As a youngster, Zaza Mbatha of Osizweni in New Castle, KwaZulu-Natal, would perform gardening chores simply because she was instructed to do so, but she had no idea that one day it would become her happy place. Today, gardening is Mbatha’s way of life, despite loathing it as a child when her mother nagged her to help out.
Mbatha finds gardening challenging, yet she always takes time to care for it with love and passion.
On a 12×12 square metre plot, she grows beetroot, broccoli, carrot, jalapeno and habanero chillies, green cabbage, purple cabbage, red onion, peppers, pumpkin, tomatoes, garlic, coriander, mint, potatoes, green beans, broad beans, and dry beans, Zulu beads mielies, lettuce, fruit trees (orange, guava, apricot, lemon, figs, mulberry, avocado, and peaches), and spinach.
Mbatha initially aspired to be a doctor but changed her career to social work even though she didn’t complete her degree.
She moved to Johannesburg and worked for more than 20 years in the corporate sector to support her child financially. She was laid off in 2018 and was compelled to sell her townhouse in order to move closer to her family in KZN.
“I purchased a home and fortunately the house has a big yard. I was in a financial bind and my savings were diminishing, so I decided to start gardening.”
The influence of social media
Whatever she lacked in farming knowledge, she gained by joining agricultural social media groups, particularly on Facebook. She obtained knowledge on how to care for her plants as well as the crops that grow throughout specific seasons.
“Even though I had a flop when I first started, I now know how to accomplish certain things,” she says.
Mbatha began by growing spinach, cabbage, and butternut. Although the butternut perished in April, the spinach and cabbage were rich and magnificent.
On-the-go skills development
“I started applying the information I obtained. In order to get rid of bugs, I began employing conventional, and mainly organic methods,” Mbatha says.
She uses neem oil, which is one of the most effective pesticides for crops. Mbatha says it is costly, but the effects are spectacular. She also fertilises with goat and cow manure.
Her confidence was bolstered by having rich and healthy produce. It was more than her family needed, so she began giving it to friends and neighbours, and the feedback was astounding.
“Last year, my top seller was tomatoes, and I had a lot of them. I decided to go around and approach stores in my neighbourhood.”
Mbatha adds that she returned home with three stores in the bag. “We all ate from the same produce, and I earned a good profit from it as well.”
On the verge of becoming an agro-processor
Mbatha was unemployed after being laid off when she started her garden. She was concerned about her children’s lunch boxes, so she began gathering fruits from her garden to prepare jam to put on their bread.
“I figured out that I could make juice from oranges as well, so I did that and it turned out great.”
Mbatha says she created chilli sauce from the chillies in her yard and the kids loved it on their burgers.
“I am the type of person who despises boring meals. I always make certain that my meal is visually appealing. My need to cultivate my own food sums up the need for good food.”
She says she uses her spinach to create savoury rice, her mint to flavour her rooibos tea, and she occasionally adds oranges.
“I plan on focusing on making meatless meals utilising my produce.”
Mbatha adds that she isn’t bothered by her age since everything happened at the perfect moment, and she is eager to shine even more in the future.
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