Earthworm and Food Garden Project at Free State Care in Action

On Wednesday 21 April 2010
I accompanied them to the
premises to help them set up
a worm farm in tyres. On our
arrival I saw two containers
that were thrown away.
I immediately decided to use
these containers for a
lasagna vegetable garden.

We quickly gathered some news paper, cardboard, dry mealie stalks, leaves, etc. for the
lasagna garden and within an
hour we have managed to sow
the first Swiss Chard seeds.

Helping community projects in this way gives me so much pleasure. The five students had a tremendous job to set up a vegetable garden at a site with very poor clay soil. With the help of soil scientist, Prof. Leon van Rensburg (Marli's father), at the Department of Soil, Crop and Climate Sciences at the University of the Free State, they have already prepared the soil for better drainage.

All that is needed at this stage to finish their project, is to bring in some good quality top soil. The students have managed to secure funding for rainwater tanks which will be set up in due course.

Hopefully by the next planting season we will see some very luscious vegetables growing in the garden, helping to feed the children at the creche.

Dora du Plessis

Mr Solomon will be taking care of the worm farm. We gave him a black and white copy of our book Good bugs, Little workers and demonstrated the set-up of the worm farm. He lives at the premises and will be looking after the garden. He receives no salary, only a plate of food each day. He is very keen on having his own ''farm" to take care of.

Five medical students in their third year (Lizeri Combrinck, Caileigh Deere,
Leoni de Man, Gert Steyn and Marli van Rensburg) were involved in a food
garden project at Free State Care in Action in Bloemfontein.