Yotam and Niva Kay of Pakaraka Farm in Coromandel.
Yotam and Niva Kay of Pakaraka Farm in Coromandel.
A pair of Israelis who have made the Coromandel their home operate a thriving market garden that produces over 8500 kilograms of fruit and vegetables a season from a quarter-acre piece of land.
Yotam and Niva Kay, of Pakaraka Farm in Coromandel, have their second book, The Abundant Kitchen, out now.
The garden is part of a 180-acre steep-slope regenerating bush farm that boasts commercial chestnut, pecan and olive orchards, as well as sheep, cattle, chickens and fruit trees.
They now teach regenerative gardening courses and are booked out all year round.
Niva said the couple came to the Coromandel in 2014 in part because Yotam had a cousin living in Thames and added that the peninsula was a natural fit for market gardening and permaculture, which isa concept of minimising waste by utilising land, resources, people and the environment and creating closed-loop systems.
“We love this region, especially for its natural environment.”
Niva said the advantages of growing on a small plot were numerous.
“The garden layout is the first opportunity to think about best soil practices and create a healthy garden ecosystem. For us, in our slopey site, a main part of it meant creating permanent beds, on contour.
“Forming beds on contour means that the beds are perpendicular to the slope. This layout slows down water flow and reduces soil runoff. While also increasing water retention in the landscape, which reduces our water use.
“Permanent beds mean that the bed stays a bed and the path stays a path and they don’t mix. It also means we don’t need to till our soil to recreate them every season. This is known as no-till gardening. By not tilling, we are maintaining a healthy soil structure, which is the habitat for so many creatures that rely on it to survive and thrive.
“With no-till practice and minimal soil disturbance, carbon stays in the soil. Soil carbon is key in sustaining soil structure, feeding and diversifying the soil’s living community and enhancing the soil’s water-holding capacity.
“We prepare the beds so vegetables have optimal conditions to grow with forking.
“Forking is just as effective as digging at aerating the soil but is actually easier work, and has the advantage of minimally disturbing the distinct layers within the topsoil, which are much better left intact.
“When we are forking a bed for the first time, we start with small bites, working backwards. With every forking, it becomes easier and easier, as we take care not to compact the soil, by stepping on the beds or running heavy machinery on them. At this point, we only need to fork our beds once a season.
“When we look at a bed, we ask ourselves, how can we have as many plants growing in it as possible?
“What we want is to create a living ground cover, so the plants themselves act as mulch. We aim to have the bed fully covered as quickly as possible, to reduce weed pressure and water evaporation, essentially creating a microclimate that better protects the soil and is enjoyed by the plants.
“If we are growing a slow crop that won’t quickly cover the soil by itself, we will use the gaps to interplant a quick-growing crop. By planting multiple successions we don’t have to stretch each plant to its limits. Instead, we can plan for reliable production and boost our yields across the season.”
Niva and Yotam Kay's first book.
Niva added that organic practices were strictly adhered to at Pakaraka Farm.
“We never use chemical fertilisers, pesticides, herbicides or fungicides. When chemical inputs are introduced, they hurt the surrounding ecology as well as the soil’s living community.
“Besides growing a variety of vegetables, we also planted flowers, herbs and perennials in and around the vegetable garden to create a more complex ecosystem. That keeps pollinators happy with a year-round selection of blooms and provides a safe home for small predators that help us with pest control.
“Growing lots of produce (we grow an average of 10,000kg of produce on quarter of an acre a season) in a small space also allows more room for nature and wildlife.”
Yotam and Niva’s farm was not immune to the extreme weather events that plagued the Coromandel in the summer of 2022-23.
“Cyclone Gabrielle and the heavy rainfall this year have impacted our farm in many ways, including slips and roading damage on the farm. The garden crops and yield were affected by the unexpected consistent wet weather over the summer and autumn, which had a flowing effect into the winter,” Niva said.
The market garden’s yield is sold locally at organic shops scattered around the Coromandel and produce is regularly donated to the community.
“We grow microgreens, salad greens and herbs year-round and grow seasonal vegetables such as tomatoes, cucumbers and courgettes,” Niva said.
“We also regularly ferment and preserve garden produce, as detailed in our new book ‘The Abundant Kitchen - A Practical Guide to Making Ferments, preserves and pickles, and we teach workshops to share these skills with others.
The Abundant Kitchen by Niva & Yotam Kay, photography by Aaron McLean, is published by Allen & Unwin NZ, RRP $49.99.
