What You'll Discover in This Post In this long, heartfelt garden diary entry, I take you through the full story of how I built my scarecrow from the frustration that pushed me to create it, to the quiet pride I feel every morning when I see it standing like a dusty soldier in the middle of my vegetable beds. You'll discover how it protected my spinach during a tough season, how the children reacted to it, why those spinning CDs became a secret weapon, and how this simple creation ended up changing the whole spirit of my Soshanguve garden. I'll also share subtle lessons about protecting young seedlings, timing, and working with our harsh Gauteng climate. Introduction: When the Birds Started Winning I still remember the week everything felt like it was falling apart in my garden. I had worked so hard preparing those ridges, shaping each row under the hot Soshanguve sun, watering gently in the evenings, and whispering the same quiet prayer every gardener says inside their hear...

What You'll Discover in This Post Today's experiences have demonstrated to me many things: First to reconnecting with the earth for positive stress relief from your mind. Second to the way delicate seedlings remind me of the very special things about my own journey through life. Finally, the simple act of planting a seed holds much more than just an ordinary task; it is, in reality, an agreement made between you and yourself to move forward with hope, compassion and enthusiasm. All this will be found in this post that sweat, and hope and compassion all wrapped together to get off to a fresh new start. Introduction: When the Soil Called My Name There are days in Soshanguve when the world feels loud, but the garden whispers my name softly. This morning was like that. After the rain ceased, I went out of my house and the first thing that caught my eye was the warm and humid earth. And right after that, I heard an internal voice saying, "today you are going to plant."  I ...

What You'll Discover in This Post In this emotional garden story, I take you through the moment I discovered my once healthy parsley collapsing from the inside, how convinced I was that I had completely lost it, and the slow but beautiful comeback that taught me a deep lesson about resilience. You'll see the parsley at its best, at its lowest, and during the surprising rebirth that unfolded right in the heart of Soshanguve's heat. I've included natural image placements showing the journey from lush growth, to decline, to recovery. Introduction: When a Herb Breaks Your Heart  I've always believed that herbs are the "easy ones," the plants you grow when you want a bit of confidence in the garden. But life here in Soshanguve has shown me again and again that even the easiest plants can test your patience, your emotions, and your ability to trust that things will turn around. Parsley was always one of those herbs in my life that I never had to be concerned wit...

What You'll Discover in This Post In this expanded garden diary entry, I'll take you through: The exact moment I noticed this bright yellow wildflower shining in my Soshanguve garden. My emotional reaction and how it shifted my whole afternoon. What this flower is (Coreopsis/Tickseed) and why it thrives effortlessly in North Pretoria heat. How the blooms, buds, and stems reveal the plant's resilience and personality. Personal memories this flower awakened from my childhood. How I grow and care for it in our harsh Gauteng climate. Its relationship with pollinators in my garden. Why it's perfect for a water scarce yard like mine. The lessons it silently taught me about patience, timing, and blooming in my own life. A warm, reflective conclusion that ties the whole journey together Introduction: When a Flower Comes Into Your Life at the Perfect Time Actually, I was not even thinking of doing some gardening that morning. Do you know those lazy Soshanguve mornings when the s...

What You'll Discover in This Post In this long garden diary, you'll walk with me from the moment my eggplants were just surprise seedlings pushing through Soshanguve soil, to the heat soaked afternoons when their purple flowers opened, to the day the first fruit formed. I'll share my watering routine, pruning lessons, soil struggles, pest problems, and how the Gauteng sun shaped the whole journey. This is the story of how I grew eggplants and how they quietly grew me too. Introduction: When a Stranger Sprouted in My Garden The first step came from a random thought which spread like a seed through the air until it found its home between the rocks. The morning sticks with me because I stepped barefoot into the garden to feel the wet earth that the rain had left behind overnight. The daylight shadows revealed a single green sprout which showed its two round cotyledons and two leaves with fine hairs. At first, I thought it was just another volunteer plant from my compos...

