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Saturday 09:00 - 16:00 Sunday 09:00 - 16:00

Heart & Soil Nursery

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Heart & Soil Nursery

At Heart & Soil homestead we are interested in helping people grow. We sell plants and run workshops! Nursery, Urban Farm, Permaculture homestead
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22/11/2024

Our small nursery is open 9am-1pm on Saturdays and Sundays, and this weekend we continue our green November sale, with many of our plants (including the ones pictured) 50% off.

We also have seedlings for just R3 each.

21/11/2024

Onion time... I planted onions too early this year, thinking I was being clever and would get bigger onions by planting on the early side (early May). Instead I got more onions that bolted before they got big, since they wait until the days start getting longer to bulb out. Which I knew, but...

The bolted ones are still good, but I can't braid them so I'm sticking them in wire mesh. This process of sorting and braiding happens over a few days, and then we have enough onions until next May or June. We cover our onion needs with spring onions and shallots from June-Oct. Then start harvesting to eat about a month before the main harvest in mid Nov.

In Cape Town, it's best to plant Texas Grano or similar, planting seedlings out in mid-late May, harvesting mid Nov (But you can start harvesting much earlier for your daily use).

Even though they take space in our beds, I appreciate how much easier the process gets each year, like muscle memory. I don't have to psych myself up too much to make sure this one staple is covered.

20/11/2024

This week I'm so excited to share Fiona from Rosetta's story. She did much of her building herself and the beauty and love within her space is palpable.

Here's a sneak peek:

Do not ask yourself what the world needs, but ask yourself what makes you come alive and go and do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive- Howard Thurman

"Every attempt, or iteration, even if flawed, is a step forward. Never a failure. My strength as a person is if I want to do something I just do it, obviously the weakness in that is I don't always plan very well."

If you enjoy our newsletters, consider sharing with a friend or family member. We want to bring people closer together, and dream together with you. You can signup via our website, and I'll link in the comments as well, because you can also check out past and current newsletters WITHOUT needing to sign up.

18/11/2024

Bathroom sweet potato runner growing station. I reckon everyone needs a sweet potato to look at in the bathroom.

17/11/2024

It is love alone that gives worth to all things (St Theresa of Avila)

13/11/2024

This week I'm excited to be sharing Julian May's story in our newsletter. Prof Julian is a researcher and a farmer, who has worked with Danny to manage and care for a small farm in McGregor for over 25 years.

I first met Julian about 10 years ago, right when I finished my doctorate and was moving to our 1-acre homestead. His first kindness was to give me my first Jerusalem artichokes, all those years ago. The Jerusalem artichokes you buy at our nursery are all descendants of those.

Up to now all our stories have focused on small-scale homesteaders and farmers. I'm keen to invite more food system researchers and storytellers, because as we tell our stories we start to see connections and commonality.

If you'd like to follow along, let me know. We'd love to have you. I'll also link to the signup page in the comments.

12/11/2024

Please help spread the word:

As alternative to black Friday, here's to Green November!

A 50% off sale of a large selection of our plants, including hanging baskets, hibiscus, a large selection of bromeliads, white pear (indigenous tree), beautiful ficus nitidas, indigenous grasses, our own home grown cycads, and much more. This weekend until end Nov.

Plants are the best gifts!

We are having this sale to make space for expanding our range of medicinal and edible plants (picture 1).

Saturdays and Sundays, 9am-1pm. Heart & Soil Nursery, 46 Lochiel rd, Sunnydale 7975. Thank you!

We'd love to see you.

11/11/2024

From this week's growing newsletter:
Our 1 acre was a very harsh environment when we started out. Sand, heat, heavy winds with no windbreaks. I would still plant things that are perceived to be hardy. I said “toughen up, you can do this.” I viewed their needs a bit like my own at the time: As unnecessary “neediness.” They mostly responded by dying. Because it turns out needs are needs.

Many places use physical human-made structures to create a soft environment: shade net or plastic.

However, I love the idea of creating soft environments slowly, using truly hardy trees and plants that occur naturally in our climate, and using collective strength of groups of plants. Human-made structures create a stark difference between environments, and try to exclude natural elements like birds and insects. In contrast, adding more plants to alter an environment integrates birds and insects and everything else.

Creating a soft environment naturally is slow, but makes for a more resilient space. Over time, you’ll learn which plants can be hardened off, which plants can handle poor-quality well-point water.

If you're keen to be part of our email newsletter, let me know by PM and I can add you. We send out Growing ideas and tips every Monday.

10/11/2024

Our years workshops are finished! And I'm scheduling next year's workshops. We'll put a few workshops online, and run a few online q&a sessions as well.

Some people said they just came for Noah's amazing cookies... But I think it's about connection and learning as well.

If you have ideas for workshops next year, let me know. I'd love to hear from you.

08/11/2024

We’re building our collective, city-wide knowledge of medicinal plants, and one of the ways to do this is to sell bundles of plants that include a few plants that you know but perhaps don’t use, and perhaps a few that are new to you. Our medicinal bundles are R550 for 10 plants.

It’s a great gift for friends and family, and it’s very easy to start a medicinal area in just 1m2, or even less space.

