Dear Fellow Gardeners,
We are really excited about launching our summer course and tour programme in Tilled Earth. We would love to see you there some time on a course or garden tour. We can organise garden tours for clubs and organisations and we have also a few garden tours days planned for individuals. We have also a few gardening day courses scheduled in the summer. All the details are below and on our website.
Last Sunday I had the first proper gardening day in Tilled Earth this year. The weather was absolutely glorious. I direct sowed early carrots, beetroot, spinach, Martock beans and radish. I also sowed dozens of other crops indoors in trays. These are the magical days – the days that make you forget the winter in an instant. The moment when the sun warms your back while you are weeding with the first sound of the cuckoo.
As soon as I heard the cuckoo I wondered when I will see the first cuckoo flower – also known as Lady’s Smock (Cardamine pratensis). It didn’t take long till I found the first beautifully subtle cuckoo flower in the grass. This has happened every year since I’m in Ireland. These two are always appearing at the same day.
On Tuesday I was teaching in Ballinlough Castle and we all spotted the Cuckoo Flower in the Walled Garden and by the end of the day the cuckoo was calling!
Gardening Jobs in April
April and May are the busiest months in the garden. You should try to have all the beds prepared even if you don’t plant anything yet. This allows you to control the weeds before the crops go in. Give the prepared beds a sprinkle of seaweed dust and rake it in. Keep an eye out for slugs. They are starting to get busy.
Sowing
The soil is starting to warm up but it is still a bit too early to sow directly outside for most crops. However, you will be very busy sowing seeds indoors and cluttering up your windowsills or filling your greenhouse with seed trays.
Outdoor sowing and planting:
The only vegetables I sow directly outdoors in April are early peas, radish, early carrots, beetroot, parsnips and turnips. If you haven’t got enough propagation space, you can sow spinach and chard directly outside instead of raising it in modules.
It is still a good time to plant your potatoes. If you haven’t planted your onion and shallot sets yet you can still plant them now.
Indoor sowing:
Seeds which can be sown indoors include winter leeks, cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, calabrese, kohlrabi, rocket, swede, turnip, lettuce, perpetual spinach, chard, annual spinach, dill, coriander, chervil and scallions.
Indoor sowing with heat:
Courgette, pumpkin, squash, cucumber, French bean, runner bean, basil and sweetcorn can be sown in small pots at the end of the month and leave them on a warm south-facing windowsill.
Gardening Courses, Tours & Events 2026
We are delighted to share our summer programme of courses, garden tours, and special events at Tilled Earth. Our new centre is located in one of the most beautiful areas in Ireland, between Mulranny and Achill in Co. Mayo. It is well worth making a weekend out of it as there is so much to explore. Early booking is recommended as spaces are limited.
Garden Tour – Saturday 13th June
11:00am – 1:30pm | €30 per person
The garden tour includes a walk through the red-brick walled garden and Victorian greenhouse, followed by a visit to the forest garden, orchard, and medicinal herb garden, along with a composting or propagation demonstration.
Includes coffee, home-grown herbal teas, and freshly baked treats.
Pre-booking essential.
See full details and book:
Garden Tour – Saturday 13th June 2026 – Green Vegetable Seeds
Greek Supper Club – Sunday 21st June 2026
This June, Tilled Earth will host a Greek Supper Club cooked by Thien Laitenberger. Thien trained at Ballymaloe Cookery School and has learned traditional Greek cooking first hand from home cooks including Ms. Gogo a well known Greek chef from Kalamata, Matina in Leonidio and Kete in Damouchari. He has enjoyed sharing kitchens with Greek mothers and grandmothers and learning their traditional cooking ways.
The evening will begin with a guided walk through the expanding gardens in Tilled Earth, a growing project which will eventually be home to over a thousand edible plants – offering a glimpse into the ingredients and growing philosophy behind the food.
Guests will then sit down together in the dining room for a seasonal feast inspired by these traditions. Expect vibrant sharing dishes- tzatziki, yellow split pea fava, stuffed vegetables, slow cooked briam, Greek meatballs, stuffed vine leaves, salads, warm breads – finishing with a traditional Greek orange cake.
Wine will be served throughout the evening and hopefully strangers will leave as friends. Feel free to bring along a story or a poem to add to the evening’s festivities.
€75 per person
5pm for tour of the garden followed by supper.
Click below to book:
Greek Supper Club – Sunday 21st June 2026 – Green Vegetable Seeds
Gardening Course – Beginner’s Course to Growing Vegetables – Saturday 27th June 2026
10.00 am – 5.00 pm
This workshop is for everyone who would like to grow their own food. The course includes coffee/tea and homemade scones on arrival and a delicious home-cooked three course lunch with wine.
The workshop will be packed with practical demonstrations on:
– how to prepare the soil
– how to become a composting expert
– seed sowing and other propagation methods
– growing fruit and herbs
The classroom sessions will include:
– Crop planning
– Crop rotation
– Crop selection and what crops suit small gardens
– Organic pest and disease control
– Questions and Answers Session
The practical gardening sessions will be in our red-brick walled garden and greenhouse and in the forest garden which contains medicinal herbs and fruit bushes.
The day course includes tea or coffee and a delicious home-grown herbal tea with homemade scones on arrival and a seasonal three-course lunch prepared chef Thien Laitenberger, inspired by the garden.
Pre- booking is required on the link below as spaces are limited.
Price: €125 per person
Click below to book:
Garden Tour with Lunch– Sunday 28th June 2026
11.00am – 2.30pm
The garden tour includes a walk through our walled garden and Victorian greenhouse, a woodland walk, our forest garden, medicinal herb garden and orchard as well as a composting demonstration and talk on how to make your soil fertile.
