Strawberry Plant Babies
It can really get on my goat when the grow your own and save yourself money marketing brigade continue to thrust their [not so] ideal[s] upon the ordinary Joe punter gardener. Let me put this in context, when a bag of compost costs €6 and the strawberry plants cost €3 and you or I may [...]
{ all posts, grow your own } { 2 comments }Fruiting Investments
as always you can rss the podcasts via iTunes or direct via audioboo or you subscribe to the blog and listen to them right here. As you can see from the first image we had a lot of flowers on the cherry trees a few months ago… Slight bit early maybe, I’m actually @donegangardens on [...]
{ all posts, grow your own } { One comment }Hens: Diana Missing
For those that don’t know. I have had 4 hens called The Supremes. Diana obviously [pictured above], Jean, Cindy and Mary. I was intending to put a post out about Diana. She’d been brooding for some while on an estimated 20 eggs and would not get off them. 3-5 days later I had to make [...]
{ all posts, grow your own } { 5 comments }Coriander – Coriandrum
Some say it is used as an aphrodisiac. Others know it as chinese parsley or the parsley substitute. But whilst it maybe most used in abundance in cooking… it maybe a lesser known fact to some that the seeds are that used to make curry powder. Amn’t I just a mind full of trivial information. [...]
{ all posts, grow your own } { One comment }Chives – Allium schoenoprasum
A bit like the sorrel plant, in the sense that this is another one of those just plant it and your pretty much sorted for life in this department. A member of the Allium or Onion [alliaceae/ lillaceae] family – the same family that gave you wild garlic, the supermarket garlic bulb and these really [...]
{ all posts, grow your own } { One comment }Basil – Ocimum basilicum
The Ocimum [labiatae/ lamiaceae] are a genus of about 365 species of aromatic annuals and evergreen herbs. But – this is not lavender we are discussing. This is the herb we know as basil. With that in mind I am only interested in one type. There are other varieties, but I have chose what I [...]
{ all posts, grow your own } { 5 comments }Sorrel – Rumex acetosa
Not to be confused with the common dock, also Rumex, which may cause mild stomach upset if ingested. To the sorrel, I simply love it. It is one of the greatest plants I have ever invested money in. And one of the easiest plants one could ever grow in terms of culinary and kitchen salad [...]
{ all posts, grow your own } { 2 comments }Down On The Farm
Thursday evening I got a text from a friend of mine and fellow Ballyboughal local Michael…. Calf just born if your around The one above is just 30 minutes old. Straight into the jeep and down I went. It is absolutely amazing when one sees those new borns, the size of the mothers and how [...]
{ all posts, grow your own } { 0 comments }Donabate Allotments
I was talking to Trevor Sargeant at another gig. Trying to find a time that suited us both to meet we settled on meeting at the allotments in Donabate on Saturday morning. However which way it happened we missed each other. I took a walk around anyway and I have to say I was very [...]
{ all posts, grow your own } { 2 comments }How To Water Seeds
To some how does one water seeds may seems like a silly question…. but to others it is the very simple things that most often are not explained due to assumption… more so on the horticulturists part. Try find any gardening book with how to water in the title….? But, for years as a nipper [...]
{ all posts, grow your own } { 0 comments }The Guardian Newspaper – The New Carbon Hypocrites…?
Today I got a message noting the guardians coverage of a nice story World’s coral reefs could disintegrate by 2100 Researchers at Carnegie Institution say corals are being overwhelmed by rising carbon dioxide in the atmosphere This is the original post for The Guardian by Ian Sample, science correspondent, in San Diego…. It even has [...]
{ all posts, grow your own } { 0 comments }So You Wish To Sow Seeds
Of course I have written pieces on this before but…. now is the time to get grooving in the seedling department…. It is one of the simplest things one can do. The beauty about these wieghtless flecks of dust is that one doesn’t need a vast area of space. One simply needs an area anything [...]
{ all posts, grow your own } { 0 comments }Maximum Minimum Thermometer
I have to admit I’m a big fan of the old style paraphernalia when it comes to gardens. As you may also know I like nothing else than to browse the aisles of the garden centres and hardware stores on my weekends off…. When I was in B & Q this weekend… yes B & [...]
{ all posts, grow your own } { One comment }The Ladybird
Coccinellidae or ladybirds as we know them are members of the beetle family, generally red with black spots head and antennae and can be anything up to almost half an inch in size. But with over 5,000 species they can also be any colour from yellow to black. The less prettier and often referred to [...]
{ all posts, grow your own } { 3 comments }The Real Pumpkin Farm…
I had written an article last year on growing pumpkins from seed [check out the comments for ] and it seems many of you are on the hunt for pumpkins…. particularly pumpkin farms. I did try and I did put the S.O.S out there for you. But there was very little response. If you know of anyone - leave [...]
{ all posts, grow your own } { 2 comments }
