The Octopus Garden

Once an unused lawn this micro farm was created to address food security and raise awareness of marine plastic pollution. In 2019 the V&A Waterfront staff voted for their Mandela Day project to build this edible garden next to their head office using EcoBricks and in such a way that the garden could be moved should the space become unavailable. For this reason Ian and Felix (from Flat Rock Studio) conceived a system of EcoBrick raised beds which would allow for dismantling and rebuilt elsewhere.

Musgrave Spirits have been a key stakeholder in the project after visiting the Angama Shamba. With the intention to support a similar earth-to-table garden within the Mother City, they have generously sponsored elements of the garden’s development as well as event hosting and team capacity building.

The other motivation for the Octopus shape was the way the tentacles formed well sized beds just big enough to harvest veggies from either side without having to stand on the soil (which squishes oxygen out of the ground rendering it infertile).

The garden was conceived with permaculture principles in mind. A rotational companion planting plan was created to ensure that vital soil nutrients would not become depleted over time and resource efficiency if evident in the numerous water saving techniques. Permacologist Mike maintains the garden, ensures the weekly harvests take place and hosts educational walking tours upon request. To date over 7 tonnes of produce has been harvested and donated to two food security NGOs - Ladles of Love and the Homestead. Since reaching maturity the garden has become a training ground for Urban Farming candidates as part of the Grow SA Learnership programme.

Evolution

Designed to accommodate change, the garden has gone through a transformation as half of the site was required to build a lift and upcycled restaurant (currently under construction). Rather than try and squish the octopus shape into a smaller site the identity has evolved into the ‘Shongololo Shamba’. With plans to rebuild the Octopus Garden elsewhere in the precinct the legacy of the garden is a bright example of the #growfoodnotlawns movement. To make up for lost space several pockets of nearby space have been made available and an Edible Garden Route will be opening in 2022.