This archive report was first published on 23 April 2020.
As the world grapples with the COVID-19 pandemic, the importance of having a personal urban garden has never been more apparent. With limited movement and a focus on health and wellness, many are turning to gardening as a way to grow their own food and stay healthy.
Matthew Njoroge, a resident of Nairobi South, has been growing food for his family in his home for the past 12 years. He started gardening as a way to ensure his family had access to healthy and nutritious food, and has since found it to be a valuable source of exercise and a cost-effective way to feed his family.
However, not everyone has the luxury of a traditional gardening space. That's where Silke Bollmohr, an organic urban gardener, comes in. She has been helping urban residents become self-sufficient and independent through sack gardening, a low-maintenance and space-saving solution that allows people to grow a variety of vegetables and fruits in a small space.
According to Bollmohr, sack gardening is an attractive option for urban dwellers because it addresses the issue of limited space and is easy to set up using locally available materials. To start, you'll need sacks of various sizes, sand, earthworms, a tube, soil, and compost. The process is simple: choose a location with at least three hours of morning sunlight, prepare the soil by mixing a third of soil, sand, and compost, and then fill up the sack with the soil mixture.
Once the sack is filled, build a worm tower by making small holes in the tube and placing it in the middle of the sack. Add earthworms to the tube and continue filling the sack with soil. The worms will eat kitchen waste and produce worm juice, which is an excellent fertilizer. To improve drainage, integrate stones into the soil mixture or use used sisal bags instead of sacks.
What can you plant in a sack? Anything you plan on eating, says Bollmohr. Start by planting beans or peas at the top, and then make tiny holes for transplanting on the sides. Plant fruit-carrying plants like tomatoes and eggplants, green leaves like spinach and sukuma wiki, and bulb plants like onions, carrots, and beetroot. Don't forget to add some flowers to attract natural predators and herbs to repel pests.
With a small sack, you can grow up to 40 plants, and a big one can hold up to 100 plants. Sack gardening is low maintenance because weeds find no home in them, and natural pesticides like chilli or garlic spray can help with insect problems. To avoid fungi, make sure the leaves are not too dense, especially during the rainy season.
As Bollmohr concludes, 'You can have all the non-perishable foods at home, but without stew/vegetables, how will you enjoy them?' With sack gardening, you can have safe, affordable, available, and accessible food all in a sack.
