Garden by the moon and reap the benefits
Planting by the phases of the moon is based on the centuries-old theory that lunar cycles influence plant growth. Just as the moon’s gravitational pull causes tides to rise and fall, it also affects moisture in the soil and in plants – which are 97% water. It is said that seeds will absorb more water during the full moon and the new moon, when increased moisture is drawn to the soil surface. This causes seeds to swell, resulting in greater germination and betterestablished plants.
Moon-phase gardening takes into account two periods of the lunar cycle: the time between the new moon and the full moon (waxing), and the time between the full moon and the new moon (waning). It is considered best to plant certain plant varieties during the waning of the moon and others during the waxing.
The moon also impacts plant growth through geotropism – which is how plants grow in response to gravity. Roots grow downwards in the direction of gravitational pull and stems grow in the opposite direction, in other words, upwards. Lay a potted plant on its side or plant a tulip bulb with its pointed end downwards, and the stem will still grow upwards. the vegetables and herbs that Pieter and their two children, Isabella and Tristan, enjoy most: tomatoes, spinach, potatoes, peas, corn and the squash family. There’s also an array of fruit and herbs grown specifically for their medicinal value, such as comfrey, yarrow, and ashwagandha, a herb used in Ayurvedic medicine to relieve anxiety, stress and pain, and to treat a number of diseases.
Besides the honey they sell, Gaye has for many years given away or sold fresh vegetables and eggs to their staff, family and friends. Whatever they can’t use immediately gets frozen, bottled or dried.
As if producing their own food is not enough of an accomplishment, the Boshoffs also manage their own water supply on the smallholding. Having no groundwater, they rely entirely on rainwater stored in tanks and dams. Thanks to July’s good rains, they currently have ample water.
The longer you spend time with them, the more you learn about all the projects they have on the go:
) is an organic probiotic bio-stimulant that they produce from molasses. It’s used to improve the natural fertilising processes and mycorrhizal activity in the soil. >
• Traditional medicine They make a wide variety of medicinal tinctures, oils and balms, and Gaye is testing recipes in which she incorporates propolis from their hives.
Like many other South Africans, they made beer and mead during last year’s lockdown and alcohol ban.
Almost everything is recycled or composted, down to building rubble that is used to build roads. They try to avoid single-use plastic – which is a challenge because of the unavoidable packaging of many food products. This material is compacted tightly into plastic cooldrink bottles for making ecobricks; the garage houses a mountain of them, awaiting the right project.
Occasional exchange events are organised by the many organic gardeners on the Garden Route.
PERHAPS IT IS Gaye’s maiden name – Lightfoot – that determined her destiny to tread lightly on the earth. As a child growing up in Johannesburg, she fell in love with the Garden Route after twice hiking the Otter Trail with her family. She studied graphic design at Witwatersrand Technicon, but after witnessing a violent attack in the city centre, she headed for Sedgefield at the age of 22. Both her parents were avid gardeners, but it was here on the Garden Route that she was introduced to permaculture and bee farming.
The “Boshoff” part of the story began in 2001, when one Pieter Boshoff, who wanted to place an advertisement, entered the Knysna offices of a newspaper where Gaye worked as a graphic designer.
“Three months after we first met, he invited me to take a look at a property overgrown with eucalyptus trees – with no servitude road or any bird life. It was on the market for next to nothing. And that’s where we’re sitting right now... Any tree you see that’s not wattle, pine or gum, we planted ourselves.”
The couple named their smallholding “Honeymoon Farm” – and yes, of course the choice of name is ironic, Gaye says. Over the years, they have spent “honeymoons and weekends and holidays” working on the property.
It does help that Pieter is a “tree surgeon” with his own arboriculture business, Tree Pro, which specialises in the removal of invasive trees. The business includes a sawmill, equipment hire and the manufacturing of steel products. Pieter also builds roads and clears dams and ditches, and he sells firewood, a by-product of the trees he removes. The lower part of a trunk usually goes to the sawmill and, if it’s good-quality timber, is cut into planks. The upper part becomes firewood, and the branches become wood chips.
Although Pieter is hands-on in terms of maintenance on the smallholding, >