Pumpkin Prowess at Babylonstoren

Zoonie
Mon 8 Mar 2021 07:46

Pumpkin Prowess at Babylonstoren

There is definitely an element of healthy competition when it comes to pumpkin growing at the Babylonstoren Winery Garden and we arrived in the middle of the season for them. The biggest monster sat in all its glory in the bottle and jar shop; the Atlantic Giant Pumpkin weighing 143.5kg. But more about them later.

Health of human mind and body are the essence of these gardens, that thrive on loving organic care, the fabulous climate and ever rich soil, fed constantly with minerals from the granite mountains. The health of the plants is guaranteed to be organic because they are fed with pure mountain stream water flowing from the nearby Simonsberg Mountains to the Berg River and compost from the garden’s own compost heap. I must admit I was distracted by the rainbow formed in the watering fountain which I wanted to capture for you, so I didn’t listen as well as I should have to our guide, but I think it was while excavating the old rubbish tip that the pieces of Delft porcelain were found and carefully laid out in the display cabinet you see; reminding me of a story from my past.

When my brother, Robin was working on his first farm as part of his training half a century ago he was operating a digger preparing foundations for new milking parlour when he found a small triangle of the classical blue and white willow pattern pottery. He looked a little further and found a bigger piece of the same plate and then he spent the rest of the afternoon, doggedly and determinedly searching for the rest. He came home with a big grin on his face having found all three pieces, which I then glued together and he still has the plate to this day.

If you want to escape from where you are, (and who doesn’t occasionally) then click yourself onto babylonstoren.com; for a world of colour, food, bees, people and hope. Take a drone flight over the gardens to see the 300 plus plants, all of them edible and set out in geometric straight and curved lines, disciplined squares and herb lawns. The clever layout of the garden is designed to enclose and protect the visitor and imbibe them with a sense of calm and peace. Well that certainly worked on us, I could have had a snooze in the medical garden and it wasn’t only the wine we had had for lunch.

I noted from the website that one can stay in the hotel at Babylonstoren for one night and get the second night free until March 31st! That is tempting! They even have a blog, so we’re all kindred spirits. More about the gardens and one’s clean inner self next…..

 

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