OLD MACDONALD'S FARM
D. T. BROWN OFFERS SEED OF HOPE
ON OLD MACDONALD’S FARM
Vegetable gardening is a worldwide interest and seedsman D. T. Brown, backed by its customers, is helping the street children of Zambia not only to discover what vegetables are, but also the joy of learning how to grow them to eat. The boys of Old MacDonald’s Farm, who have spent most of their childhood living on the streets of Lusaka, are being given a skill and a passion, which hopefully will feed them and their future families in the years ahead.
D. T. Brown donates seed to the farm in Zambia which is part of the Zambia Support Mission. The project is run by Phil Bailey - an old friend of DTB from his earlier career in the UK seed trade. Phil set up the project six years ago to create a place where these boys could work and learn the skills necessary to grow their own vegetables in the future.
Phil visits D. T. Brown every winter when he returns to Britain to visit his family. He selects the favourite vegetables which always do well and some new species to try. He says: "The boys are always really excited when I return because they have something to new to grow they will never have seen and can try eating it for the first time. In the middle of the ‘bush' that is quite an important event! We have tried many different types to bring more variety to the cabbage, onions and tomatoes which Zambians use for their relish to eat with the maize meal which forms the basis of their diet”, explains Phil.
Several vegetables have proved to be valuable additions. He picks out as special successes the Kales Dwarf Green Curled, Curly Scarlet and Black Tuscany, plus Swiss Chards Bright Lights, White Silver and Rhubarb Chard Charlotte. All produce good quality leaves continuously and are resistant to pest destruction. Chinese cabbage, pak choi, carrots, cucumbers, aubergine, mustard and salad leaves have also grown well.
Old MacDonald’s Farm is also the home of Don and Christine MacDonald. In 2006 the MacDonalds bought land and Phil helped them to develop the farm, where the boys work, learn farming skills and have become virtually self-sufficient . At times the couple have more than 30 boys living with them.
To help the farm further and to offer a money-saving deal to gardeners, the company is offering a collection of vegetable seeds comprising one packet each of Kale Dwarf Green Curled, Kale Redbor, Swiss Chard Bright Lights, Chinese Cabbage, Pak Choi Ivory F1, Carrot Jitka F1, Mixed Salad Leaves and Mesclun Mixed Leaves.
This is priced at just £6.32 a saving of £5.00 on catalogue prices and for every collection sold D. T. Brown will donate £1.00 to Old MacDonald’s Farm. Send a cheque for £6.32 payable to D. T. Brown to Old MacDonald’s Collection (61664), D. T. Brown, Bury Road, Newmarket, Suffolk CB8 7PQ, or telephone the orderline on 0845 3710532, quoting reference 61657. The offer is also available online at www.dtbrownseeds.co.uk To find out more about Zambian Mission Support log on at www.zambianmissionsupport.org
To find out more about Zambian Mission Support log on at www.zambianmissionsupport.org
