“Adopt the pace of nature. Her secret is patience.”
- Ralph Waldo Emerson -
We bought our new home in 2015, knowing we wanted to embrace the rural Noordhoek lifestyle. So we signed up for an introductory Soil For Life course and naively set about building our oversized organic veggie garden. Slowly we began to find our way, and the garden revealed itself to be a source of nourishment for the family, not just physically but also spiritually. We realised this was something to be shared, not just with our family, but the broader community. Reading these kind words from an early visitor to the garden confirmed we were on the right path.
“Yesterday I was transported back to my childhood helping my grandfather harvest veggies on his farm. We went to buy veggies from the organic farm in Noordhoek. What made it such a memory trigger is that you pick and choose your own veggies. I loved walking around and touching the spinach leaves, playing hide and seek with the most beautiful eggplant and feeling the ripeness of cherry tomatoes against my skin. I was a child again, mesmerised by all the life around me. The farm had birds, worms and butterflies...The spinach had holes in them...imperfect in every perfect way possible. I loved being back to where my hands are full of sand and my heart full of appreciation. When something is real, it is not perfect.”
Using the veggie garden as our foundation, we’ve since renovated the main house to create a farmhouse feel that continues the garden’s “werf-wall” narrative. We’ve also added the Jardim Greenhouse, made from repurposed elements from the original house, and the Jardim Barn. Both mirror the original vision of Jardim – to become a real world inspirer of meaningful connection.
