The end of 2011, beginning of 2012 season has been a busy one for the Kusamala Commercial Garden. In November we were sad to say goodbye to our garden manager, Charlie, who has moved on to continue spreading organic farming practices in other parts Malawi. We wish her the best of luck! In January we welcomed Catherine, our new garden manager, to the Centre. Catherine comes to us from Northern California, where she was studying environmental policy after having been a Peace Corps volunteer in Zambia. She is happy to be back in the region and excited to learn more about Malawi and permaculture.
In addition to staffing changes, the rains have brought all new challenges and opportunities for the garden. With the change in weather we have taken broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage out of the rotation and are experimenting with different squashes, cucumbers, and potatoes. The rapid proliferation of insects and pests is giving us a run for our money but is also inspiring us to look for new, chemical-free integrated pest management techniques. As always, with successes and failures we are learning a lot – it’s a continuous process of trial and improvement!
January has also seen the start of our third vegetable box subscription. We made our first delivery on January 27th and will be continuing to provide a box of yummy, fresh vegetables and herbs for our subscribers every Friday for a further 5 weeks. While our current subscription is full, we will be starting another round in March. We are striving to increase our production capacity and hope to continue expanding the veg box scheme. If you are interested in a future veg box subscription or in learning more about the Kusamala Commercial Garden please feel free to send us an email at garden@naturesgift.org or stop by the Centre, Monday-Saturday, 7am-4pm.