We have also bought a few extra copies of People’s Plants and Medicinal Plants of South Africa so that you can also buy a book + plant bundle for R990.

06/11/2024

I'm so excited to be featuring Iming of Meuse Farm in tomorrow's newsletter. Iming farms 3 acres using organic and agro-ecological principles.

Meuse farm evolved with a clear niche. They approached the work of small-scale commercial veg farming with specific parameters. This has truly inspired me and others, as they've managed to do something very unique, and their example paves the way for others. I started growing heirloom veg from seed at scale because of Iming!

Huge thanks to for sharing your story. I'll put a link in the comments if you'd like to read or join the newsletter.

05/11/2024

An excerpt from this week's Monday newsletter:

The opposite of corporate big agriculture, of power being concentrated in too few hands, is not organic agriculture or regenerative agriculture.

It is not permaculture or pesticide-free or any of those labels, though it may well fulfil all those criteria.

The opposite is a stumbling, clumsy… connectedness. Connectedness is the brave approach to growing and eating, where there is no enemy, not even factory farms.

Connectedness is slow, gentle, light, it moves us forward even if it leads through some deeply uncomfortable territory.

I mean that the direction of our energy matters. When we cultivate righteous fury against certain kinds of agriculture, we inevitably wage war against parts of ourselves. Because who of us has not bought something made by Unilever, or Nestle, or other arms of Big Food?

If we can be gentle with ourselves while knowing we are part of these systems, we can explore those parts of our lives and our society that prefer things to be easy, cheap, quick, anonymous. Then we can find our way out.

The deep work we are doing in our growing is not just about learning to grow a tomato, though that is an important and worthy skill. It is to know what it means to grow and pick a tomato, so that we can see differently.

04/11/2024

Chickpea time... I think shelling them is fun but I'm not 100% sure if our kids agree.

03/11/2024

It is a serious thing just to be alive on this fresh morning in the broken world. - Mary Oliver

This weekend's cheese is particularly good, all praise to the goats and the weather, and a slighter shorter hanging time for softer cheese.

Today, we have a workshop from 10-11:30. If you'd like to come for cheese or bread, consider coming before 10 or between 12-1. Horticulturalist Chris will be up front when I'm not.

There's still time to order "People's plants" (approx R510), and I'll also be ordering "Medicinal plants of South Africa" (approx 485) by the same authors. If you'd like to order either or both, let me know by today. I'm hoping for a small discount on the prices listed, but I'll only know after sending through our initial order. Sorry, this is for locals only, as you'd need to pick up from us.

There will likely also be Clarence's day old breads available. We still have Jerusalem artichokes (R50), stoechas lavender plugs (R14), white lavender (R50), white wild dagga (R50), strawberries (R40).

New trays of Beetroot, swisschard, chilli peppers, brinjals, black beans, spring onion seedling plugs (R3 each).

01/11/2024

1) Quince tree in flower. Quinces are really hardy and do well here.
2) Crab apple. ditto
3) Medicinal bundle. We're going to be working hard on a regular medicinal and herb plant bundle, for you to get for a friend or as a housewarming gift. Nothing says I love you than 10 medicinal plants and herbs.
4) Sample of the hand-written tag that comes with each plant. Because it's understandable if someone doesn't know how to use the plants at first.
Plan ahead and let us know a few days ahead of time, and we'll have it all ready for you to take your gift. You could even offer to plant them for friends, so that it's zero work for them, and lots of reward.

31/10/2024

Chia seed Jam: I used to make big batches of jam, but at the moment I'm really enjoying just taking whatever strawberries from the day and turning it into a tiny batch. The jam is the perfect texture with just a little bit of chia seeds, no sugar needed.

30/10/2024

This week, I'm so excited to be sharing from Craig and Jade's homesteading experience. Craig and Jade lived right here in the deep South, working in a suburban space. Craig has been documenting his journey since the beginning, and teaching others. They now live on the Garden route, living in town while getting their farm ready for habitation.

Their story is the most inspiring story of working with what they have to move forward towards their homesteading dreams. I love that Craig called his channel "My Sustainability Journey"; all about the process and less about the destination.

A sneak peak of tomorrow's interview: "Just try it." To this day it is something I practice myself and tell others.

If you'd like to hear Craig and Jade's story, you can subscribe to our newsletter or check out our archives. PM me if you need help signing up or finding the story! We send out a new story every Thursday at 9am.

.homestead

30/10/2024

Eli (12) has completed another painting. Acrylic on canvas, with a layer of epoxy to make it shiny and look even more like a magical underwater scene.

Eli's paintings have made it to Melbourne, Seoul, Boston, the Strand, Plumstead, Pinelands, Simonstown, and Sunnydale. Each time someone buys one, it helps in this process of improvement and investing time in getting better. And Eli sends a lot of his effort and love along with each painting. Always a quail riding a submarine, always underwater...

Homesteading means we get to spend a lot of time at home, doing slow things and improving...

Address

46 Lochiel Road
Sunnydale
7975

Opening Hours

Saturday	09:00 - 16:00
Sunday	09:00 - 16:00

Website

http://www.heartandsoilhomestead.co.za/

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