Champ d'Habit started in 2019 when three neighbours in Burgerport began swapping notes on preserving excess tomatoes and fixing leaky taps without calling a plumber. What began as a WhatsApp group of twelve households has grown into a moderated forum where South African families share tested methods for food preservation, water-wise cleaning, and small-space gardening. This page tells the story of the people behind the platform and the principles that keep the conversation practical, honest, and useful.
Who we are
The first thread was about a glut of butternut that nobody wanted to waste. Someone suggested pickling, another neighbour shared a family recipe for chutney, and within a week the group had organised a small swap. That simple exchange became the pattern for everything we do now.
Practical knowledge travels best between people who trust each other.We are not about perfect homesteads or expensive equipment. We are about the half-hour you spend on a Saturday bottling surplus beans, the bucket of greywater you redirect to the lemon tree, and the drill you borrow from two doors down instead of buying. Every thread is tested by someone who actually did it.
If it works in a two-bedroom flat, it belongs on the forum.You do not need a farm or a full workshop to take part. Our members live in townhouses, rented apartments, and older homes with small yards. The forum is organised so a first-time fermenter can ask a basic question without feeling out of place, and a retired handyman can offer a clear answer.
Every level of experience has a seat at the table.We keep the forum free of sponsored posts and affiliate noise. When someone recommends a cleaning method or a tool brand, they explain the context: what it costs, how long it lasted, and where it fell short. The moderators are long-time members who check that advice is safe, especially around food preservation and electrical repairs.
Good advice is specific about its limits.We are building harvest calendars for each province so members know when to preserve what, and expanding the tool-swap board to more suburbs. The next step is a series of illustrated tutorials that break down repairs like replacing a washer or patching a wall, filmed in real kitchens and garages.
Local knowledge, written down so it lasts.Champ d'Habit works alongside local gardening clubs, preservation co-ops, and repair workshops across South Africa. These are the groups whose members test our tutorials, host swap days, and keep the forum grounded in real household practice.
Runs monthly seed and seedling exchanges in Pietermaritzburg, and contributes regional planting calendars for the forum.
A network of households in the Karoo sharing greywater systems and drought-tolerant cleaning routines since 2019.
Coordinates the tool-swap board in Johannesburg, lending drills, ladders, and sewing machines to member households.
Runs canning and fermenting workshops in Cape Town, and reviews every preservation guide before it goes live.
Connects small-scale vegetable growers in Bloemfontein, offering mentorship for beginners and surplus produce swaps.