OUT AND ABOUT

SWILLY GARDENING CLUB VISIT

The Swilly Gardening Club had their annual walkabout last week, and the money raised went to the Samaritans. The rain was threatening but thankfully managed to stay away as the enthusiastic group, including myself, headed out to two local gardens. This years choice were Willie Grant’s near the bridge in Swan Park, which makes great use of the river Crana that runs along the bottom of the garden and Sean Clarkin who lives in Porthaw and also has a lovely backdrop- the Swilly. The two gardens are totally contrasting. Willie has been slowly working on his large plot over the last 33 years since he bought the house. It includes a polythene tunnel for growing tomatoes and small cuttings and also includes a large boat, called the Aberfoyle, which is permanently moored in the lawn. The garden is steeped in history as the house dates back over 200 years. Sean’s two-acre garden on the other hand has been meticulously planted over the last two years and includes low maintenance gravel beds that incorporate wind tolerant shrubs such as the perfect Escallonia Jamie and trees that should mature quickly to give a permanent border around the perfectly manicured lawns and pond complete with a waterfall.

JOHN AND MARY’S TOP TIPS

John and Mary from Fawn in Culdaff have some top tips for getting the best from our veggie patch.

Onion planting
When you are planting onions, put them into groups of four. As they grow they will push apart from one another but keep weeds from growing in the centre. This makes weeding simple and you don’t have to work around them.

Blackfly prevention
Mary nips out the new buds of her bean plants to stop any blackfly. “The flies lay their eggs in the soft tips of the beans. Wait until there are four or five groups of flowers then pinch out the tips”. Mary advises. “This way the blackfly cannot establish themselves”

Intercropping to stop carrot fly
John plants carrots in organised rows to make life easier to weed. Next to the rows, they plant strong smelling crops such as onions and garlic. The reason for this is to confuse carrot fly. “As soon a carrot is lifted the flies smell them and head straight for them”. John tells me. “ They don’t fly more than three feet off of the ground so if you had a small area you could put up a barrier such as the green netting or even grow them in an old bath. For larger areas such as ours we use confusion. It does work but precautions still need to be taken. Tidiness is key here. When you lift the carrots clear all of the carrots from the area that have been pulled up and take them away. Just one loose carrot could attract the pest”.

Feeding
John and Mary are not short of plant food for their acres of chemical free produce. “We use a few different types, mainly in liquid form”. Says John. I am taken over to the large barrels that store to mixes. “The main feeds are comfrey, seaweed and nettle juice. They are very strong so are diluted in water before being applied to the soil. They also act as a foliar feed and can be applied to the leaves. They make a wonderful tonic”. “The best tomato feed you can get”, he tells me, “are tomato leaves rotting in water. Tomatoes are cannibals and love nothing more that the nutrients gathered by their own leaves”. By the looks of their plants he’s right…



Remember that you can contact John and Mary for a visit. Check out their website http://greenhill.weebly.com or phone Mary on 086 327 3315. They also have a library you could join to get your hands on the latest growing books to help you in your quest for the ultimate veggies.

One more thing…

Hugh Henderson from the gardening club tells us that if you want to ripen fruit quickly but do not have a banana to hand then use a bucket of manure. The fumes from the dung will get the sugars flowing… any type will do as long as it is smelly…

ORGANIC FARMING INISHOWEN

I am still in John and Mary’s fantastic Greenhill organic farm in Fawn, Culdaff this week. The knowledge that John and Mary have accumulated in their years of growing could fill a book (and probably will do one day…). Last week I was in the tunnels talking about crop rotation. This week we are out walking around the potato fields…


Spuds

Mary and John only get top quality organic seed for all of the plants that are grown on the farm. The same goes for the potatoes. They grow a few different types of early and maincrop and the seed is certified organic. “Potatoes are a staple food for our customers and finding the types that grow well here is a priority John tells me as he enthusiastically shows me around both the early and maincrop fields. “The maincrop variety is blight resistant which means that we do not have to spray with chemicals. There is a phenomenal demand for good quality potatoes and I am sure if we grew ten times more than we do, they would still be all sold”. He is probably right too as good spuds can sometimes be hard to find. “If I get a phone call from a customer wanting a few pounds then I go straight out into the garden to dig them up. This ensures that the customer gets the freshest produce available” John says. “You can’t get better than that”.

