Archive for the ‘General’ Category

11 May

ONE BEE COLONY DIES BUT THE OTHER SURVIVES AFTER LONG WINTER – 1st wk in May 2013

Posted by Trevor Sargent in General. Tagged: , , , , , , , , .

The surviving colony of healthy well tempered bees housed last August as a swarm captured by John.

The surviving colony of healthy well tempered bees housed last August as a swarm captured by John.

With some trepidation, myself and beekeeping mentor friend, John Holland, approached my two hives in our friend Carmel’s garden to see how the two hives had survived the winter. The temperature outside was about 16 degrees centigrade and the day was fine. It is generally not a good idea to open a hive for any length when the temperature is below 15c as the bees get dangerously chilled. However back in January, I had briefly lifted the lid to place flat bags of fondant on top of the frames so the bees would have some food to survive the very long winter. This was intended to supplement their own winter stores.

One hive was active, the other dead. When we opened the quiet one, the remains of a bee cluster were to be seen. The small size of the cluster suggests there were too few bees to maintain the 37 degree standard temperature of the hive, so essentially they died of the cold. They had hardly touched the fondant I have placed in the hive, so they were too weak even to feed it seems. There were many signs of chalk brood as well, so the brood box and frames will need to be sterilized so all parts are disease free before a new colony can be given a home there.

The other hive was a total contrast. It shows good signs of a young fertile queen as larvae were prolific. In fact the brood box seemed to be quite full of bees. Immediately, we put on a queen excluder and a super on top of the brood box and queen excluder. This super of frames will give the bees space to put the honey ‘up in the attic’ so to speak. This will leave more room in the brood box for the queen to lay eggs and breed more bees. Had I not put on a super, there is a risk that the lack of space might have caused swarming. There is no guarantee the bees are not thinking of swarming so each week from now on, I must make time to examine this healthy hive. If it is growing fast enough to split, then I will have an empty brood box now to house the new swarm. We live in hope!

10 May

SOWING & WATERING TINY SEEDS WITHOUT WASHING THEM AWAY! – 4th wk in April 2013

Posted by Trevor Sargent in General. Tagged: , , , , , .

It is still possible to sow many seeds given that spring has been so late in arriving this year. Mine are sown in a small greenhouse to bring them on  until they are a couple of centimetres high. At this point in mid May, seedlings are sturdy enough in most cases to withstand slug predation and the weather will hopefully be largely free of frost.

A number of seeds which don’t like being transplanted such as radish, carrot, parsnip and potato, are sown in situ outside when the soil has warmed up to over 7 degrees centigrade atleast to ensure good germination. The majority of the seeds I have sown for this growing season begin in modules in seed trays (see pp 88 – 91 ‘Trevor’s Kitchen Garden’, www.orpenpress.com or most good bookshops).

Now the greenhouse shelves are packed with rows of seed trays labelled with date of sowing and variety of seed sown. These include 1. Tamar Mixed Lettuce – 2. Broad Bean (Vectra from Seedsavers) – 3. Runner Bean (Black Knight from Seedsavers) – 4. Mange Tout (Sugar Dwarf Pea) – 5. Purple Sprouting Broccoli – 6. Leek (Musselborough) – 7. Beetroot (Avon Early from Seedsavers) – 8. Rainbow Chard Leaf Beet – 9. Courgette (Nero di Milano from Seedsavers) – 10. Mexican Sunflower (Tithonia) – 11. Nicotiana – 12. Cosmos – 13. Viola (Tricolour) – 14. Tomato (Gardener’s Delight). I cheated with the tomato and bought an organically grown pot plant grown in Sonairte’s organic walled garden up the road in Laytown. I only need two plants so hardly worth the effort of buying a whole packet of tomato seed for the sake of growing two plants!

Some of the seeds listed are for flowers, essentially food for the bees, other pollinators,

Watering a tray sown with tiny seed using a large jar of water with a perforated lid which drizzles water so seeds are not dislodged.

Watering a tray sown with tiny seed using a large jar of water with a perforated lid which drizzles water so seeds are not dislodged.

hover flies etc, all of which benefit the food crops and make the whole business of kitchen gardening more attractive. Some of these flower and veg seeds are tiny. The rose head on the small watering can is clogged up at this stage. Necessity being the mother of invention, I set about creating an even and gentle watering system for these trays of tiny seeds. Multiple tiny holes in the lid of a large jar made for a very fine and even watering device. Naturally this only applies to small scale kitchen gardening, but it works for me! May the sun and rain help you garden in the weeks ahead.

