NEW VEGETABLE PATCH

We have been expanding our veggie empire over the last few weeks. With the price of fuel going through the roof bumping up the price of nearly all of our groceries, there is no better time, or excuse, to start growing your own. Being able to go out into the garden and pick food for tea gives me a great deal of satisfaction. It’s also very good exercise and the taste is far superior to most shop bought products, cheaper too. You can pick what you need when you need it, leaving the rest to grow in both size and nutritional content.

Raised beds
We have been cramming the vegetables in seven small 6 foot by 3 foot raised beds until recently, but this wasn’t nearly enough to feed the growing family for more than a few meals a year, so it was time to remove some more grass and spread out. To save our backs, a small mini digger, being used by a neighbour was brought in to scrape off the top growth of grass and reeds to create the initial bare bones of the plot.

We then began by deciding how the site was to be laid out. I like the idea of raised beds; they are beneficial in a number of ways.

Raised beds drain more effectively when the soil gets wet
They warm up sooner in early summer giving the young plants a head start.
You don’t compact the soil by walking on it like in a conventional vegetable patch.
They are easier to work on because you don’t have to bend over so far.
And lastly, I like things to look neat.


We wanted the beds to be a bit larger than the ones we have been using. As convenient as the existing ones are, they proved to be a bit restricting when growing larger plants such as courgettes and broccoli. Instead of using the treated fence panels as before, we decided to just mound up the soil into beds of about 14 foot long by 4 foot wide. The length isn’t too important but for the width, you need to be able to work on the beds without compacting the soil. We didn’t want to use anything too solid in the design so the paths in between the beds are made from recycled pallet wood ground up into small chippings by the local recycling centre. The wood acts as a very effective path that stops us getting muddy in wet weather and is sturdy enough to run the wheelbarrow over.



It all happened so quickly.
As soon as the beds were made we started to plant. Firstly we had some very poorly looking garlic and onion sets, which we put in the ground. These needed urgent attention and have made a miraculous recovery. The salad went in next. It only seems like a few days ago when the seeds were planted but we are already enjoying a bumper crop of lettuce, rocket, coriander, chives, parsley and radishes.

The young courgette plants had a bit of a slow start because we had to rely on watering with the hosepipe at first, as there was no rain. Plants don’t respond well to tap, but since the weather turned wetter the plants have just burst into life and we are harvesting the small delicious vegetables nearly every day. The first sowing of peas and beans are also working their way up the hazel rods and the spinach is young and tender and ready for picking. Let’s not forget the fruit, blackcurrants are forming and e are also watching the strawberries turning red.

Not everything happens so quickly in the veggie patch though. Some things are worth waiting for. The brussel sprouts will be ready in time for the Christmas period and the purple sprouting broccoli will be there in the early spring.

Help is at hand
Planned well, this vegetable patch could supply us with fresh, home grown food at all times of the year. I also like the fact that we are partly self-sufficient and not so dependent on the price of fuel and transportation costs dictating the price of everything we are buying. Starting small is the key so things don’t get on top of you. All that is needed are a couple of beds and a bit of forward planning.




If you want any help starting a vegetable patch, we have plenty of friendly advice and help on the forum site on http://www.gardening.ie/

WHAT TO DO WITH GRASS CLIPPINGS

When the days are at their longest, some of us with large expanses of grass tend to start sinking under the vast quantities of clippings produced. The simplest way to deal with them is to just leave them on the lawn. There is even a phrase known as "grass cycling" to make us feel less lazy when it comes to dealing with the problem. The grass clippings soon rot down and are a natural feed. This saves money buying fertilizer and saves time bagging up.



There are a few points to note though.



1. Grass will need to be mown frequently (every five days) to prevent your lawn drowning in clippings. Check the cutting blades of the mower are sharp; this will help get a clean cut.



2. Avoid mowing when the grass is damp or wet as this causes the mower to drop large clumps of grass every so often. In my experience, it's hard to combine the wet weather and five day mowing rule due to our climate, but we can try.



3. Be aware that children and dogs will track these clippings indoors possibly onto carpets. In some cases, an adapter kit is required to allow you to safely operate your mower without a bag, or alternatively you could opt for a new mulching lawn mower itself. These tend to be quite expensive, but it may save you a lot of time and fertiliser.

Add areas of low maintenance in the lawn to cut down on excessive grass clippings

Compost them

Grass clippings are approximately 85 percent water and 4 percent nitrogen, which means if composted correctly they will rapidly reduce to one tenth of their volume. A bag of grass clippings would reduce to handful or two of compost. Add carbonA compost heap usually includes other wet waste such as vegetable peelings and fruit. To balance this out, dry matter or carbon material could be added. This will help to keep the air circulating and stop it from smelling. Dry matter includes paper, wood chips, leaves and broken sticks.



Add equal amounts of wet and dry matter to keep the fruit flies at bay and stop the smells. Another way to let the oxygen circulate in your pile is to aerate it. This means turning the grass clippings and other materials to loosen up the piles. Let them bakePut grass clippings in the sun for a day before adding them to the compost pile. This will dry out the clippings and reduce the volume considerably. Adding lime to the compost bin will help to kick-start the decomposing process and prevent the development of moulds and nasty odours.



