At Platteland we are active proponents of composting, and over the years we have featured stories on everything from worm composting to bokashi. If you’re concerned about sustainability, making your own compost is the responsible thing to do. It doesn’t require magic or genius; you simply have to imitate the natural process by which Mother Nature turns decaying plant material and other organic waste into humus over time.
In our yard we have an ambitious number of “composting projects” on the go: a large, neglected compost pile with many thick branches in the olive grove; two composting bins by the vegetable beds; a plastic composting tower near the kitchen door; two worm farms in the garage; a bokashi bin in the pantry; and a stainless steel bucket in the kitchen into which peels, coffee grounds and teabags go (and which, despite our best efforts, always has a halo of midges).
For the vast majority of people who have a garden and/or potted plants, compost is something they buy at a nursery, a garden centre or a co-op. And the most common reasons they cite for not making their own compost is a lack of time, space, enthusiasm or muscle power required to build and manage a proper hot compost pile – not to mention having to wait for the compost to be ready.
This story is from the Winter 2023 edition of go! Platteland.
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This story is from the Winter 2023 edition of go! Platteland.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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The art of small talk
In the city, a glib smile suffices when it comes to interaction with any stranger that crosses her path. Yet a visit to Struisbaai taught Elizabeth Wasserman that small talk is no small matter
From food scraps to compost in a jiffy: We test the iCompost
If turning kitchen waste into compost could be done at the touch of a button, more people would take it up, and much less waste would end up in landfills. That’s what Himkaar Singh, the man behind the innovative iCompost, believes. Platteland was keen to put this innovative appliance to the test
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A tree is an investment in any garden, even though patience is required to pluck the (figurative) fruit. When you plant several trees together to create your own forest, the reward is much greater. They offer shade, they support life… and they improve your soil. We spent time reflecting in our white karee“forest”– and learnt a lot
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Agriculture courses through the veins of the Els family, who have been farming in the Ohrigstad valley in Limpopo since the 1930s. And they are getting younger and younger: Grandfather Jan Els was 36 when he set out, father Dewald 27… and littleWaldo got behind the wheel of massive machines at the age of 6!
The head hen who lays the golden eggs
The Country Chic is a delightful specialty store in the Swartland where small farmer and entrepreneur Suzanne Smit sells the organic free-range chicken eggs and poultry meat she produces – straight from her farm to the shelves of her own store
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On a trip in the southern Drakensberg, a torrential downpour and a field of prickly thistles got acclaimed photographer Obie Oberholzer thinking about the power of perspective
Ballad of the butter farmer
High up in the Italian Alps, Maria van Zyl learnt to make the tastiest butter in South Africa. Then she started a clever “subscription farming business” delivering dairy products to households in the Cape on a weekly basis, which is how she could afford to buy the first five cows for her micro-dairy. Meet the (bio)dynamic small-scale farmer with big plans
Spring on a stick
Expand your braai repertoire by serving a side dish of flavourful spring-vegetable kebabs cooked to perfection over the coals.
A puzzle of nostalgia
Ride a fat bike through the town where you grew up - an abiding landmark in your life - and behold the picture that reveals itself.
Let's braai!
Celebrate Heritage Day on 24 September with this braai menu, which Platteland put together from Martelize Brink's recently published second cookbook, Oor die Kole.