The Kitchen Garden supplied fruit and vegetables to the "Big House", Ardtornish House, for many years until it became no longer financially viable to do so. Several glasshouses and frames were heated by a large coal boiler, enabling the production of tender fruits such as peaches, nectarines and figs. Some of these survive and produce the occasional fruit despite the glasshouses being long since gone.
The garden and gardener's house were then leased to a succession of individuals who mistakenly thought they might succeed as a commercial fruit and vegetable enterprise. In recent times, fruit and vegetable production was restricted to a box scheme for the Raven family and the main source of income was plant sales with most of the plants propagated by Ian and Helen Lamb. On their retiral, having subsisted for 27 years, the box scheme continued and does so today, unfortunately without Helen's valuable contribution as she sadly died 25th August, 2010.
Growing fruit and vegetables in 85 inches of annual rainfall is not easy but can be done. Much of the production is in polytunnels. The remaining glasshouse is barely standing though still partly used.
No pesticides are used on the fruit and vegetables though slug pellets are sometimes used on non-crop areas. Most crops are grown through black woven fabric to minimise time spent weeding. Hoeing is seldom an option in the wet climate.