Kensington resident and gardening enthusiast Shruthi Nair (35) always makes time for her garden.
Many others her age find they have a passion for creating a beautiful garden space, but fail to find the time to do so,
Between raising a son, running a specialised creative industry project management business and working for an arts incubator formed by renowned artist William Kentridge, Shruthi makes space for some me-time gardening.
Up and about at 4am most mornings, she makes her son’s school lunch and a cup of coffee for herself.
Then it’s gardening time as she waters and tends to her spacious fruit and vegetable garden at her home before starting her workday.
She also somehow finds time to head to the gym.
“I guess working with the soil is in my DNA,” she said, recalling her early days when she spent summer holidays on her grandfather’s rice farm in southern India.
Her mother, too, has been prominent in community farming projects in Asia.
“All people have agrarian roots and then, over time, we started losing touch with the soil, but with all the threats to our natural resources in this era it’s wonderful to see how more and more people are gardening and realising that even a small patch or balcony space can generate produce for the family.”
She buys only the most limited amount of fresh produce from the supermarket.
“We’re close to self-sufficient,” said the University of Cape Town fine arts graduate, who settled in South Africa soon after the country’s transition to democracy in 1994.
“My husband and I grow most things we need, our own leaf vegetables, tomatoes, carrots and herbs, virtually everything we need.”
The garden also includes a fig and lemon tree and an abundance of indigenous foliage plants. In line with regenerative gardening practices, the couple maintain a large compost heap.
“What I particularly enjoy is bartering our surplus produce with friends who grow things we don’t have,” says Shruthi.
Shruthi’s passion for her green haven comes as South Africans prepare to celebrate Garden Day on October 20.
This year the hope is to get people of all ages outside and into their gardens.
Enthusiasts are encouraged to show their support by making and wearing flower crowns and hosting a celebratory event.
This could take the form of a tea and cake, a glass of umqombothi, a plant swap or lunch on the lawn. Anything goes, as long as you’re surrounded by greenery and toasting the goodness our gardens give us all year round.
Taking part in Garden Day couldn’t be easier: visit www.gardenday.co.za to download a toolkit with hints, tips and how-to videos, all aimed at helping you create the perfect celebration.
Follow @GardenDaySA on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
Share your Garden Day celebrations on social media by tagging @GardenDaySA and using #GardenDaySA.
Power of Plants
Spending regular time in the garden is believed to have health advantages.
“Next time you’re feeling under the weather, down in the dumps or stressed out, don’t reach for a packet of pills, grab your garden fork instead,” said Professor Nox Makunga, a plant scientist at the Department of Botany and Zoology at Stellenbosch University.
“There are dozens of studies globally that have looked into how gardening affects your health and there’s only one conclusion: gardening is incredibly good for you.”
Here are a few of the ways gardening can better your life:
• Replace screens with greens for lifelong genes. Every hour spent in front of a TV screen shortens your life by 21 minutes, whereas every hour spent gardening lengthens it.
• Budding brains. School gardening clubs teach children fine motor skills through tasks such as transplanting seedlings and tying in tomatoes.
• Green finger gains. Gardening gets us off our couches and increases physical health by an average of 33 per cent, also contributing to a decreased rate of heart disease and diabetes. Half an hour pushing a lawnmower burns 150 calories, equivalent to a moderate session in the gym.
• Couples who garden together, stay together. Yes, planting partners report that they’re far more patient with each other.
• Dig in. The secret of gardeners’ happiness could well lie in the soil: mice show increased levels of serotonin, the ‘happiness hormone’, when exposed to soil bacteria.
• Planting for productivity. Office workers who have houseplants on their desks are 15 per cent more productive than those who don’t.
• Taking thyme out. One study asked two groups of people to perform a highly stressful task. During their downtime, they asked one group to read a book and the other to perform 30 minutes of gardening. Even though both tasks lowered levels of cortisol, the stress-inducing hormone, in the brain, gardening had a higher effect. So, go and get those hands dirty and relax this Garden Day.