Tea/coffee/home-grown herbal tea with homemade scones on arrival, followed by a guided garden tour and gardening discussion.
The visit concludes with a light lunch.
Pre- booking is required as spaces are limited.
Price: €50/person
Click below to book:
Garden Tour – Sunday 28th June 2026 – Green Vegetable Seeds
Garden Afternoon Tour with Supper – Monday 20th July 2026
2pm – 5pm followed by supper.
The garden tour includes a walk through our walled garden and Victorian greenhouse, a woodland walk, our forest garden, medicinal herb garden and orchard as well as a composting demonstration and talk on how to make your soil fertile.
A home-made supper included offering the best local seasonal ingredients from the area.
Pre- booking is required as spaces are limited.
€80 per person
Click below to book:
Garden Afternoon Tour with Supper – Monday 20th July 2026 – Green Vegetable Seeds
Garden Course, 2 Day Complete Organic Gardening – Sat 25th & Sun 26th July 2026
10.00 am – 5.00 pm (both days)
This two-day gardening course is for everyone who would like to start their own food garden. It is very comprehensive and will give detailed information on how to start your own food garden. The course includes a welcome coffee/tea and scones on arrival and a delicious home-cooked three course lunch with wine on both days.
The workshop includes practical demonstrations on:
– how to prepare the soil
– how to become a composting expert
– seed sowing and other propagation methods
– tips of growing fruit bushes and herbs
The Classroom sessions will include:
– Crop planning
– Crop rotation
– Crop selection and what crops suit small gardens
– Tips on how to best avoid pests and diseases
– Questions and Answers Session
The practical gardening sessions will be in our red-brick walled garden and greenhouse and in the forest garden which contains medicinal herbs and fruit bushes.
Pre- booking is required as spaces are limited.
€240 per person
Click below to book:
Garden Tour with Lunch – Sunday 2nd August 2026
11.00am – 2.30pm
The garden tour includes a walk through our walled garden and Victorian greenhouse, a woodland walk, our forest garden, medicinal herb garden and orchard as well as a composting demonstration and talk on how to make your soil fertile.
Tea/coffee/home-grown herbal tea with homemade scones on arrival, followed by a guided garden tour and gardening discussion.
The visit concludes with a light lunch.
Pre- booking is required as spaces are limited.
€50 per person
Click below to book:
Garden Tour with Lunch – Sunday 2nd August 2026 – Green Vegetable Seeds
Garden Course, Growing in Greenhouses & Polytunnels – Saturday 8th August 2026
10.00 am – 5.00 pm
This workshop is for everyone who plans to grow food in a polytunnel or greenhouse. In a greenhouse you can grow crops throughout the year and now it’s time to plan for the winter months.
The course includes a welcome coffee/tea and scones on arrival and a delicious home-cooked three course lunch with wine.
The workshop will be packed with practical demonstrations on:
– Side-shooting tomatoes and cucumbers
– General greenhouse/tunnel management (ventilation/watering)
– Seed sowing and other propagation methods
– Composting and soil fertility
The classroom sessions will include:
– Crop planning for greenhouse and polytunnel
– Crop rotation
– Crop selection and choice of varieties
– Tips on how to best avoid pests and diseases
– Questions and Answers Session
The day course includes tea/coffee/home-grown herbal tea with homemade scones on arrival and a seasonal three-course lunch with wine.
Pre- booking is required as spaces are limited.
€125.00 per person
Click below to book:
Garden Café Experience – Saturday 15th August 2026
11.00am – 2.00pm
The garden tour includes a walk through our walled garden and Victorian greenhouse, a woodland walk, our forest garden, medicinal herb garden and orchard as well as a composting demonstration and a propagation workshop.
Tea/coffee/home-grown herbal tea with homemade scones on arrival, followed by a guided garden tour and gardening discussion.
The visit concludes with a light lunch.
Pre- booking is required as spaces are limited.
€50 per person
Click below to book:
Garden Café Experience – Saturday 15th August 2026 – Green Vegetable Seeds
Festivals & Events
Festival of Gardens and Nature (2nd– 3rd May 2026)
We have been to this amazing festival last year and are delighted to get back to return to it next weekend.
It’s a two-day festival of talks, workshops, demos, garden tours and lots more. There are incredible speakers and gardening experts including Dan Pearson, Sarah Raven, Jimi Blake, James Hitchmough, Jo Thompson, Adam Nicolson, Catherine FitzGerald, Rory O’Connell, Katy Merrington, Dominic West, Anja Murray, Isabel Bannerman, Tom Coward and many more
I will be speaking on Soil Health/Composting and on Sunday I’ll give a talk on the Lost Crops of the Incas.
We will also have a stall with seeds, plants, and books.
VENUE: Ballintubbert Gardens & House, Stradbally, Co. Laois. R14 E954
For more information:
Festival of Gardens and Nature
Derrynane Festival (6th – 8th June 2026)
It’s the first time we’ll be attending the festival in Derrynane, Co. Kerry.
Other Courses
Eden Hall Estate, Kilkenny
Sunday 17th May 2026 – Summer in the Polytunnel
Contact Rachel: info@edenhallestate.ie
Core College – One Day Courses
18 June 2026 | 3 September 2026
Course: Organic Vegetable and Fruit Growing and Growing Medicinal Herbs
See full details and book:
Organic Medicinal Herb Growing Two-Day Introductory Course
Wishing you all a wonderful and productive gardening season.
Happy gardening,
Klaus