Kennedy Thal sings greens
Quizzed on what factors motivated his choice of products to grow in the garden, he explains that he basically grows everything. “Especially now that it is spring, I am focused on doing smaller sections of different varieties within each garden bed with companion plants in- between because I really want the garden to be an explosion of colour and variety. So instead of having one garden bed full of Kale, I will do 5 sections of different varieties of Kale ( Southern Blue, Tosca, Liquorice etc) and then plant radishes and spring onion in between and around the rows of Kale and also plant Eskimo and Lemon Drop marigolds at the top and bottom of each garden bed. I really can’t wait to see how it all turns out,” he shares excitedly. Interestingly, his gardening adventure only started in October last year. Prior to the world being turned upside down by the Covid- 19 pandemic, he used to come home during his break from working in the seas for 2- 3 months every 8 months. He used that time to build his house. He would do as much as he could, and then return to work and repeat the process. His building journey took four years, and through out that period, he could not wait to complete developing his house so that he could finally breathe life into his garden. In October last year, he woke up one day and decided that the time was right to work on that dream, and he has not looked back since then.
His biggest inspiration for bringing to life this garden is his life goal of living a self- sustainable living, and he has nailed that goal of his. In future, he wants to retire to a farm and set- up a self- sustainable living space there.
“However, life is too short to wait for one day hence I decided that since I was fortunate enough to have the space in my yard, I would start doing that at home, on a smaller scale, until then,” he explains.
Thal is very hands on, and is always looking for an opportunity to get his hands dirty, and do whatever work needs to be done on the garden. This he says is really who he is. His father, he explains is a hard worker, and a very hands- on person and his mother was a very energetic woman, just like his dearly beloved grandmother. Growing up, he explains, his father was always fixing something or making something. “So that is definitely something I get from him that I am very grateful for. As a child, my grandmother grew her own food, ‘ ko masimo’ as a lot of people did back then, and that’s always something I feel I am reconnecting to with my garden. As far as being creative, I’ve always been a creative for as long as I can remember so it comes naturally knowing what to do with these spaces and how to transform them,” says Thal.
The garden, he says is 100percent organic. He only uses organic, home- made pesticides/ fungicides and natural pest control methods like companion planting, crop rotation and pest- deterring flowers such as Marigolds. There are no chemicals sprayed in my garden, he emphasises.
Looking back on his journey, he notes that his garden is a constant series of milestones. Every time that he gets to harvest something for the first time it feels like a milestone.
“I think the most notable are the berries ( strawberries, blueberries and raspberries) because they can be quite tricky to grow here and not so easy to maintain,” he says sharing some of his highlights.
He is always ready to call a friend, a relative, a neighbour to come through and harvest. This past weekend, one of those who came through was one of her late mother’s friends who happens to love plants just as he does. And she walked away with Paw Paw, naartjies, pink rosemary, coriander, red lettuce, commander lettuce, Cuban oregano, Bok Choi, spring onion, carrots, mustard spinach and Swiss chard. On Sunday he did the same for a very close friend this time adding leeks, Texan Grano onion and red onion. “It is a really great feeling being able to do that. It’s so nice being able to give a friend produce that I put my love and energy into,” says Thal. His word of advice to those who might be thinking about starting their own garden is that they can easily grow vegetables anywhere and in any space. He also notes that they do not need to have a big yard and that there are so many urban gardening options that they can choose from. “You can grow vertically in pots and wall mounted shelves, you can grow on your balcony if you live in a flat, you can grow herbs on your kitchen window sill, whatever space you have, you can make it work for you,” he says. He also adds that Gardening is so incredibly fulfilling, and that if one has the itch, they should definitely go for it. “And if you have the space, don’t be afraid to take a leap of faith and start a decent sized garden. Every day I walk into my garden to harvest something to cook, and every single day, it is a proud and absolutely fulfilling moment. It truly makes me so incredibly happy,” he concludes.