If you have recently applied pesticides or herbicides to your lawn, do not add the grass clippings to your compost piles until the rain has wash off these chemicals completely.Bin themIf you have a brown bin, then take advantage of this to dispose of your lawn clippings. This is perfect for gardens with a small lawn.



Under the hedge

Grass clippings can be used for weed control at the base of your hedges. This helps to retain moisture and adds organic matter and nutrients to the soil. For best results spread about an inch or two of weed free clippings at the base of the hedge avoiding its main stems. Add more clippings when the previous batch has broken down.



Over the hedge

A pile of grass clippings is very attractive to hungry horses, ponies, donkeys, cows and sheep, but if the animals gorge themselves on the grass, it can prove fatal. Pasture bloat and colic are the main cause of illness, then there is always the possibility of pesticide poisoning if the lawn has been treated recently. Be wary of using this method of disposal, especially if you are doing it unawares to the farmer.



Reduce your lawn area

Try adding flowerbeds and areas of low maintenance if grass clippings are getting too much for you. Also you could plant a few native trees and shrubs for the birds. Less lawn equals fewer clippings...

HERBS IN THE GARDEN

Most herbs are trouble free to grow and look after. They look good, smell good and do you good. Ever since humans have been on the earth, herbs have been used as medicines, perfumes, insect repellents and, of course, in foods and flavourings.

This huge group of plants includes trees, shrubs, annuals and even cacti, to name but a few. One important thing to remember when growing herbs is that they are the foundation of all modern medicine. They are not the gentle, delicate things some would like you to think. They are healers, therefore they should be treated with respect, and if you are considering them for specific medicinal use always consult a doctor or qualified herbalist. If you are growing herbs for use in the kitchen then you could have fun reading up on how they flavour food. Some herbs aid digestion and help you sleep soundly for example.

Easy to grow
Herbs can tolerate all types of tough growing conditions. Most of them were originally wild plants that grew in poor soil. Some varieties can be spoilt by the lush conditions of a garden. If they grow too large their flavours and properties become lessened. It's a myth that all herbs like full sun; even good old basil likes partial shade at midday. So when planning your garden, you can divide your plants into two sections, those like thyme, sage, rosemary, French tarragon and oregano that like full sun and those that like partial shade, such as rocket, sorrel, lettuce, mustard, parsley and chervil.

Containers and window boxes
Some plants that will do well in a herb window box on the sunny side of the house are chives, oregano and lemon thyme. Creeping thyme could be used to drape over the edge of the containers. However, on the shady side of the house a salad herb window box could be planted up with wild rocket, chervil, French parsley and red mustard.




Growing Tips
When growing herbs in containers, use a soil-based compost, either organic or something like John Innes potting compost. This is because there are very few herbs that grow in peat, and a soil-based compost retains moisture, which is a must to stop containers drying out.

Water the containers in the morning rather than the evening because this gives the plants a chance if the temperatures are hot during the day, especially for containers grown in full sun.
Feed container plants weekly from March until September. This keeps the plants healthy, helps them produce tasty leaves, especially on cut and come again salads. As we are on the coast, a seaweed-based feed is ideal or you could make your own comfrey or nettle juice now. These are not too strong and both will promote healthy leaf growth without making the plants grow too big and tasteless.

NEW FORUM SITE

DO YOU NEED GARDENING ADVICE?

Most of us have gardening questions that need answering at some time. Unfortunately I can’t cover all of them in a weekly article, as there just isn’t the room. To get over this issue I have teamed up with Irish Gardeners.com to give you an unparalleled gardening forum on my website www.gardening.ie. It is a very lively site with plenty of tips, advice and discussions. It’s free to join and I look forward to meeting you there…

BLOOM 2008

I went to the Bloom Flower Festival in Dublin presented by Bord Bia (the Irish Food Board) last week. It is the second year that the event has been on in Phoenix Park and I couldn’t miss the opportunity to take some photos for my website.

Big business
The amenity horticulture and landscaping sector is currently worth about €2 billion to the Irish economy annually, so the event is a key player in highlighting modern gardening trends and products. There were plenty of stalls selling a great range of home-made produce including cheeses, spreads and sweets. My son (who came with me) disappeared and returned with the biggest chunk of delicious fudge (it took him three days to finish it). It looked like a piece of marble stone and was a work of art…before it was devoured.

There was a large turn out of nurseries displaying this year’s plants as well as companies showcasing the latest in gardening labour saving devices and accessories.


There seems to be a lot of drama this year too in the garden, with bold architectural planting, which reflect what a creative lot the Irish gardeners are. Environmental issues are high on the agenda in the gardening world. Organic vegetable growers were well represented by the Dublin Meath Growers and there were sponsored gardens highlighting the need to feed yourselves from home grown produce, make your own compost and save the water that comes off your roof to irrigate the plants.