What You'll Discover in This Post Before you step into this story with me, here's a warm preview of what you'll find in this post: How ladybugs help restore balance in a garden. The connection between flowers, pollinators, and tiny predators. The quiet battle between beneficial insects and pests. Why natural ecosystems work better than quick fixes. A real moment from my Soshanguve garden, told through my eyes. Introduction: A Morning That Felt Different It was an early morning and I went out to my garden. The sand was still cool under my feet and the air was warming slowly the way it only does in Soshanguve. I wasn't expecting to find anything special. I only wanted to check the flowers and see which plants had survived the night's stillness. But as soon as I bent over one of my plants, sparkling with its small size was a ladybug which seemed to be a decorated jewel on a delicate leaf. I know I crouched down without thinking. She was sitting there serenely, ...

What You'll Discover in This Post In this story, I take you deep into my personal encounters with pompom weed here in Soshanguve from mistaking its beauty for innocence, to learning why it's one of the most destructive invaders in our veld. You'll discover: How I first realized this plant isn't the harmless wildflower it looks like. Why pompom weed threatens our local grasslands, livestock, and indigenous flora. The emotional and physical challenges I've faced trying to remove it. Real life experiences of it spreading after rains and taking over patches of veld. A close up look at your photo and what it reveals about its life cycle. Lessons I've learned this season while walking through our veld and fighting it again. Introduction: The Day Beauty Became a Warning I've always loved walking through the veld around Soshanguve after good rain. The grass looks taller, the earth smells fresh, and little yellow wildflowers are growing everywhere. However, a...

What You'll Discover in This Post Before I take you with me into my yard, here's what this post will unfold for you: How a simple afternoon turned into a lesson about pollination. My personal moment with a bee on bright yellow flowers in Soshanguve. An emotional reflection about gardening, harmony, patience, and purpose. What bee pollination is and why it matters for every plant we grow. How to attract more bees naturally without disturbing your garden's balance A Small Flicker That Changed My Afternoon I stepped outside that day just to quickly check if the soil dried out again. You know how these Gauteng heatwaves behave you water in the morning, and by late afternoon, the ground looks like it never felt a drop. But before I reached my flower bed, something tiny caught my eye. A bee. Not buzzing past… Not hurrying… But landing with intention on a soft yellow flower I barely paid attention to before. For some reason, I paused. I found myself watching this tiny crea...

What You'll Discover in This Post Before you get right into my personal story, here is a rough outline of what you will be reading in this post. I wrote it in the way that I always want to be spoken by gardening blogs, but which they never do: You will discove the time when I didn't know how to keep seedlings alive and I let them die under Soshanguve's temperatures. The sun and the way my vegetables were changed by a plastic bottle. How roots get watered when irrigation is done deeply and what they are. The calmness that comes from the fact that you can watch plants grow without being worried that you have to water them constantly. The tips that I learned from my mistakes, through the heat, from cracks and small victories and the method of starting your own slow watering device with any old 2 litre bottle The Day My Garden Started Drinking Differently I can still recall one morning to the point that it seems like it was yesterday the sun was visibly brightening the sand and...

I never expected mint to turn out to be one of the happiest little surprises in my garden, but that is exactly what happened. Just a few seedlings that I planted in the soil one cloudy afternoon is how it all began, and before I could realize it, the herb was spreading with such a kind of confidence that it made me smile every time I passed by it. There is certainly something wonderful about the way mint grows in our Soshanguve heat strong, refreshing, and vibrant and this post is like me showing you that journey, really, from the very first little leaves up to the thick, aromatic bunches that I cut today. What You'll Discover in This Post Before I take you into my little mint journey, I want to share what I'll be opening up about in this story. You will find was initially a small seedling which I planted and grew near the corner of my yard. Later on, it became a thick, sweet smelling carpet, and I also learned to understand its moods in our Soshanguve heat. Along with me, you ...

 There are times when gardening ventures start with a bang, full of energy, planning, and sack of seed packets. But this... this one was a quiet start. It was a small recycled container in the corner of my yard, the earth already heated by the morning sun, and a little tomato seedling that didn't seem like much, but was my silent promise. Let me tell you the story later. For now, here is a tiny roadmap of today's journey. What You'll Discover in This Post In this article, I share with you my very own tomato growing experience in the hot and dusty Soshanguve area from that feeling of fragileness of the very first seedling up to the last harvest in my hand. You will learn: How my tomato seedling survived and slowly built its strength. The emotional turning point when flowers appeared and fruit finally started forming. The small setbacks, fears, and lessons that shaped the journey. What it felt like to finally harvest tomatoes I grew myself. What you can expect when growing to...