27 Apr

LUCAN GIY HOST GREAT EDUCATIONAL EVENING OF FOOD GROWING IN SCHOOLS – 3rd Wk in April 2013

Posted by Trevor Sargent in General. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , .

Paddy Madden, author of ‘Go Wild at School’ and SESE lecturer in Marino Institute of Education, was the brilliant speaker at Lucan GIY monthly meeting on Mon 15 April last. Even though I thought I knew a good bit about school gardens and getting kids interested in the natural world, I was blown away by the practical array of trials, projects and experiments which Paddy demonstrated using old containers and other make-shift equipment which would be common in most households.

For instance, the audience got involved in making paper plant pots, eating tendrils of peas growing in a large plant pot and leaves of onions also growing in a pot. The peas were sown marrowfat peas from a regular supermarket food shelf and the onions were a densely planted handful of onion sets. The leaves can be eaten as well as the onions themselves. Using plastic bottles, cardboard and tinfoil etc,  soil was analysed, earthworms were studied and seeds were sown.

If you are a teacher or are friendly with teachers, please urge them to sign up for

School garden guru, Paddy Madden, telling teachers at Lucan GIY about plant spacing.

School garden guru, Paddy Madden, telling teachers at Lucan GIY about plant spacing.

Paddy Maddens course on ‘Living Classrooms – Using School Grounds’ from 1 – 5 July this summer at Marino Institute of Education, Griffith Avenue, Dublin 9.  Teachers should email Moya at inservice@mie.ie or phone 01 – 8057775 or Paddy 01 – 8057757. Only Marino seems to take the importance of food growing in schools seriously among the Colleges of Education which is great to see as far as it goes. However, why the blind spot in all the other  larger Colleges of Education?  I wish we had more Paddy Madden type lecturers. Ireland’s future would be a healthier place if that was the case!

16 Apr

COVERING PLANTED POTATOES WITH FLEECE PROTECTS AGAINST FROST – 2nd wk in April 2013

Posted by Trevor Sargent in General.

Potatoes are not hardy enough to tolerate frost. This year the cold spring has delayed the start of outdoor potato planting. Chitting seed potatoes in old egg boxes on the windowsill both avoids the outdoor frost and gives the potatoes a head start by triggering the growth of the first shoots before these seed potatoes are planted

With my small garden, potatoes are now growing in bags which were left inside a sliding door kitchen window, until danger of frosty nights has passed.  At that point, out they will go to grow on, flower and be harvested on the patio. The potato bags will benefit from regular watering and occasional earthing up just like potatoes in the open ground.

Meanwhile, in the 2 acre walled organic garden in Sonairte up the road in Laytown, Co. Meath, the potatoes have been planted in this year’s potato plot outdoors. Although the garden is south facing and sheltered, the Sonairte gardeners have taken precautions to protect the potato patch from frost. Fleece is a good investment in Sonairte not just for this job. Fleece, if treated carefully, can be re-used again and again, to protect against carrot root fly, cabbage white butterfly egg laying or indeed bird attacks on strawberries. Of course, cardboard, old carpet etc will protect potatoes just as good as fleece in a small area. www.sonairte.ie.

Veronica and Adrian in the Sonairte walled garden protecting the seed potatoes from ground frost. Visit the garden for free Wed - Sun each week. Volunteers also welcome. www.sonairte.ie

Veronica and Adrian in the Sonairte walled garden protecting the seed potatoes from ground frost. Visit the garden for free Wed – Sun each week. Volunteers also welcome. http://www.sonairte.ie

16 Apr

AMAZING THE BETTER LIGHT LEVELS IN A WASHED POLYTUNNEL OR GREENHOUSE – 1st wk in April 2013

Posted by Trevor Sargent in General. Tagged: , , , .

‘Irish weather apologises for the late running of this season’, could well be a headline to sum up the weather at present. However, there is more to gardening than sowing and growing, rooting and fruiting. There are the maintenance jobs too. Fixing gates, clearing shed and sharpening shears, etc. One of these wintry jobs is removing any green algae and dirt which is clinging to the glass outside and inside the greenhouse.

First: Clear out the greenhouse as much as possible. Remove the withered remains of last year’s annual crops if not already removed. The old cape gooseberries’ growth, runner bean and tomato stalks etc. I still have lots of flat parsley growing so the spring clean will be good news for the over-wintered parsley plants.

