go! Platteland

The slow life is the good life: go! Platteland celebrates the rural lifestyle and the entrepreneurial spirit of people whose hearts are in the platteland – whether they grew up in the countryside or are already based there, are contemplating making the move or simply hankering after the rural life. Platteland offers articles that focus on entrepreneurs, DIY projects, animals, gardening, food, towns and people. It is both practical and inspiring – as much of a visual feast as it is a celebration of great writing.

The wonders of a garden

go! Platteland

Chitchat

News & diary • Summer starting to wind down is no reason for your social calendar to cool down too – an abundance of festivals and events has been planned for autumn. Take the time to explore the harvest season on an unconventional farm, and visit a “play school”for dogs.

Jackye’s pink buns

It’s a (wonderful) dog’s life

Time to start planting winter bulbs

Join in the buzz about beekeepers

Dates to diarise*

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Let’sgo to town • Our autumn shopping trip, looking for interesting artisanal products, took us to places like Dysselsdorp, Eversdal, Green Point, Hermanus, Pacaltsdorp, Parkview, Riversdale, Somerset West, Van Reenen and Vermaaklikheid.

The miracle worker of Carnarvon • We like stories about platteland communities that rally together to rescue their town, but usually the process starts with one person – and sometimes that one person makes such a big difference that it seems like a miracle…

Barrydale Second chances and fresh starts • There’s a new kind of energy in Barrydale, thanks to an influx of people over the past two years who are investing generous amounts of love, money and time in the town. They’ll tell you that they live in the best place on earth.

Meet the people

Swallowed up by the Karoo • On the farm Snyderskloof near Matjiesfontein it feels as though you are in the middle of nowhere – and that’s exactly where you should be if you want to get off the digital hamster wheel.

Kick back in Colesberg! • The N1 runs past Colesberg, halfway between Cape Town and Johannesburg. Mia Louw spent time in this Northern Cape town recently and met some of the residents. It’s well worth a stopover next time you drive that route.

Kliprand… Barely there • If you just drive, drive, drive north from Cape Town and you eventually find yourself on the R358 gravel road, beyond the Knersvlakte, on the edge of Bushmanland, and you start to wonder where in the world you are, you’re getting close. Keep your eyes peeled, because Kliprand lies just over the hill. Or is it the next hill?

Paradise found • In spring, when South Africa’s open-garden season is in full swing, we always marvel at the time, money and effort that go into opening up private gardens for the public to enjoy. When the Hogsback Garden Club hosted the Magical Roses & Rhodis weekend in November as part of its Open Gardens programme, Platteland was there.

Gardens for growth • When life bears down on you and things go wrong, when it feels as though the fertile seeds in your head are being blown away to barren soil, that is when you need to escape to fabulous gardens like those of Bedford, writes Annelise Erasmus, a small-time gardener from Pretoria.

Down the garden path • For me, autumn is the most beautiful time of the year, both in the garden and in nature. The cooler weather also offers a reprieve for plants and humans alike after the hot summer months. Here’s how to give your rose garden a boost before winter and how to preserve some of your vegetable harvest.

ANDREA’S PLANT WONDERLAND Invasive bunnies and other creatures

When the roses are in full bloom • Thanks to the balmier weather and fewer...