BLOOMIN’ MARVELLOUS

Health and Well-being
Floristry was well covered too, and a whole pavilion was taken up with fantastic displays. One that caught my eye used blue and red neon lighting to highlight the already bright colours. They were aptly called Madflowers. Less mad were conservation groups such as Bird Watch Ireland who reflected the diversity of outdoor interests and if anyone was interested in cookery there were displays running all through the weekend. A big emphasis was put on health and wellness at the show and dieticians and health experts were at hand to give talks and advise people on how to get - and stay healthy.


DESIGN
I was particularly interested in the show gardens. These are generally gardens that are so well laid out and planted that you could come away feeling as though your own plot was just a pile of old broken toys and wind blown overgrown shrubs. Don’t let that put you off though. It is the same as walking around the Ideal Homes Exhibition. The rooms are beautiful but are not lived in. In fact both my lad and I got told off a few times for climbing over the ropes and walking around the designs. The gardens can spark off your imagination but if you incorporated some of the ideas into your own garden they wouldn’t necessarily look the same as in a show garden as they would be more than just something to look at.

High Standards
The standard of design was really high for all sizes of gardens and although most designers are based in the Southeast, (perhaps reflecting denser populations, more expendable income and different priorities).

Small gardens used structures to give the illusion of space; one designer used large irregular four sided frames to magically change your perspective on the view (likened to Alice through the Looking Glass). I really enjoyed the use of different materials in the designs, one garden had slate, water, grass, bricks, slabs and wood all in the space of a few feet. Architectural features are important in a garden to give it depth. Peter Donegan went one better and included items that were either recycled or recyclable, including a 1957 pink, three storey pleasure boat. The Living Classroom entry inspired school grounds to be used for organic food production and to learn about biodiversity. The key phrase being “Think global act local”. School grounds tend to be concrete and grass so initiatives that will promote organic growing and educational wildlife areas with a pond will hopefully be the norm. It doesn’t have to be serious either. The south Dublin Education Society designed a Good Fun School Garden which incorporated overflowing baths and graffiti as well 5 separate areas representing the senses. Bord Bia will soon be coming out with a DVD on the subject so teachers can keep an eye out for it.
An inspiring day out and I plan to return next year. You can check out some of the photos on my website or visit the Bloom website

BUTTERFLIES IN THE GARDEN

June is bustin’ out all over
It doesn’t seem a minute ago that we were planting daffodil bulbs in containers for early spring colour. Now we are witnessing a real surge in growth as herbaceous borders are full of flowers and the vegetable patch is providing it’s first rich pickings. Salad plants are usually the first off the starting block with lettuce and rocket shooting up ahead of the radishes. If you have salad crops grown from seed, keep an eye on them and thin out early sowings. (Their final spacing is usually indicated on the seed packets if you still have them).

Give them some room
Congested seedlings never reach their full potential, as they distort one another as they grow, resulting in a much smaller crop. Carefully pull out unwanted seedlings, leaving the rest at the desired spacing. Water the row to settle the soil back around the roots of the remaining ones. If you are wanting to plant more veggies in the patch, June is the right time. Crops to sow outside in early June include runner beans, dwarf French beans, kohl rabi, carrots, marrows, cauliflowers, peas, ridge cucumbers, sweet corn, swede, lettuce, endive, squashes and spinach.


Attracting butterflies to the garden
Have you ever fancied having your garden full of butterflies in the summer? You might be pleased to learn that attracting butterflies into the garden doesn’t take much effort and just a bit of thought now will ensure that your garden is a riot of activity in the coming months. Even if you’re garden is tiny, butterflies will still be attracted to it as long as you have planted suitable nectar plants as it’s the nectar from the flowers that supplies the adult butterfly with food.

You’ll never work alone
To increase the number of butterflies in the garden, plant suitable flowers such as bluebells, dandelions, pansies, primroses, sweet william and wallflowers. If you want to encourage butterflies to stay right through until autumn, then chrysanthemum, French marigold, forget-me-nots, lavender, mint and honeysuckle could also be planted. Garden centres will be able to give you plenty of advice about nectar bearing plants for spring and summer. Plant them in a sunny but sheltered spot as butterflies enjoy the warmth. The more different species of plants you have, the greater the variety of species of butterflies you’re likely to attract. Keep the new plants well watered too as this helps them produce more nectar.

Feeding the caterpillars
You can also boost the population of butterflies by providing a good food source for caterpillars. Nettles, sweet rocket and garlic mustard are all ideal and most common species of butterfly will be happy to lay their eggs on these plants. Caterpillars will not cause noticeable damage but if you have problems with caterpillars eating the your cabbage leaves, take time to pick them off as opposed to spraying with pesticides. Alternatively, some gardeners prefer to cover their cabbages with fleece to stop butterflies from laying their eggs there. For those who are not that keen on having nettles growing with other plants, you might prefer to plant some nettles in pots instead and bury them in the ground in a sunny area where they will do the same job but not get out of control. If you grow herbs, plant enough for both yourself and the caterpillars as they enjoy eating things like fennel, parsley and dill and this will help to keep them away from other flowers in your garden. If you have any doubts about how effective this type of garden is at attracting butterflies, go down to Swan Park and have a look to see the activity in the butterfly garden.