Growing spuds in containers




John has developed a couple of really simple methods of getting a fabulous crop of potatoes. “The first method I tried that is very successful is to plant one or two seed potatoes into a large plastic bag, the type you would get potting compost in. Only fill the bag up to about a quarter initially. As the potatoes grow, pile up good quality soil and rotted kitchen waste around the plant. As time goes by the bag will be full of both soil and up to 100 potatoes.” John then told me of his second method, which is equally as successful. “I have made simple square boxes out of waste planks. These can stack on top of one another as the plants grow. Fill these again with good quality soil and compost for a bumper crop. If anyone would like to know how to make these, I would be happy to pass on the details” John concluded.



Ecosystem in action

Mary and John will go to great lengths to nip any problems they encounter in the bud…. Just because you see a creepy crawly on your veggies it doesn’t mean they are doing any damage. I was showed how easy it is to get a wrong diagnosis on the vegetable crops when it comes to insect pests. Mary picked a severely eaten leaf from the path and showed me three dark insects on the leaf. “When you see this your first reaction is to throw the grubs on the floor” began Mary. “If you examine the insects though, you will see that they are young ladybirds. These don’t eat the leaves but they will munch on the pest that made the holes in the first place. Therefore these are your garden friends”. Mary carefully placed the small grubs back onto the leaves where they can carry on doing their good work. “We wouldn’t spray any of the vegetables for pests as none of them are so selective that they would only kill the pests, the ladybird larvae would die too. When the balance of planting is correct, there is little or no need to intervene, when nature does such a great job. Even slugs are not a problem when the balance is right”.

Country Market

Don’t forget the Country Market on Saturday (26th) in Buncrana. John and Mary will be only to happy to talk more about organic growing. Either check out their website http://greenhill.weebly.com or phone Mary on 086 327 3315. Kevin at Northwest Organic is also available for advice about the home delivery service currently running in Buncrana. He can be contacted on 048 7133 7950

LOCAL ORGANIC VEGETABLES

John and Mary Reilly from Fawn on the outskirts of Cudaff know the importance of growing organic vegetable as part of a healthy diet. Over the last few years they have made a name for themselves around Inishowen by growing fresh seasonal produce for sale direct from their farm, through shops and in vegetable box deliveries supplied by the North West Organics. It seems hard to believe that up to 90% of food is thrown away from production to the plate in conventional supermarket systems and non-composting techniques. I paid John and Mary a visit this week at their organic farm to see first hand how they organise the land and get the best out of the growing season.

Looking good
John likes to play with planning ideas every year to make the vegetable garden visually interesting as well as productive. The straight lines of healthy looking carrots, cabbages and blight resistant spuds in the large beds are living in harmony with artistically planted clumps of lettuce and unworked areas of wild flowers that help to support a myriad of insects. This diversity ensures that the balance of nature keeps down any potential pests without the use of chemicals.

Tomatoes in the tunnel
The space in the tunnels is used all year round thanks to John’s careful planning. “We use crop rotation on the beds in the tunnels as well as outside” says John with a light-hearted enthusiasm he gives to all of his visitors. When one crop of lettuce has gone, something else will go in its place. We also interplant the crops. Sweetcorn, which we are testing this year, takes up a lot of room so we are planting beetroot underneath to utilise every bit of space”.

Air supply
In one of the tunnels there are some really healthy looking tomato plants. John keeps the air and humidity constant, having adapted the doorways of the tunnel. He demonstrated the detachable panels to me. “I use more netting to keep the temperature from getting too high as the midday rays hit the plastic. Panels along the front and back are opened and closed to regulate the heat. Keeping a regular air flow is important to avoid any fungal disease”.

Growing tips
John gave me a little tip for getting the fruit to ripen faster. “If you are in a hurry to start eating the tomatoes, pick and store them in a dark place such as a sock drawer, then put in an apple or a banana. The chemical reaction will turn the tomatoes red in a matter of days.” John has a lot of information on polythene tunnels. “It is important to get the right tunnel for your requirements. I would be happy to give anyone advice on which type to choose”

Crop rotation
Crop rotation is vital in the organic garden to keep soil borne pests and disease from taking hold. I find the discipline quite difficult in my own garden because I tend to forget where I plant things. John doesn’t write things down either but he manages to keep a precise record of everything that is planted in both the tunnels and the outside beds – in his head…



Just how he does this, I don’t know, but however his manages this, it works. “ I sow crops such as scallions on a weekly basis, this makes sure that we have a constant supply to send to the North West Organic Group, the Farm shop in Moville and Mr Boggs the butcher in Malin town. This also makes sure that we have enough for the customers that call to the house. I also sow lettuce, rocket, beetroot, spinach and other salad crops in the same way”. Sowing in succession is an art in itself and it ensures that the customers are always getting the young, fresh crops. I asked John how did he manage to be so organised. “I have weekly sowings, he says, showing me the multi cell trays of fresh new plants. It’s simple and it works.” I must try it myself….


