Gentle growing

Most gardeners are kind, but for Niva and Yotam Kay it’s a quality they possess in abundance. Not only is the produce they grow kind to our bodies but it’s also kind to the planet, thanks to the regenerative methods they use at their market garden and organic farm in the Kauaeraunga Valley, near Thames.

There, they live off the grid with their daughters, Lily, 10, and Dina, 7, their chocolate kelpie Luna and an assortment of ducks, chickens, sheep, worms and bees. Their produce, which is sold at the local organic store and cafés, and at the Thames Market every Saturday, is grown according to the permacultural