A NEW green initiative is slowly taking root at the Durban & Coast SPCA.

Staff member and Durban North resident Lesley du Toit recently began building raised planter boxers with the aim of starting a vegetable garden, and now, just a few months later, there are 19 mini veg gardens with a variety of produce.

So far, their efforts have seen the planting of spinach, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, lettuce, butternut, radish, squash, pepper, strawberries and some herbs, including oregano and thyme.

According to Durban & Coast SPCA spokesperson Tanya Fleischer, the hope was to start selling the produce to raise funds for the association.

“We aim to start a farmer’s market as another source of income for the SPCA. This also appealed to us as a long-term, sustainable approach that was environmentally friendly. For the last few months, volunteers and children doing community service have helped out by making these gardens what they are now. I’ve been so impressed by what I’ve seen, and we’ve also been able to harvest spinach and broccoli in small quantities for staff members,” she said.

For du Toit, the green-fingered project has been a worthwhile endeavour.

“I love gardening, and this has been such an awesome project to work on. We started in June, and already we’ve harvested vegetables. When our general manager Caroline Smith outlined her vision for this project, I was only too happy to oversee it,” he said.

The association has also urged anyone willing to donate seedlings, seeds or plants to contact them on 031 579 6500.

Good to know

The mini market and open book-room morning takes place on Saturday, October 28, from 08:00 until 12:00, at the SPCA premises on 2 Willowfield Crescent, Springfield Park.

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