The Farm

The Farm

Wilderness

More than two thirds of the farm is left untouched. Pristine, thick indegnous forest is left for wildlife, which also includes a 650m of the Gonubie river. We have set up trail cams an have recorded; bushbuck, duiker, bush pigs, gennet, rooikat, monitor lizzard, monkies and many different bird spieces.

Syntropic Agroforestry

Syntropics is a regenerative farming method that imitates indigenous forest succession, by using diverse and closely planted species. Layering in both space and time, to improve soil fertility, increase biodiversity and produce food with minimal external inputs. Basically developing aself-sustaining, productive ecosystems that increases in complexity.

Guest House

To provide a Farm Stay experience for those who need a break from the city.To spend some time in nature, surrounded by an indigenous forest, overlooking the Gonubie River valley.Entirely off grid, this cottage sleeps 2 upstairs and abother on the sleeper couch downstairs.R690 for the unit off seasonR790 during peak season

Livestock guardian dog

We have an Anatolian Shepard as our Livestock Guardian Dog. Roxy keeps the cows and sheep safe from predators. She is not a herd dog and she lives with them 24/7. She see the flock/herd as her family,(She has grown up since the photo:)

Compost Toilet

We only have awesome compost toilets on the farm, no wasteful flush loos.We use the dual bay, non urine seperator, in situ system. Closed loop, no water use, no smell, no flies, no dail emptying, great compost, no splash back, no blocked pipes, no french drain or septic tank, no plumbers, what more could you ask for?You can read all about it in our new book "From Seat to Soil"Cost R300

Rainwater Harvesting

As we are not connected to municipal water and can't sink a borehole because the ground water is brackish, we need to catch all the rainwater we can.We have 100 000 litres of storage, which is pumped to header tanks and then gravity fed back down.

Johnson Su Bio Reactor

The Johnson-Su Bioreactor is a fungal-dominant system, which produces a high-quality, biologically diverse compost and does not require any back-breaking turning. The finsished product is a potent microbial inoculation for soil. Contact for sales.

Bees

We currently have 3 langstroth hives and rob them once a year. We can get around 8kg per super (if it is a good year) but with 3 kids, that doesn't last very long. We have devised a system to deal with ants which are quite a problem, although we still have not found a way to deal with the dreaded wax moth.

Thermophilic composting

Thermophilic composting, is the most common form of composting and is a process that uses high temperatures created by heat-loving microbes which quickly breakdown organic matter. It is an effective method for killing weed seeds and pathogens.

Market Garden

In our Market Garden we have a diverse selection of organically grown veggies, in rows under drip irrigation. Separated by granadilla and grape and surrounded by sugarcane all acting as wind breaks. The beds were prepared utilizing the Hugelkultur method and get regular doses of rabbit and chicken litter. Contact us for what is currenlty available. Fresh, local, organic.

Worm Farm

Our Worms are housed in 2 old cast iron baths. The leachate flows into a bucket to be used on the veg and the castings are added to water and are also applied to the veg or used to activate the biochar. We always have a few Duroc pigs on the farm. A perfect processor of food waste, converting it into bacon, sausages and ham. Instead of confining them to a concrete and steel box, they roam free, frolicking in the veld and drinking from a stream in the heat of the day, Enid Blyton would have approved.

Ducks

We currently have several muscovy ducks, which help with the pest load, as well as produce eggs and meat. They have a section of forest in which they roam. We keep them out of the Food Forest and Syntropics areas, because contrary to popular belief, they are very destructive on ground cover and small plants.

Pigs

We always have a few Duroc pigs on the farm. A perfect processor of food waste, converting it into bacon, sausages and ham. Instead of confining them to a concrete and steel box, they roam free, frolicking in the veld and drinking from a stream in the heat of the day, Enid Blyton would have approved.

Strip Grazing

We utilize Ultra-High Density Strip Grazing (UHD) which is an intense regenerative farming method. Large numbers of animals are confined to small strips, devided by mobile, electrifide polywire. We move them once or twice a day, which forces them to eat everything, trample, urinate and poop a lot. This method improves soil health, biodiversity, and forage by mimicking natural herds,

Food Forest

A food forest is a self-sustaining, low-maintenance, food production system which mimics a natural forest ecosystems. It incorporates multiple layers of diverse, food-producing plants that work together symbiotically for high yield, biodiversity, and soil health with minimal input. Creating a resilient, multi-tiered food source that reduces reliance on external fertilizers, pesticides, and water, providing food security and environmental benefits.

Solar

We rely exclusively on solar and are not attached to the grid at all.The system has just less than 5000 W worth of panels and a humble 5KVA inverter, but a good battery bank of 20 kWh

Kitchen Garden

Chickens

We house our chickens on a deep litter system of mixed organic matter (basically a compost), above which the rabbits are suspended.We incorporate the roll away nesting system for the egg collection for convenience.Varieties include Bosvelder, Australops and Easter Eggers.

Biochar

Biochar is a very porous, carbon based material made from burning organic matter, such as wood, in a low-oxygen environment. The process is called pyrolysis. We then inoculat it with worm castings and rabbit/chicken manure and create magic. Arguably the best soil amendment on the planet. Greatly improving soil fertility and structure. Contact for prices.