A month ago my world compressed. Notice was given that, due to the COVID virus, volunteering at the Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens (RTBG) could not continue for its duration.  A fortnight ago the RTBG was closed to visitors. All very sad.

Only staff remain.  So, it is with great delight that I have learnt from Food Garden Coordinator Adam, that seedlings are still coming from the nursery and other Garden’s staff are helping him. This means that new crops have been planted and that harvests for the food distribution charity Second Bite can still be made and provided to them.  All very heartening.

In the first photo below I can see wonderfully healthy quinces and I am not sure whether the right hand trays contain kiwi fruit or passionfruit. The second photo show various tomatoes, various pumpkins, beans, passionfruit, two different kinds of eggplant, capsicum, feijoas and other produce which I cannot identify. The third photo presents more feijoas, capsicums, passionfruit, yellow cherry tomatoes, other tomatoes and perhaps the bowl on the right hand side holds hazelnuts.  Glorious produce! But have I got them all? Have I missed some?  Probably – please tell me.

I am not sure about the plants in the photo below; some look like lettuce and some like rocket. Are others brassicas?

Adam’s message that accompanied these great photos made me laugh:  ‘I am also nurturing some awesome weeds for when you all return’.  Very amusing!