Every harvest season brings unique challenges, but winter 2026 tested our determination at our single care point learning hub in Ngwane Park like never before. Faced with a winter that was significantly warmer and drier than usual, pests and diseases that we typically expected in hot summer months became prevalent in the middle of winter. Though caught off guard at first, our team quickly adapted — implementing a rigorous agroecological pest management strategy using natural trap cropping and spraying our crops more frequently with homemade organic pesticides crafted right from our kitchen staples, including garlic and chilli.

1. Targeted Water Use with Grow Bags

With the dry conditions threatening soil moisture, traditional surface watering simply wasn't efficient. To prevent water waste, we turned to grow bags across our plot.

Grow bags allowed us to deliver water directly to the plant root zones in a highly targeted manner, eliminating runoff and conserving precious water. Despite the tough weather, our hub in Ngwane Park successfully produced enough fresh greens to serve thousands of nutrient-rich meals to our children, ensuring full bellies were matched with healthy bodies.

Children and community members enjoying fresh organic meals
Fresh organic harvests delivered directly from our Ngwane Park hub into care point pots.

2. The Silver Lining & Golden Lesson: Summer Crops & Staggered Planting

It wasn't all pest management and dry spells — the unusually warm winter brought an unexpected silver lining! The mild temperatures allowed us to continue growing summer crops straight through winter, bringing wonderful variety to our garden harvests.

However, our single biggest takeaway from this season was a golden rule for all urban growers:

NEVER Plant Everything at Once!

Sowing all your seeds in one go leads to an overwhelming harvest spike followed by empty beds. Always stagger your planting over intervals to guarantee a steady, continuous harvest over a much longer period.

Agroecological Pest Defense (Garlic & Chilli)

Boiling simple kitchen staples like garlic and chilli creates a powerful, non-toxic pesticide that repels summer pests without chemical run-off.

Targeted Moisture in Grow Bags

Root-zone targeted watering in grow bags prevents evaporation and conserves water in dry conditions.

Agroecological farming in grow bags
Targeted grow bag cultivation and organic garlic-chilli sprays kept our garden thriving.

"Adaptation is at the heart of kubumbana. We had so much fun testing new ideas, learning together, and proving that even an unexpected climate shift can become a masterclass in community resilience."

— Zama Mpungose, Executive Director

3. Looking Ahead to Summer: Vertical Towers & Community Training

Above all, this season was filled with laughter, joy, and shared growth. We had a blast adapting on the ground, and we are entering the upcoming summer season with incredible momentum!

Here is what we are excited to roll out next:

  • Installing New Vertical Agriculture Towers: Scaling up high-density growing towers at our Ngwane Park hub to produce even more food in compact urban spaces.
  • Hosting Hands-On Community Trainings: Inviting local families to workshops where we will teach staggered planting, grow bag setup, and homemade organic pest control.