Your plants will teach you about the soil

You plant your vegetables in amazing soil. The thing is, soil is dynamic and alive. So sometimes soil looks ok but your vegetables tell another story. Take time to listen to whatever story they’re telling you.

This morning I photographed three brinjals, planted at roughly the same time:

Then, when you see a challenge, the best approach is to check moisture and then add a thin layer (1cm) of good compost. Doing this a few times over the course of a season can be the difference between a good harvest and none.

In this case, I check the irrigation, add some worm castings, and then add a few more seedlings in the area so that the roots are able to network more easily.

Everything is an opportunity to be curious, learn, and grow. It never stops.

Small, incremental improvements make a big difference to our overall trajectory.If we are connected to our food, then each meal is a sacred gift. So even if a small action gets you one more brinjal or teaches you one thing to help you grow better, that meal becomes part of your story.

Have a great week of growing!!

Workshops

Black soldier fly larvae workshop 19 October, 10-11:30, R350 I’ve spent several years learning about BSF and slowly considering how to set up a viable, integrated system that works for our lives and our farm. You can too! In this workshop, we’ll be talking through the benefits of black soldier fly larvae, how we use them on our homestead, and practical considerations for setting up a system to suit your needs. Even if you’re not yet ready to set up a BSF system, it is a unique opportunity to learn about the amazing potential of BSF.

Summer Growing Part 2 Sunday 3 November, 10-11:30 R250 While the first summer veg workshop was to get you prepped, the second part will look at how things are growing, check what we can improve, and make plans for the rest of the season. It’ll be a great time to see how I think about the summer growing season, and how our homestead adapts depending on the weather.