The Cubs learnt about sustainable food production and gardening and used these skills to serve community.

On 13 September, all of the children prepared vegetable beds at the Scout Hall and cut plastic bottles into plant containers. All of the children then planted a selection of seeds in the beds at the Scout Hall and in the containers. Once the seeds in the containers had started to grow, some of the containers were brought back to the hall and others were planted at home. The children learnt which types of plants were suitable for growing in hot, dry climates (Waterwise gardening) and what plants need to grow. They also learnt how to plant to attract birds and bees to gardens. The children planted cuttings (especially Spekboom) and harvested some vegetables. We all learnt the importance of regular watering and the positioning of the plants in the sun for optimal growth. The Cubs valued their homegrown vegetables after seeing the effort it takes to grow them. It was exciting to see the development of the seeds and cuttings on a daily basis. In addition to the activities on 13 September, on 4 October and 11 October 2019 gardening was the theme at the Cub meetings covering all aspects of the gardening badge.

The ten year-old Cubs completed the Food for Life badge. They learnt the following:

- how to choose the best place for a food garden (in the sun);

- how to care for garden tools;

- mulching the soil (with composting materials; eg. leaves);

- trying out watering techniques such as hand watering and watering with submerged plastic bottles;

They also learnt about the nutritional value of fruit and vegetables. Many homegrown vegetables were enjoyed by the families of the Cubs.

Overall, the Cubs learnt how much tastier vegetables are when they are homegrown and they learnt how to choose a good place to make a food growing bed. They learnt how to use and clean equipment. They took turns to water the food garden regularly. They learnt about the nutritional value of the vegetables they planted and ate. 

Having learnt these skills, the Cubs joined forces with the Randpark Ridge Cub pack to complete two projects. The first involved establishing a food garden at Village Safe Haven. Village Safe Haven is a cluster foster care facility for orphaned, vulnerable and abused children. The Cubs prepared  vegetable beds and brought seedlings and planted them. The second project involved the preparation of flower beds at the Scout Hall. The Cubs then planted flower seedlings to beautify the Scout Hall.