Gardening DUO

The Story of Sabrina and Roderick

The Story of Sabrina and Roderick

Power couple Sabrina Maxius and Roderick Best are enthusiastic when it comes to nature. They are the proud owners of Nafre’s Health Haven, a business that caters to handmade natural products and massage therapy. They have owned other businesses like Power 4 Kidz Club and RoBina’s Food Stop, both of which came to

a close due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Despite having a longdistance relationship, Sabrina and Roderick are very much community oriented, and are passionate about kitchen gardening. Sabrina first started the home garden project in old tyres in 2015, where she planted watermelons, ground nuts, lettuce, bok choy and okras, just to name a few. It was somewhat challenging but she stuck it through and had wonderful rewards. When Roderick came home in 2017, he became the main small gardener, forking, digging, planting, tending and checking for snails, slugs and other pests. They expanded the garden from the tyres, to the back and front yards, utilising every possible space, planting everything they could. They used natural products like neem oil, garlic water, sea salt and cayenne pepper to curb pests. Their harvest was prosperous, and became healthy food on the table, a source of income and neighbourly love.

After some successful months of sowing and reaping, this gardening team was faced with unimaginable miscreants that wreaked havoc. These miscreants were monkeys. From the time the monkeys took over,

it was really hard to keep any produce. What the monkeys didn’t steal, they destroyed, and replanting became financially burdensome. Roderick had vowed to build a greenhouse to protect the small crops, but Covid19 halted his flight home, thus stalling his venture. The couple is still looking forward to continuing the garden project with an extension of a few farm animals.

Sabrina and Roderick are active participants in the SOS Meet-Ups, which are the virtual workshops hosted by Grown at Home Magazine. The pair freely discusses with the group, issues related to food wastage, healthy living, community gardens, agricultural integrity and alternative energy. Filled with determination and innovative ideas for their family and community, this entrepreneurial garden duo is destined for more great things as they continue on their quest for food security.