As I am working my way through everything that needs to be re-established on the farm, one of my key focuses is certainly the food gardens. This has been quite challenging in the sense that it is time consuming, and with everything on the farm in dire need of immediate attention, time is the one thing that there is definitely not enough of.

The food garden like most things on the farm has taken a harsh knock, first with the draught completely barren, and now with recent rains it has become completely overgrown with weeds and grass almost over night.

And as you can see below, given the state of the food gardens at this stage, I most definitely have my work cut out for me.

One of the first things that I want to get filled up in the garden though is actually not vegetables, but fruit, and more specifically creepers. The reason for this is that the African sun can really beat down harsh on the earth and any soft skinned vegetables wouldn't stand a chance at surviving the whooping rays without a bit of shade to pull them through.

What I have done in the past, was I put up poles in the vegetable garden, then wove some wire between them to form a canopy over selective rows of garden beds, then I planted various fruit and vegetable creepers at the base of the structure in order to create a natural alternative to a shade canopy. The wonderful thing about this is that it is way more cost effective than buying in expensive shade cloth, or alternative shade covers, and this not only produces shade, but food as well.

The plants that I used to have growing up on these shade canopy's were Chayote (Sechium edule) also known here as the shu-shu that supplied the house with avocado sized squash like vegetables, that can be eaten raw or used in cooked meals, as well as some granadilla plants more commonly known as passion fruit. Although the shu-shu plant has died off completely and I have not been able to grow more, I have in the meant time successfully cloned a grape vine in my nursery from a cutting I took from a friend. Then most of the granadillas that were growing there had also died off but some of the older plants has pulled through and has managed to make a decent recovery after getting some rain, as you can see in the picture below.

But many of the canopies were left completely bare, and I made it my mission to plant out some of the granadillas that I have propagated as well as my grape vine in order to replace the plants that I have lost. Luckily passion fruit is a really fast grower, and hopefully I will have decent sun cover for the vegetables that I intend to plant underneath the canopies in no time soon.

Lets have a look at the passion fruit and why it is an amazing plant to have in your garden.

Other than the plant being a great protector and shade provider for my softer veggies all while producing really yummy fruits that can be eaten raw or worked into preserves, jams and cordials, the passion fruit is also an extremely beneficial plant in terms of its medicinal properties.

The passion fruit is a great source of nutrients, vitamins and minerals in high quantities, such as vitamin A, vitamin C, riboflavin, niacin, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, copper, fiber, protein and antioxidants.

Passion Fruit is a great Immune Boost

The high levels of antioxidants as well as Vitamin C, carotene cryptoxanthin help to maintain a healthy and enhanced immune system.

Passion fruit helps eliminate free radicals

Crammed packed full of antioxidants the granadilla or passion fruit helps your body fight against harmful free radicals that are known for mutating the DNA of healthy cells into cancerous ones. And it is also great to reduce the risk of cancer because passion fruit also contains vitamin C, flavonoids, and phenolic compounds, all of which have holds anti-cancer properties.

Great for Eye Health

When it comes to eye health your body needs some Vitamin A, and this is something that the passion fruit offers freely, this vitamin aids in the prevention of macular degeneration, cataracts, and night blindness.

Wonderful for your skin

Granadilla is absolutely wonderful for maintaining a youthful glow in the skin, and keeps the skin hydrated while it helps reduce wrinkles.

Digestive Aid

Because of the fruits high fiber content, which is essential for a healthy digestive system, these fruits are great for aiding with general digestive health.

Improves Circulation

The passion fruit holds a high content of potassium, iron and copper, all which help with blood circulation in the body, iron and copper help your body produce red blood cells, that carry oxygen throughout the body, this simply means that all your organs are able to function more effectively.

Passion fruit also increases the mineral density of your bones, and bone strength

Due to the fact that it contains high volumes of accesable minerals such as iron, copper, magnesium, and phosphorus, this can help to soothe the symptoms of osteoporosis, as well as help with pain and inflammation that occurs when bones deteriorate with age and activity.

Helps with Insomnia

Restlessness, insomnia, and nervous anxiety can all be aided with a dosage of some passion flower tea, this is because the passion fruit, leaves and flowers can serve as a mild sedative.

Passion fruit also Soothes Respiratory Conditions

But just bare in mind that the fruit also has very high sugar levels, so if you have issues with your blood sugar, make sure that you don't over-do it and check your blood sugar levels if necessary.

My lovely new granadilla and grape plants that I planted.

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After those were planted out I started clearing out some of the garden beds and prepared the soil for planting. I still have a long road ahead, but step by step I am getting there!