Our gardens provide a place to work the soil and to learn
about biodiversity, climate change and the multiple
benefits of growing your own food.
Community
Gardens
Our two large Community Food Gardens are managed by our Garden Managers and produce good harvests. Harvested vegetables from the community gardens are shared among the beneficiaries. The prerequisite for everyone who attends the programme is to work in the gardens on a regular basis, and many take great pride in providing nutritious meals for their families.
Home Food
Gardens
Not everyone has space for a home food garden, but for those who do, we actively support and mentor them. We currently have 28 Home Food Gardens that are supported with seedlings, compost and garden advice from our Garden Managers. The Home Food Gardens are used as a way for the community to increase their level of food security and improve the range of micro-nutrients available in the families’ diets.
Gorgeous Gardens
Competition
Love to Give also runs a bi-annual vegetable garden competition called, Gorgeous Gardens. This competition provides a good incentive for families to maintain a food garden for themselves as well as for their extended families. Winners of the competition receive various gardening tools as well as a cash prize.
1. Recycling of tins
The tins from the monthly food parcels are recycled. The tins are cleaned and brought back to the centre and then then taken to the local recycling depot by beneficiary of the Micro-Enterprise Development Project who has started a recycling business.
2. Garden workshops
We hold weekly permaculture gardening workshops covering an array of gardening topics which are aimed at upgrading the knowledge and skills of our beneficiaries, improving the quality of our soil and harvests and ensuring that no dangerous chemicals are used.
3. Mulching
Mulching is used on our food gardens in order to retain soil moisture, regulate soil temperature as well as suppress the growth of weeds.
4. Rainwater harvesting
Love to Give has installed two rainwater harvesting tanks in order to provide water for the vegetable gardens as well as to store the rainwater for the drier months of the year.
5. Seedling nursery
Love to Give runs its own seedling nursery to supplement the ongoing demand for seedlings by our community and home food gardens.