In many countries, South Africa in particular, health problems related to dietary excess is an ever
increasing threat especially for pregnant woman, children and infants, as they cannot achieve their potential level
of physical and mental development. Therefore, this study used nutritional diversity as a substitute to measure the
contribution of home gardening to food security of low-income households. Fifty (50) respondents that consisted
of gardening and non-gardening households were selected through stratified random sampling for the study. Femaleheaded
households were dominant among gardening households and the majority were married. The findings show
that household members from gardening households were more literate than non-gardening households, and as such
they were more likely to be employed than their non-gardening counterparts. Households with gardens have a
higher number of members than households without gardens. The results also revealed that the households that
practice home gardening enjoy diverse diets as compared to non-gardening households. The majority of both
gardening and non-gardening households regard diversifying their diets as slightly important. The majority of the
gardening households indicated that they grow their own vegetables for consumption. Recommendations to
overcome these challenges were suggested.