Second: With the help of a steady stepladder, brush away all the cobwebs and loose grim from glass and frames inside and out.

Third: Fill a bucket with warm soapy water. Find an old dish clothe or sponge and a window clearing rubber blade.

Fourth: Starting on the outside from the apex of the greenhouse roof, scrub and clean each pane of glass from top to bottom. Then do the same on the inside.

Fifth: Take a seat with a cup of tea and observe the increased light levels now in the greenhouse.

Cleaning a polytunnel is really a two person job. A rolled up old bed sheet soaked in warm soapy water is held at each end by the two person team. With this ‘sheet rope’ over the polytunnel at one end, each person in turn pulls the sheet to simulate a soapy sawing action until they reach the far end of the polytunnel. The lower parts of the polytunnel are OK to clean single-handedly with  a sponge and some warm soapy water.

Washing a greenhouse. Not good to be in a hurry, as you don't want to fall off the stepladder through a glass roof! Keep one hand free to hold on to the frame all the time.

Washing a greenhouse. Not good to be in a hurry, as you don’t want to fall off the stepladder through a glass roof! Keep one hand free to hold on to the frame all the time.

One week on from the greenhouse spring clean, the flat parsley, under glass, is brighter, bushier and evidently growing faster, making the bit of elbow grease and effort all the more worthwhile.

2 Apr

POTATO PLANTER BAGS ARE IDEAL INDOORS WHEN FROST THREATENS OUTDOORS – 4th wk in March 2013

Posted by Trevor Sargent in General. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , .

In February, I planted a few seed potatoes, (Orla, Charlotte and Blue Danube,) in garden centre bought potato planter bags. To start with, I put a seaweed layer at the bottom of each bag, followed by a 50/50 mix of garden compost and soil to fill about half the bag. One, or at most two, seed potatoes were sown in the middle of each bag. The bags were watered and placed inside the patio door on an old election poster to protect the kitchen floor! Regular watering of bag grown potatoes is a key factor in getting a good yield.

Recently in March, I planted a few more potato bags with Lumper and Colleen varieties. Hopefully in April, maybe May, the risk of frost will have passed. Once the patio is frost free, I can shift these potato planter bags outside to grow on and get an early harvest in June, before the blight season begins in earnest. When the potato plants grow taller than the rim of the bags, I will earth up each plant with that 50/50 mix of compost and soil to increase the number of tubers growing out from the stem of each plant.

After the potatoes flower, and the flowers wither, it will be time to tip out the potato plant, soil and all and retrieve the harvest. The resulting soil in which the poatoes grew will be an ideal soil to grow other container grown veg like courgettes or peas or beans or carrots or lettuce or radishes, etc. If I had more space, I would certainly be planting seed potatoes in the open garden soil later when frost has passed, in drills, or using the Aran Bed method, as well as in bags for an early crop.

Unusual organic seed varieties are still available from Sonairte, the Eco-Visitor Centre and Gardens, Laytown, Co. Meath,

Protecting the potato bags from outdoor frost by starting them off indoors. If looked after, these purpose made bags last years, but buckets or strong black plastic bags will work also.

Protecting the potato bags from outdoor frost by starting them off indoors. If looked after, these purpose made bags last years, but buckets or strong black plastic bags will work also.

www.sonairte.ie. If you can’t get to Laytown, then the Sonairte stand at the Dublin Food Co-Op, Newmarket, Dublin 8, on a Saturday is another place to pick up a bag or two of organic seed potatoes. They are €6 a bag or 2 bags for m€10.

The varietes available are Colleen, Toluca, Sarpo Axona, Bionica, Charlottte, Remarka, Sante, Sarpo Mira, Cara, Desiree, Robinta.

28 Mar

ROLL UP! SOME SEED STILL FOR SALE AFTER POTATO DAY IN SONAIRTE! – 3rd Wk in March 2013

Posted by Trevor Sargent in General.

Last Saturday, Sonairte, the Eco-Visitor Centre in Laytown, Co. Meath, hosted a National Potato Day. It was well publicised on Peter Donegan’s podcast ‘Sodshow’, by Terry Flanagan on the Mooney Show (RTE Radio 1), by NEAR FM and by Gerry Kelly’s ‘Late Lunch’ show on LMFM local radio – as well as Fionnuala Fallon of The Irish Times and a number of other esteemed publications. Denise Dunne of www.theherbgarden.ie also invited her local Naul GIY and other GIY enthusiasts.

