I’m working for the council in Nottingham. “Here take this”. Jim, the foreman of the local parks gardening team throws me something shiny. “It’s a golden key”. He says with a smile. “With this key you can get access to any padlocked council owned area in the town, look after it well”.

This was a big responsibility for me. From my first days there the foreman dished out responsibilities, some of which I rose to, others made me crumble. (more…)

I’m driving along the road listening on a beautiful Sunday morning listening to Sunday Miscellany on RTE Radio 1. Usually I just let the voices drift over me but today I’m taking notice as a woman reminisces about how their parents used to grow vegetables. She was pondering on how they managed to find the time to garden without having two cars, a dishwasher, microwave and other modern day devices to save precious time, as she can barely have time to cut her grass. (more…)

Yea Butt No Butt yea Butt….
“It’s nothing really, just an old wheelie bin and a downpipe”. I’m talking to Mickey Donaghay from Carry Garden Sheds in Fallask on the outskirts of Buncrana and he’s being very modest about his inventive water butt design.  The idea is simple enough. When he needs water from the butt, he lowers a six-foot long pipe from the top of the bin to the floor and “gravity does the rest” Mickey says, demonstrating how the flow of water starts when the pipe gets lower. It’s so practical, why didn’t I think of that? (more…)

Two Acupressure Mats worth €35*to be won

Gardening.ie have joined up with Shakti.ie and have two Acupressure Mats to win.

What are Acupressure Mats?

Acupressure Mats have thousands of tiny spikes on a soft cotton base that release endorphins in your body when you lie on them. They are a great way to relax and ease the muscles (especially after a hard day in the garden)

Are they just for Gardening?

The mats can be beneficial when you feel low in energy, experience high stress levels, suffer from insomnia, have muscular tension, lumbago, sciatica, migraine, digestive problems, and depression. Research also claims benefits for people with: Back and neck pain, sciatica, insomnia, digestive problems, poor circulation, fatigue and excess weight.

To be in with a chance of winning register or sign up to Gardening.ie now…
We have a new Business Section on the site so you can find suppliers.  And there’s also a forum and FREE Classified section.

*includes postage

Closing date: August 15th 2010

“If you like I could drop them off at your house”. I’m in town and a friendly shopper has asked if I want some old neglected shrubs to look after as they are clearing out a few old borders. “I’ll think about it”, I say cautiously. I’ve been stung before by people offloading unwanted items onto me, and I am thinking back to the times when I have been unexpectedly left holding old rubbish. Maybe if I recall my past experiences I can make an informed decision. (more…)

DAY 1

Day 1- Sunday –8pm

Bit grumpy, so Julie suggests I go away for a bit. I ask her how long I should go away for. Tells me to come back when in good mood. Might be gone some time.

Day 1 Sunday 10pm

Found great looking hostel in County Sligo called the Gyreum Ecolodge in Castlebaldwin. Looks like a spaceship built from wood and bitumen sheets. Was voted the country’s most unusual hostel. Just the ticket. Bags packed and ready to go. (more…)

I have a few images from the Bloom Show  in Phoenix Park and the North West Show in Castlefinn. 

More Bloom pics here

More Castlefinn pics here

Is there anyone in Ireland that has a perfect lawn? I doubt it. It would take hours to create the perfect green space without rushes, moss, thatch or weeds.

My step dad tried for years to get a grass sward in his back garden so smooth that you could play snooker on it. He would be out there everyday with his penknife taking out weed seedlings and threatening earthworms for making casts. He was very particular in general. He once took the whole car to bits because of a rogue squeaking noise coming from the dashboard. He never found the source of the noise and it took weeks to put the car back together again. He never managed the perfect lawn either. Our two female dogs made sure of that with their acidic urine.

Thankfully for our nerves, most of us make do with the lawns we have and give them an odd feed and cut the tufty bits down when we get chance. (more…)

I’m out in the garden looking at the raised beds today. These planks of wood stuck into the wet ground for the last five years are wearing extremely well. They have been moved a few times, unceremoniously thrown onto the back of trailers, but have held both themselves together and the soil inside them. We have noticed a real lack of worm activity in our soil this year; maybe they are hiding deeper as it seems pretty dry at the moment. The compost bin seem to be void of our slimy friends too, hopefully the numbers should increase soon with the warmer weather. (more…)

Get them to grow them!

A successful new school gardening programme may hold the key to one of modern life’s great dilemma for parents: how to get children to eat vegetables.

A programme to encourage schoolchildren to grow their own fruit and vegetables can change the dietary habits of the next generation. Speaking at the the recent Agri-Aware’s Incredible Edible’s growing challenge in the RDS, Minister Trevor Sargent said early learning on food would last a lifetime.

Minister Sargent said: “Most of today’s schoolchildren have not had the opportunity to experience growing food at home or on an allotment. Previous generations would have grown up with vegetable patches in the back garden, but much of that has been lost.

“By introducing a new food growing challenge into schools, we’ve taught children how to grow food and to consider wider issues such as nutrition and healthy eating, food security, air miles, the agriculture industry and food costs Experience shows that kids are more likely to eat food that they’ve been involved with growing, particularly in the home. This programme has encouraged children to involve their parents and continue the food growing experience at home.”

Two thirds of all primary schools in Ireland took part in the Incredible Edibles programme, which was introduced last Autumn by Minster Sargent and Agri-Aware following the success of the Grow your Spuds campaign. It is estimated that 100,000 schoolchildren grew potatoes, lettuces, cabbages, scallions and strawberries in their classroom this year.

“As obesity levels continue to soar, I hope that the experience of growing fresh healthy food, will stay with these children and encourage them to eat healthily and choose home-grown nutritious foods over processed convenience foods,” said Minister Sargent.

The Green Party’s www.getgrowing.ie campaign, launched last March also aims to get people growing food at home, on an allotment or in a community garden. “This is not about gardening,” said Minister Sargent. “This is about getting to a place where we are capable and have the resources to supply our island-nation with our own food.”

Related Articles

Can you dig GreenMe’s gardening tips

Summer veg from your garden

Organic gardening with Klaus Laitenberger