A new Stellenbosch University (SU) gardening society provides free access to plots of land in which members can plant and grow their own produce, provided these members supply their own seeds.
The society, Maties Gardening Club, was established in April, according to Alexa Koen, a second year BCom (Law) student at SU and the head of social media communications for the society.
“The club aims to form a community of planters, and hopefully create a sustaining society,” said Koen.
Members are provided with access to an area of land where they can plant whatever produce they choose, according to Koen. The club will have its first official planting day on 20 April from 16:00 to 18:00, she added.
The outside of Welgevallen Farm, where the Maties Gardening Club has a number of plots in which to plant produce. PHOTO: Erin Walls
“At the end of the season, the society will have a harvesting festival, where members can decide to keep the produce for themselves, or donate it to charity,” said Koen.
The club makes use of a number of plots on Welgevallen Farm, which is one of two experimental farms located in Coetzenburg and owned by SU, according to Koen.
“We currently have 112 members, but we always welcome more,” said Koen. “With those 112 members, we have had to share 16 plots, so a team approach will be implemented, whereby they may have access to their plot any day of the week,” continued Koen.
The gardening society can be a source of food for students, said Koen. “It can be a meditative experience and can teach others to be more conscious,” she added.
Alexa Koen, head of social media communications for Maties Gardening Club, speaks about the new gardening society.
There are other community gardens that also belong to SU, such as the Tygerberg garden, according to Carla de Beer, a MSc student in genetics and coordinator of the gardening society. The Tygerberg garden served as an inspiration for the Maties Gardening Club project, she added.
“Without the work done by the Tygerberg garden facilities management, passionate students and the support from the department of agricultural sciences, we [the club] would not have been able to start any of this,” said De Beer.
The club strives to provide a space in which members can relax and connect with the environment, said Skye Spetzer, a BA (language and culture) student and the head of gardening for Maties Gardening Club.
“The society is very new. I think our plans and expectations for it will develop and grow as we go,” said Spetzer. “We just want not only the plants, but the people themselves to be happy, healthy and to grow together,” she added.
(From left to right) Members of the Maties Gardening Club, Hlanganiso Mbobane and Alexa Koen, practicing their gardening skills. PHOTO: Alta Koen.