News Blog

S.S.P. is well underway on phase I of a permaculture partnership with the students of the secondary school in the Maru a Pula community, providing fresh local produce through sustainable means.  BWB’s Stimulus Grant will be used to create a permaculture garden at the secondary school.

July 14th

Over the past weeks we have been greening up the garden.  After lots of hard work clearing and preparing beds by digging and fertilizing with kraal manure (kraal= animal pen), we got down to the fun side of the project with designing and planting the beds. I taught the students about the principles and effects of companion planting.  In groups, they designed their own beds according to the veggies and herbs that are available and in season, and which ones are compatible with each other. The synergy of the compatible plants will make them stronger and more resistant to pests. Green Gem, a local nursery, donated nearly every seedling in the entire garden, for which we are so appreciative!  The students were most excited about bok choy, but the seedlings were not ready so it will have to wait until next term. Time passed quickly and work became more enjoyable when it came to planting seedlings and tending to them as they grow.

In the side plot, we have two long beds planted in rows with spinach and cauliflower. We are comparing the two to see whether the plants prefer a mix of cow and sheep manure or simply sheep manure. In the mandala system we planted 6 circular beds with: cauliflower, lettuce, spinach, onions, cabbage, parsley, rosemary, mint, pineapple mint,oregano, sage and marigolds.  In the center we built an herb spiral using reclaimed bricks, and planted: parsley, marjoram, tarragon, and rocket.  The outer border of the mandala garden is planted to repel pests, using: lemongrass, lavender, dill, and artemesia.  Artemesia is used to create an anti-malarial in Chinese medicine.  People also extract its oil to add to cigars.  It is a powerful insect repellent and we hope it will keep the termites away.

June 12th

An unexpected turn in weather brought nearly 72 consecutive hours of rain to our garden!  This is very rare, considering we are in the dry season of a desert climate.  It was excellent timing, so it really is a blessing.  This week we constructed an herb spiral from old bricks in the center of the mandala, planted the mandala border with lemongrass and lavender, and did more preparations for the side plot.  We added more compost from the bush floor and sheep manure into the soil for fertilizer.  I think the students are surprised by the amount of work going into preparation.  They are antsy to see something growing.  The gardens may look much different next week, with a touch more of green.

Last week four students and I drove an hour outside of town to Lobatse where Ben and Mariann have a commercial vermicompost (worm compost) operation and organic gardens for their own home.  They don’t usually have visitors, so we were lucky to get a peak at what they have going on.  Mariann took us on a tour of the farm, explaining the best ways to make vermicompost and regular compost piles.  The students got a good look at what we are aspiring to in the way of compost.  In the combi ride back, I asked what they thought.  They beamed, said it was “awesome,” and “it’s so cool they can do all that without chemicals.”

June 4th
We’ve broken ground at the permaculture site here in Gaborone, Botswana.  I have 40 enthusiastic students who have chosen to participate in this project as part of their service requirement for school.  We are establishing permaculture gardens in the bush on campus, regenerating overgrown remains of gardens past as the “side plot” and creating a new area for the “mandala system.”  The main goal is to grow organic veggies and herbs for the school kitchen.  Our team of eco warriors have been getting their hands dirty preparing the area for planting.  The first two weeks have been spent clearing the land, conditioning the soil, and preparing beds in the madala system.  With the mandala system we are creating a circle of circular beds, 7 total, in which we will plant veggies, herbs, and flowers.  It seems like the area previously was used as a trash dump.  We’ve been finding all sorts of underground pirate’s booty, from old shoes, rusted cans, a wire and concrete fence, and animal bones.  It’s winter here yet hotter than any summer I’ve ever spent in the NW and bone dry.  We will be watering and fertilizing the soil with compost from the school grounds and sheep’s manure from a nearby farm.  Next step will be planting the border of the mandala system and defining the pathways.  Then onto planting seed and seedlings.

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