News From The Coop Welcome back to another Friday edition of News From The Coop, where the chickens continue reminding us that no matter how much planning you do, they are always in charge. The biggest news from the orchard this week is that our two new girls, Cher...
The Secret Beneath the Surface: Getting Your Soil Right for Root Vegetables
If there’s one thing I’ve learnt over the years in our garden, it’s this: you don’t grow root vegetables above ground — you grow them below it.
Carrots, beetroot, radishes, turnips… all of them rely on what’s happening under the surface. And if your soil isn’t right, no amount of watering, feeding, or hoping will fix it.
So let’s get this right from the start — because once your soil is sorted, root veggies become some of the easiest and most rewarding crops to grow.
My Mid-January Garden Feeding Routine (To Carry Us to the End of the Season + Prep for Winter) Mid-January is usually when I do a slow walk through the garden and I can feel what’s happening. Everything is still producing, still growing, still trying… but the soil...
Not All Earthworms Are Created Equal What I’ve learned about composting worms vs garden worms — and why it matters As someone who loves growing food, talking about compost, and getting my hands into healthy soil, I’ve always believed in the magic of earthworms. I...
Worms and Raised Beds: Should You Add Them Manually or Let Nature Decide? When we built our first raised bed, I was so excited to get things going that I considered ordering a batch of composting worms online. It seemed like the ultimate shortcut to soil health,...
Vermicompost: The Secret Ingredient My Garden Can’t Live Without If you’ve been following VanZylStead for a while, you’ve probably heard me wax lyrical about worm farms. But today, I want to go a bit deeper — right into the heart of what makes these wiggly little...
Why Every Gardener Needs a Worm Farm: A Simple Solution for a Healthier Garden If there’s one thing I’ve learned from working in the garden, it’s that nature has all the answers—especially when it comes to waste management and soil health. One of the best ways to work...
Healthy soil is the foundation of a successful garden. You can have the best seeds, the perfect amount of sunlight, and all the love in the world for your plants, but if your soil is lacking, your garden just won’t thrive. That’s why I’m so excited to share my latest...
The wonder of Earthworms! You have seen them when you dig in the soil, and my dad used those little wriggles as bait on fishing weekends. When you see an earthworm, you know you are on the right track with your soil. Why are earthworms so good and why do we need...
We see it in the local nurseries. Piles of bags of topsoil, compost, and potting soil. All three play a very important part in the garden, but because of their different compositions, we use them for different purposes in the garden. Topsoil True topsoil is the...
Earth Again is a company founded by two friends, Sam Christianson and Tom Pretorius. Our friendship began a few years ago while working at the Oranjezicht Farmers Market. We bonded over a shared love for surfing and a commitment to sustainable practices. Sam was...
Why must I deal with my kitchen scraps? Why not just throw it in the bin? A shocking quantity of food is wasted in South Africa each year, up to a third of all food produced. This translates into around 10 million tonnes that mostly end up in our refuse...