Country market
John and Mary are at the Country Market in Buncrana every other Saturday. The next market is on the 26th of this month.

More information
If you are interested in the idea of getting fresh organic vegetables collected from the farm, then contact John and Mary through their website http://greenhill.weebly.com or phone Mary on 086 327 3315.

MAKE YOUR OWN MINI PROPAGATOR - THE MOVIE

Check out gardening.ie the website


Caution: Never put any chemicals or flammable liquids in containers that were not designed for that purpose...

STRAWBERRIES

Growing great strawberries
If you have strawberry plants in the garden you will be joining the crowds at Wimbledon and enjoying a big bowlful of them, with cream. They will be a lot sweeter when you realise how much cheaper your bowl is. It isn’t difficult to grow your own and you can even plant them out now. Strawberries thrive in a wide range of soils, from light sand to heavy clay. Ideally though, not too wet. Put them in a place where the soil is well-drained and rich in humus. They prefer to be planted in full sun and out of the wind (like when we are on the beach).

Prepare the soil prior to planting by digging over the soil, removing any perennial weeds by hand and adding manure to the ground. Place the strawberry plants every 35cm (13 in) within the row, with the rows being 75cm (30 in) apart, and plant with the crown at soil level. Water in well and do what you can to keep the slugs away…

Strawberry plants can produce fruit for five or six years. However, after the first two years the yields will be reduced dramatically and a build-up of pests and diseases can occur. Strawberry beds are usually kept for two or three years before they're cleared and planted on new ground.

Growing tips
Regularly hoe between the rows and individual plants. You might also want to place a net over the strawberries to stop birds and squirrels from eating the fruit. Place straw in the rows and under the fruit trusses to suppress weeds and prevent the fruit lying on the ground. Barley straw is the best option, as it's softer and more pliable. If you can't get straw, use polythene sheeting, such as an old bin bag.

Growing in a basket
Growing strawberries in a hanging basket ensures they're kept out of the way of slugs. Plant five to six plants in a basket in spring, and water every day during the growing season. From flowering until harvest, feed the plants every ten days with a product that's high in potassium, such as a tomato feed. The same strawberry plants should continue to produce fruit the following year, but the crops will be better if the plants are renewed.

How to harvest
Pick any fruit as soon as it's ripe to prevent it rotting on the plant. Check the plants every other day during the ripening period. The fruit is ready when it has turned red, although different varieties have different shades. It's best to harvest the fruit in dry weather. Pick gently to avoid bruising and make sure the green stalk (calyx) remains with the fruit.

Aftercare
After harvesting, remove the straw or matting that has been protecting fruit from the ground. Compost straw and debris, or clean and store matting for next year.

Cut off old leaves with hand shears and remove, leaving the crown and new leaves untouched. This allows sunlight into the centre of the plant, ensuring a better crop next year.

Feed and water well.

Leave nets off to allow birds to pick off any pests.

Propagation
It's simple to make more strawberry plants. The plants send out runners over the surface of the soil during the growing season. These can be pegged down, usually in June or July, while attached to the mother plant. Eventually, they will form a separate plant. Allow about five runners to develop from each plant, this will stop the mother plant being too drained of energy. In August, when the runner plants are well established, cut them from the parent and either put into pots or their new place in the garden.

Five to try
· ‘Elvira’ - a heavy cropper producing large, soft fruits from June to early July.
· ‘Hapil’ - high-yielding variety with large, bright red fruits from early to late July.
· ‘Florence’ - grows well in all soils and produces large, dark fruit in late summer.
· ‘Vivarosa’ - one of the few varieties to produce pink (instead of white) flowers.
· ‘Fragaria vesca’- provides good ground cover in cottage gardens.