As a result, potato enthusiasts, farmers, gardeners, chefs and journalists (plus their children) from all over Ireland beat a path to the old 18th century farm centre on the banks of the River Nanny estuary, which is Sonairte. Dave Langford from Mayo displayed a sample 100 or so varieties of potatoes which can be grown in Ireland, all shapes, sizes, colours and flavours. Dave also presented a passionate potato themed slide show mixing facts with fun.

Dermot Carey from Sligo demonstrated the Aran Bed method of growing potatoes. (Some folk call these ‘lazy beds’, but that name does not reflect the work involved!) I’ve never seen such a fast and neat operator with a spade. Dermot’s reputation as a master gardener is well deserved. Janet and team in the Sunflower Café served a number of delicious potato dishes for lunch. Caroline and team welcomed all visitors in to the Ecoshop to buy gardening or other products, or just to warm up! Déirdre set up a Kids’ Activities corner in the Bee Museum where potato pots were made from newspapers and potato printing art was created with bright paints and smiley faces!

Peter Donegan and his able young assistant Katie, wowed the crowd in the Big Hall (a former Cow Byre). Peter demonstrated ways of growing potatoes if space at home is in short supply, while Katie made some of the pots for the demonstration before our very eyes. Countrycrest and Meade Potatoes and their friendly ‘baked potato’ dishes Spud Wagon all added to the sights and appetising smells on the day.

Passions ran high when it came to selling seed potatoes. Over 20 varieties were on sale, but some punters nearly came to blows fighting over certain varieties! Thanks to Penny for serving the paying customers buying seed poatoes on the day – and for keeping the peace!

Trying a hand at planting potatoes using 'Aran Beds' in Sonairte's organic walled garden supervised by Dermot Carey (Sligo/Donegal)) & Denise Dunne (Naul GIY)

Trying a hand at planting potatoes using ‘Aran Beds’ in Sonairte’s organic walled garden supervised by Dermot Carey (Sligo/Donegal)) & Denise Dunne (Naul GIY)

There are still a  few bags of organic seed potatoes for sale after the day. They are for sale in Sonairte Wed – Sun or at the Dublin Food Co-op , Newmarket, on each Saturday. For €6 a bag or €10 for 2 bags, one can pick up the following varieties: Colleen, Toluca, Sarpo Axona, Bionica, Charlotte, Remarka, Sante, Sarpo Mira, Cara, Desiree, Robinta. www.sonairte.ie

See you in Sonairte. Dermot’s Aran Beds are a work of art, well worth a look as the Orla potatoes he planted on seaweed start to grow in the next few weeks.

10 Mar

THANKS TO DALE TREADWELL FOR NATIONAL TREE WEEK EVENT AT SONAIRTE – 2nd wk in March 2013

Posted by Trevor Sargent in General. Tagged: , , , , , .

National Tree Week is big news for an Eco-Visitor Centre like Sonairte. Any campaign which encourages tree planting and awareness of biodiversity which depends on woodland is worth supporting. Some trees and shrubs are now beginning to show their young leaves like elder and raspberry canes. This couple of weeks is last chance saloon for planting bare rooted trees and shrubs. Once the sap is rising, plants do not take kindly to having their roots disturbed. However, a shrub or tree growing in a pot in the garden centre can be planted out anytime as the roots will have minimum disturbance if the root ball is kept moist and covered with soil.

During Tree Week, 50 pupils from Balbriggan Educate Together N.S. arrived up to Sonairte by bus to be wowed by the wildlife enthusiast and broadcaster Dale Treadwell. The gang got to hear about bats, bugs, birds and butterflies and other creatures of the woodlands around Sonairte. One clever questioner asked, ‘Why don’t flying bats bash in to trees in the dark’? This led to games to teach bat echo-location. A walk through the garden, orchard, river walk and nature trail took us on a tree identification trek up the wooded rath and back to the warm and dry Grand Hall, heated by …. wood!

Sonairte wishes Dale well in his forthcoming children’s nature programme on RTÉ television. He is welcome at Sonairte anytime www.sonairte.ie. Sonairte thanks Crann, the tree organisation, for co-sponsoring this Tree Week event. The next tree walk and planting workshop is on Monday 22nd April, which is International Earth Day,

Dale Treadwell of RTÉ bring Tree Week alive for 2nd class pupils from Balbriggan on the Ash Walk at Sonairte, Laytown.

