About Us
We are everyday folk that are enthuisiastic about being self sufficient. We are also very passionate about training and being hands-on with everything we do.
A bit about my roots
We are a small family business with our minds set on helping as many people as possible to create their own growing environment that will not only give them the ability to grow their own very delicious food but also give them the satisfaction of being self sustaining and having the joy of seeing the results of their loving care and hard work delivering results.
For as long as I can remember I have been interested in alternative growing methods. Not just alternative but progressive forward thinking methods. I remember as a young boy, I asked my father to allow me to use a piece of the garden to plant my own vegetables in my own way. I was responsible for keeping our garden clean and trimmed in anyway so it was no problem for me to have my own acre of garden. I planted everything from cucumber, tomatoes, spinach, lettuce and whatever seed I could lay my hands on.
I remember getting up early in the morning, when everyone was still sleeping, and nick the salt cellar from the kitchen and head straight out to my garden. The most rewarding thing for me was to be able to pick a fresh cucumber with the dew still wet on all the plants. I would slice the top off and swirl the end over the cut until a white foamy substance formed. I was told that would draw out the bitter taste from the cucumber. I would douse it in salt and take huge bites while the cucumber was still cold. It was my very own special treat that only I created and enjoyed.
Then one year I put all my pocket money, I got 5cents a week, into buying tomato seeds as we had a market place not far from where we lived and it would give me the perfect opportunity to sell my crops. I toiled in the garden at every possible opportunity I could get. It was back breaking work to till such a large piece of land by hand but I did it. Even till late at night on a weekend. Week days we had to be in bed early for school. I planted hundreds of seeds and eagerly watched as they started growing. Then at last the fruits started appearing and my joy was unbounded. As the weeks drew past, I wondered why my tomatoes did not grow any further. I had thousands of small tomatoes that was no bigger than a grape when they started to ripen. After a while I started getting worried and asked my Dad to come have a look. My Dad would normally never interfere with my plans and projects unless I abused his tools or his workshop. Then I would get attention that I would rather have avoided. He came around to have a look at my dilemma and after a short tour of the tomato patch, he sighed and said, "son we will have to ask Mother if she would be willing to help with solving the problem". I was confused and he could see it very clearly reflected on my face. "These are all jam tomatoes my boy and nobody will buy them unless they are jam". My disappointment was huge when I discovered that the nasty old man in the shop could not sell his jam tomato seeds to anyone so when he saw my inexperience, he took the opportunity to get rid of the old seeds. I vowed to never plant a tomato again and to never trust anyone when it comes to seeds.
Thank goodness I have changed my attitude towards seed sellers and teachers since then. This experience and others lead me to this place in my life where I find pleasure out of my passion for growing and my even greater passion for teaching and empowering people.