this is so cool. I am stoked the city hall is doing something like this. I saw Manchester is doing a similar project in there parks.

:)

Having been involved for 14 years with SUSTAINABLE feeding programs I am saddened that 90% of gardens with good intentions fail as a result of the method chosen not being sustainable nor cost effective and the initial enthusiasm soon fades as the maintenance and effort dwindles. Eventually the garden is home to memories and weeds.
One has to look at a system that is inexpensive and simple to operate, all the resources (water and nutrients) are recycleable, the time between harvests must be accelerated and the produce must be handsome.
Such a system has been derived from many years of R&D.
HydroGrow, gravity flow, gravel system is tried and tested.
If anyone can help get this perfect feeding program into the local government to help schools, clinics, aids orphans, and rural communities then please make contact. We have the system but for some reason the powers that be are to busy on other matters.

I think it is about time that we all start utilising every possible means to grow our own food.
In doing so we can encourage and educate our own families and staff to do the same. It is easy and cost efficient and future generations will benefit.
Well done Imagine Durban.

How much does a hydrogrow system cost to install?

Lovely idea, particularly when you can throw in all the resources the city has to offer. Water, labour, seedlings etc. a comment further up the blog says it all. For any initiative of this nature to succeed it must be sustainable. In the rural areas of the DMA those tha fail far out number those that work.
How long do you think a nice cabbage growing outside City Hall will last, or is the City going to provide security 24/7? Despite all ther negativity it is a good idea to promote.

This is such a good idea, bringing projects close to the city as we have a lot of street kids begging for food. Involve them as well so they can have sense of ownership to such projects that are of their benefit as well. I've been involved in community upliftment projects both at provincial and municipal level for 14yrs as environmental health practitioner, and the focus has always been townships and rural communities. We tend to miss that our city central is also home to a lot of homeless that need to be encouraged to get their hands dirty and contribute to their own well-being.

Thanks for all the interesting comments on the City Hall Food Garden Project. We really appreciate the input.

The food garden does have the benefit of all the resources that are normally used to manage the city hall garden. Essentially the concept that the city hall food garden it testing out is using already existing resources for growing food, instead of dedicating all these resources to a purely decorative garden. Even with these all the resources that are dedicated to the garden, there is still a chance of failure considering that we don't know how feasible it is to grow food in a city centre.

One of those challenges that a lot of people talk about is "how will we stop people stealing the food?" The short answer is that if someone feels the need to steal a cabbage then we think it is safe to assume that they really need the cabbage and since this project is about food security - who better to benefit from it than someone who is desperate for food.

Of course overall we would really prefer that the food does land up going to TAFTA as planned and if food is stolen on a continuous basis it might be discouraging for the garden staff who are expected to make the garden look attractive for visitors. Over the next few months we are going to learn how much of problem this is going to be.

I think it is a great idea and even if people steal the food it is quite a powerful message that Durban cares about providing food for the elderly, about food security and about carbon emissions.

I have made beautiful food gardens before and actually when I sold my house in Jozi the new owner said she ended up buying the house for it's edenlike garden. I never planted in rows and I mixed things up quite a lot, although I planned it quiet carefully to be able to access plants easily. I used plants that are protective and medicinal plants and even plants just for their beauty.

Good food gardens take a few years to establish, especially if you want to make them organic and use the permaculture principles. I highly recommend those principles. I haven't seen your garden and don't know what you have planted but I have noticed that tomatoes do excellently in Durbs, in fact I have seen many wild plants! Perrenial basil also does very well and it is a good companion for tomatoes both in the garden and in salad! (I hope I am right about that I can't find my book right now)

I think it would be brilliant to make a few very abundant gardens and get them really working and then you can easily roll it out to hundreds of places all over the city. I wouldn't get disheartened if some plants die and don't work out. Just change it for a new type and see if that works better.

Thanks for starting a lovely project and good luck.

There is a park in my street that has been locked (taken out of the public domain)for several years. I have been trying for over a year to get the Parks Department to make part of the space available for a food garden. A senior citizens group runs a soup kitchen in the Beatrice Street area and are looking for space to space to grow vegetables. My efforts have come to nothing. It's a wonderful idea to grow a food garden outside the City Hall. How about the Council making space available elsewhere.