Dale Treadwell of RTÉ bringing Tree Week alive for 2nd class pupils from Balbriggan on the Ash Walk at Sonairte, Laytown, Co Meath.

with forester Noel Dalton. Contact Sonairte eartheducation@sonairte.ie or phone 041 9827572.

7 Mar

VISIT TO COLÁISTE DÚLAIGH, KILBARRACK, DUBLIN, GIVES HOPE FOR THE FUTURE – 4th wk in Feb 2013

Posted by Trevor Sargent in General. Tagged: , , , , , , , .

Took a train to Howth Junction the other day at the invitation of the Fetac 4 and Fetac 5 horticultural students in Coláiste Dúlaigh in nearby Kilbarrack. Was shown around the growing areas outside and inside. A recycled polytunnel has the plastic buried in the soil at each side. The rainwater keeps the borders immediately outside the borders well watered. The students have planted rhubarb crowns along the edges of the polytunnel outside to take advantage of the rain running off the sides of the polytunnel.

The focus of the course is two-fold. First, learning to grow plants well, especially food. Secondly, growing to make a few bob, and maybe even a job in due course. Last autumn, students were encouraged to buy bulbs and plant them in attractive containers. These are now growing in to attractive displays, adding value to a product, which can hopefully be sold as colourful and aromatic presents for the customers.

A number of the students have bought the book ‘Trevor’s Kitchen Garden’  in bookshops or from www.orpenpress.com. I look forward to keeping in touch.

Horticultural Tutor, Des Farrell, at Coláiste Dúlaigh's potting shed, Kilbarrack, beside the heated seedbed bringing on pepper and tomato seeds.

Horticultural Tutor, Des Farrell, at Coláiste Dúlaigh’s potting shed, Kilbarrack, North Dublin, beside the heated seedbed bringing on pepper and tomato seeds.

25 Feb

PARALLELS BETWEEN IRISH RUGBY TEAM & HUNGRY GAP IN THE KITCHEN GARDEN – 3rd wk in Feb 2013

Posted by Trevor Sargent in General. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , .

Murrayfield is unlikely to become allotments for growing fruit and veg anytime soon. That does not mean there are not comparisons between Irish rugby players being good at kicking and crops being ripe for picking. The older players ripened last summer and autumn in gardening terms, and the younger lads have a little time to go yet before they are fully ripe. For growers of fruit and veg, this conundrum of ‘too old or too young’ is known as the ‘hungry gap’.

In the case of my small garden, the chard is hanging in to give me and guests fine leaves for tasty meals. (See picture.) However the yield is becoming patchier as the plant is past its prime. The garlic cloves planted last November are about 10cm high but will not be ripe until late July this year. Fearing a ‘hungry gap’, I can see that the purple sprouting broccoli and everlasting cabbage are looking good for the next couple of months. However, June and July will be sparse for harvesting anything substantial, apart from rhubarb under the rowan trees and the early spuds now growing in bags inside the sliding door of the breakfast room. Those spuds should be ready to harvest in June.

The bounty of Nature can be useful during the ‘hungry gap’. For example, the spring growth  of stinging nettles makes handy ingredients for delicious soups, steamed as a veg or fried and tossed in spaghetti. (Nettle recipe on p.33 of ‘Trevor’s Kitchen Garden’,  www.orpenpress.com.) Lamb’s lettuce seeds itself each year in the garden and is prolific for the next couple of months. However, the hungry period is a challenge in the garden as the leaves available tend to be small and fiddly requiring more preparation time picking and cooking.

Irish rugby seems to be in a bit of a ‘hungry gap’ too, at the moment. Hopefully a few proverbial ‘green stinging nettles’ can be selected for the next match against the old warm weather loving

Pat O'Mara, Orchard Manager at Seed Savers, Scarriff, Co. Clare, (www.irishseedsavers.ie) cutting chard for dinner while a guest in 'Trevor's Kitchen Garden' before teaching a Sonairte course in fruit pruning up the road in Laytown. (www.sonairte.ie)

Pat O’Mara, Orchard Manager at Seed Savers, Scarriff, Co. Clare, (www.irishseedsavers.ie) cutting chard for dinner while a guest in ‘Trevor’s Kitchen Garden’ before teaching a Sonairte course in fruit pruning up the road in Laytown. (www.sonairte.ie)

‘French beans’!

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