Training

Meet the team

Richard Gillies

(BSc Horticulturist 35 years experience in the seed and chemical industry)

Richard has years of experience in the nursery industry and tunnel farming business from building tunnels to growing crops). He has been specialising in seed sales and has a vast knowledge in grafting of trees, crop performance and much more. He also offers consulting services for large scale farming enterprises.

Jacques Prinsloo

(Diploma Mechanical Engineering with Marine background)

For me it’s been a dream since young to be a farmer. Today it’s become more a passion of being able to share my enthusiasm of sustainable farming with other people and being able to teach people to fish rather than giving them a fish.

I have learnt from Ken, done an aquaponics coarse and learnt through experience, as they say, the proof is in the pudding. I run a very organised and productive system that delivers quality vegetables. You will learn from me how to use alternative products to get the same result at a better price. I will share with you what I have learnt and how to get good results. I will teach you how to uncomplicate things and to trust nature to do what it does best.

We have built up a facility we would like to share a practical interactive experience with you. Over 4 years of trial and error we have systems that successfully produces beautiful vegetable crops for our local community, flowers for a local nursery and quality sauces made from our own crops that won best mild sauce 2022 at the Port Elizabeth Chili Festival.

OUR FARMS

We have two facilities. Our farm is situated on the coast in Seaview, Port Elizabeth and a research facility in Lake Farm Port Elizabeth. We are about 30 minutes drive away from the Port Elizabeth Airport and centrally located to further explore our surrounding areas of Addo Elephant National Park, Jeffreys Bay and the city of Gqeberha. We currently have 1200m2 under net which houses our diverse vegetable crops.

We also provide accommodation on our farm in comfortable chalets at reasonable rates, making it a complete farm experience.

In these times of rising food prices we feel it’s important for people to become more self-sustaining. We want to share our knowledge obtained from practical experience to enable more people to become sustainable.

Come and spend some time with us. We can teach you how to plant the basics at home or be commercial and feed your suburb. Our goal is to show you practical ways to build various wicking beds, raised gardens, aquaponics and hydroponic systems.

We plant both in the aquaponics and hydroponic system as well as in the soil with our own fertilizers made from excess fish waste and earthworm tea. A way of farming that is sustainable and environmentally friendly.

We offer a practical experience with info and want you to come and get your hands dirty and learn with us.

Fill in our contact page for more info and a quotation on the subject matter you are interested in.

Subjects We Cover:

PRACTICAL DIY SYSTEMS FOR GROWING FOOD AT HOME

AQUAPONICS INTRODUCTION AND ADVANCED

HYDROPONICS INTRODUCTION

SUSTAINABLE FARMING PRACTICES, EARTHWORM FARMING AND EARTHWORM TEA

DIY COURSE TO BUILD STRUCTURES

BUILDING PLANTER BINS, WICKING BEDS, BUCKET SYSTEMS AND NFT (NUTRIENT FILM), PIPE SYSTEMS

SEEDING OF SEEDS TO GROWING SEEDLINGS TO TRANSPLANT

SEED SELECTION AND BEST PRACTICES PERTAINING TO CROP TYPE:
CROP TYPES: TOMATOES, PEPPERS SWEET AND HOT, BRINJALS, KALE, BRASSICA, ONIONS, LEAKS, CUCURBITS (BUTTERNUT), PEAS, BEANS AND CROPS LIKE HERBS AND CELERY

ROOT ZONE TRAINING (COLD FEET)

MAINTENANCE OF CROPS

MORPHOLOGY AND PHYSIOLOGY. BALANCING OF CROPS