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Eating organic food has become all the rage nowadays. More and more people are keen on ensuring that their food has no chemicals and also tastes good. This is where sustainable gardening comes in. This is a method of gardening that is eco-friendly, uses no chemical enhancement and incorporates smart gardening practices like water conservation and soil preparation.
In an episode of KTN Home’s The Art of Living, Simon and Sarah Kabu of Bonfire Adventures opened up on their sustainable garden. Despite their major success and significant wealth from the travel and tourism sector, the couple is determined to avoid shopping for groceries.
“We are being trained on organic landscaping,” Sarah Kabu explained to Nailantei Kenga, “where you can have the flowers and still have some fruits or veges.”
At the moment, the Kabus grow a lot of the vegetables they eat. “We are almost becoming self-reliant,” Sarah explained of their gardening efforts.
They grow spinach, kunde, spring onions, lettuce, tree tomatoes, raspberries and strawberries in their kitchen garden.
One aspect of sustainable gardening is incorporating trees in your garden. The Kabus have done so with their various fruit trees such as oranges, tangerines, mulberry and mangoes.
“I plan to grow tomatoes,” Sarah said.
In a sizable coup, the couple has chicken from which they gather the eggs that they consume. “We have 10 [chicken] but the space can occupy 20,” Sarah revealed. “Early in the morning the first thing my kids do is come to collect eggs.”
They also have a bird feeder in their garden from which birds come to feed on millet, rice and crushed maize.
“The most important is my birds,” Simon said. “I put some food and water here for them to come and feed.
About 200 birds come to feed every morning.
Having a lush garden has helped bring a piece of the village from which they grew with them.
“When I’m here I reconnect with the wild and the village,” Simon said.
Other aspects of sustainable gardening include the use of compost manure instead of chemical fertilisers, use of seeds from mature plants for the next season of planting and mulching to help reduce soil dryness and prevent weeds.
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