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.

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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.

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/