The start was a little slow, as we had to do a little door-to-door soliciting for extension cords in order to work up in the garden. Then, though electricity was working, the drill was not...in fact it started smoking and smelling like burnt rubber after all of a minute.
So we ditched the drill in favor of some analog work, grabbing 2 hammers and all 19 nails we could find in the garage. Thanks to Patrick and our friendly cab driver Toyer (who knows us well by now), we got a fresh supply of nails delivered quickly and the rest of the afternoon/evening went pretty smoothly. Stephanie's pizza and beer delivery helped as well.
The test consists of three bays for planting. We attached all the boards to a base, lifting one of the sides about an inch to allow for drainage.
Next we attached the waterproof membrane across all the bays, which were then filled with about 2 inches of gravel, a water filter, and the different mixtures of soil and sand. And then we gardened.
In the end the project looks something like the picture below, though we'll hopefully be cleaning up the edges for better water protection and sunlight. The plot closest to the camera is all sand from Khayelitsha, planted with small grasses seedums and a few herbs. The middle plot is half sand and half soil, the design most likely to grow grasses and edible plants well without costing too much money. The furthest part, and deepest plot, is all soil, and is planted with vegetables like lettuce cabbage and cauliflower.
We learned that Gena has an admirable and genuine love of plants, and knows a ton about them. I enjoyed gardening 101, and am just hoping not to mess up these lovely plantings. Finally, Stephanie made a great statue of liberty as the night drew to a close.
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