upfront investments of time to keep processes smooth has been a really fun recent addition to my growing journey!

A lot of stock is placed in the wisdom of experienced growers, and I've certainly learned a lot from people with years under their belt. That said, in growing maybe more than in any other area, "received wisdom" seems to dominate ahead of experimentation and reflection. Blogs and local Whatsapp group members will confidently tell you that no, you can't plant brassicas next to tomatoes, having been told the same by their parents, and never having broken the rule to check. I have learned to take this kind of factoid-level advice with a generous helping of salt, and to experiment and trial consistently. My tomatoes are looking great, happily nestled next to cabbage and rocket. 

(On a technical level, I suspect that a lot of "time-tested" growing advice might be relevant specifically to unhealthy, chemically supplemented soils, and that your mileage may well vary if your soil is well looked after!) 

Where do you see growing going in South Africa? 

Being so early on my own journey, I have absolutely no idea!  I've found myself inspired by the incredible resourcefulness and adaptability of the South African growers that I have met, so I have high hopes for the proliferation of the soil-care movement here.