Despite Cape Town’s grey winter sky, the eager pre-schoolers of Tiny Bubbles Educare remained undeterred in their quest to learn about food gardening and where our food comes from. Recently, the team at GrowBox warmly welcomed these young gardeners to their nursery for an enlightening workshop on food gardening and environmental conservation.
GrowBox, a social enterprise nestled in Hanover Park on the Cape Flats, is dedicated to empowering marginalised communities by enhancing their access to nutritious, sustainable food through organic gardening.
According to its founder, Renshia Manuel, the nursery opened its doors to the children in honour of World Environment Day.
“Food security and environmental conservation are vital for a healthier tomorrow,” stated Manuel. “At GrowBox, we are committed to educating the next generation about these crucial issues for a better, healthier future.”
The workshop unfolded within GrowBox’s seedling production nursery, where regular food gardening workshops take place. Manuel further mentioned, “We also operate an urban farm for hands-on training and practical farming experience.”
On day two of the workshop, Manuel said, the children had the best luck because there was no rain during their visit. “The little ones are so eager to learn, and touch and taste and that’s what we love.”
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Growing without the hassle
According to Manuel, GrowBox is committed to providing convenient solutions for those without little gardening space.
“We take pride in offering hassle-free veggie garden boxes, complete with grow medium and seedlings, in easy-to-maintain packages,” she explained. “Available in small, medium, and large sizes, as well as in five delicious garden varieties.”
GrowBox was birthed through the excruciating circumstances of Manuel not having food to feed her four children. “It was so bad that I would walk from Hanover Park to Eerste River to get food from my mother,” she shared.
Embarrassed by how her life turned out, Manuel took action and started growing vegetables in her backyard and selling them. The concept of “growing veggies, from a veggie” as she puts it, quickly caught on and soon everyone in her community started doing it. It was then that she got the idea of starting a wholesale nursery in Hanover Park.
Today, GrowBox has grown in leaps and bounds, extending its support to community food gardens through partnerships with corporate and government sectors.
Manuel emphasised that through purchasing their products or acquiring their services, the public contributes to impacting over 3 000 beneficiaries to date.
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