They are normally a hive of activity. August comes and they lie dormant.
I am referring to the organic garden beds that nestle on the side of The Brasserie restaurant; enclosed in a greenhouse allowing the contents to thrive and flourish without battling against peckish birds and hungry insects.
Then summer bursts upon the scene, the school holidays arrive, and tourism slows with the onset of rainy season. The Brasserie grabs this chance to freshen up and restock over August, giving the gardens a much-needed rest.
This means that all the produce is harvested, leaving the beds bare and coinciding with the closure of The Brasserie in August.
“I am currently harvesting leaves like callaloo, spinach, pack choi, mustard, arugula, perilla and cabbage, as well as banana, plantain, Surinam cherry, mangoes, breadfruit, and hot peppers. The list is longer if I include the herbs,” says Culinary Gardener, Aidé Lopez.
It’s important to rest the beds so that the soil can be replenished with the essential nutrients that ensure a continuously reliable and delicious harvest year-long.
“We focus on all the nutrients that our vegetables need. The macro and micro nutrients are found in manure and compost, so we add all these components only when the bed is empty to ensure we do not burn the plants,” Aidé says.
“I have just opened a compost pallet that has been covered for 9 months to dry, aerate and release gases. From that pile we will get the material for the beds.
“We also use this opportunity to remove weeds and redesign the composition of the beds. I can explore the soil, and occasionally I will find hundreds of eggs either from snails, earth worms or ants.”
In July, Aidé will add the manure, teas and homemade compost to the beds.
“I’ve already made a plan of the garden for September and that will be my guide when transplanting,” she says.
“We prepare the seedlings three weeks before we transplant them and on the third week of August I will plant the beds according to my plan. This ensures the garden will be ready for The Brasserie reopening in September.”
Radishes, beets, leafy greens, flowers, cucumbers and beans are just a few of the produce that Aidé has selected to plant.
Even though the garden beds are approaching a respite, Aidé is busier than ever; cleaning and disinfecting each pot, as well as the nursery, in preparation for when her seed order arrives.
“This year I will try again the cucamelon – also known as a Mexican sour gherkin, mouse melon, or “little watermelon”. We are grafting cucumber and watermelon to the stem of local pumpkins, which is stronger and more resistant to pests and diseases. And tomato will be grafted to eggplant plants; an experiment by Alex Roque who is an agronomist leading the landscaping team.”
The garden beds might be on holiday, however expect to see guava, soursop, nice berries and avocados dripping from the trees in Cricket Square during August.
All additional produce for the venues staying open during this period, including the Market and Juiced, will be sourced from local farmers.
“The Brasserie’s Chef de Cuisine has forged a good relationship with local farmers and markets on island. They provide produce and we also have a very functional farm where we grow corn, sorrel, okra, tomato, peppers, eggplants, plantains and bananas.”
Rest assured there will still be produce aplenty in August.
