Through the seed and the soil, I see the power of God. When you put a seed in the ground and it first puts up a shoot that is like God showing himself. And then, as that plant grows into a vegetable or a fruit, you can eat it or sell it which I see as a manifestation of God’s love. He supports you through that plant. The nature of that support is potentially endless. Inside each pumpkin are the seeds to make at least 10 more pumpkins. And that cycle can go on forever. All the doctors at the clinic say that eating fresh vegetables is important for health, so that is another way that the support from a garden shows itself.

Skill and hard work are also part of what you need. I met Jabu Hlongwane from SocioTech at the end of 2019. Right from the start the people doing the training were so kind and supportive. Through Jabu I learnt about trenches filled with bones and tins and this has made my crop yields improve. Before, I just dug and poured water and hoped. I didn’t realize I was throwing money away.

At first, I was working in a cooperative group but that didn’t suit me. I am not judging anyone else and how they like to work. All I am saying is that for me there is a wonderful freedom that comes from being able to rely on my own efforts. I prefer knowing what has been done and not done, because I did it or didn’t do it. I can focus on what I am doing and not doubt myself or my garden output. I find it much less stressful because there are no personal politics to deal with. You just work at your own pace.