Whilst the Covid-19 Pandemic may have largely brought New Zealand to a standstill, the Vegetable Garden at Cape Kidnappers has still been thriving (albeit on a smaller scale than usual).

Head Chef James Honore has picked what was an outstanding crop of French Breakfast Radish and Bulls Blood Beetroot for pickling and preserves.  Crab apples have also been harvested and turned into Jam.

Very little produce from the garden has been wasted, leaf vegetables (Kale, Cavolo Nero, Rainbow beets and silverbeet) that came into maturity during the lockdown period was given to staff and their families in care packages.

As we were preparing the beds for Autumn, Winter and Spring crops when lockdown was announced, wastage of crops was largely avoided.  Long term crops like carrots and beetroot were sown instead, and these will  be on the menu in August when the lodge reopens.  Beds of Kale, Cavolo Nero, Chives, Leeks, Spinach, Rainbow Chard and Red onions are thriving.

Our Gauva trees are fruiting heavily (so much so that they require re-staking and support) as are the Blood Orange trees.  

The Hot House has been cleared out and the soil within is ready to be amended with great organic products like seaweed, and our own compost that is largely gathered from the extensive lodge gardens and grounds.

Our native edible plants are also doing great (Horopito, KawaKawa, Horokaka and NZ spinach), as are our herb containers (Vietnamese Mint, Lemon Grass, Rosemary, Chives, Thyme, Tarragon, Mint, Oregano, and Garlic Chives etc). 

Our Garlic bed has been prepped and will be planted out in 3 weeks time.

And last but not least, its business for the chickens as usual.  They are quite happily clucking about and still laying  lovely eggs and are more than happy to dispose of any slugs, snails or crop cut offs that come their way (they are also fed organic corn meal and organic laying pellets for extra calcium).