AN unemployed Sea Vista resident, who started a vegetable garden at his house a year ago to feed his family, now has his sights set on becoming a farmer.
From humble beginnings, Xolisile Ngantweni (37) has grown his organic vegetable patch into a business that not only puts food on his table, but also supplies fresh produce to an ever-growing list of customers eager to eat pesticide-free food.
He furthermore provides vegetables to a local market.
“When the neighbours saw the vegetables they wanted to buy . . . and in August this year, The Green Box approached me,” says Ngantweni.
But realising his vegetable dream, was not easy.
“I started out with no capital or assets and had to make every step of my journey count to get where I am today,” he says.
One of his biggest challenges apart from capital?
“The soil – it was all sea sand, not fit to grow food for my family,” he says. “To improve the soil quality, I mixed it with organic compost and gardening sand – one bucket at a time.”
The neighbourhood pigs also proved to be a huge challenge. Only days after planting his first vegetables, he had to put up a strong fence – or the pigs would devour all his hard work.
Ngantweni, who does not use any machines or chemicals, beams with pride, “I plant spinach, pumpkins, beetroot, kale, cabbage, lettuce, green peppers, butter beans, peas, sweet potatoes, butternut, carrots, broccoli and cauliflower.
“I furthermore grow mint, rocket, chives and coriander.”
The Green Box
His great breakthrough came earlier this month when he was introduced to The Green Box, an organisation that supports local residents and farmers by selling their fresh produce once a week.
Two of his mentors, Clint …., a farmer himself who provides produce to The Green Box, as well as The Green Box owner, Catherine Falconer, showed him how to turn his passion for growing vegetables into a business – giving him the opportunity to supply fresh produce to the organisation under Green Fingers, his own business.
Why Green Fingers?
Ngantweni smiles, “Everything I touch, turns green.”
With the help of the local community, the organisation furthermore equipped him with a wheel barrow, garden tools, organic compost and seedlings.
Future plans
His secret ingredient for his growing success: love and hard work.
“I work seven days a week in my vegetable garden – tending to and talking to all the crops,” says Ngantweni. “It is my happy place, the only place where I am completely stress-free.”
The only thing preventing the father of three from further growing his business is the cost of land.
“I pray for land every day, because it is so expensive,” says Ngantweni.
Instead of throwing in the towel, he has learnt to plant certain produce at different times of the year to make the most of the small piece of ground he has.
For more information, contact Ngantweni at 063 480 9309.
