Author: Klaus Laitenberger
Dear Fellow Gardeners, There is a distinct autumn feel in the air with a refreshing chill in the morning and already some trees are changing colour. Nature is starting to withdraw into itself. However, there are some crops that seem to prefer this time of year and can still be sown or planted. We now … more information
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Dear Fellow Gardeners, I hope that everyone in Ireland has got sufficient rain by now. We were much luckier up here in the North West. We also had a long dry period and the grass and crops slowed down a bit but it was nothing compared to what I’ve seen throughout the country. I’ve seen … more information
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Dear Fellow Gardeners, Who would have thought that we get such a wonderful summer with two prolonged hot spells and that it even made it to Leitrim. July is the month where we can enjoy the fruits of our labour. I’m always looking forward to the first tomatoes. I still had a few seeds of … more information
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Peru Experience During my Nuffield Travels in Peru I was so lucky to have met Douglas and Marivel Walsh from Cusichaca Trust in Peru and Juan Guillen – a wonderful and knowledgeable Peruvian agronomist. I spent a few days with them exploring the highlands of Peru looking at ancient agricultural systems and techniques as well … more information
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Dear Fellow Gardeners, The next step on our Global Agricultural Focus Trip was Canada – British Columbia. I was very impressed with agriculture in British Columbia. Unlike the rest of the country, it’s mainly small scale producers with lots of artisan producers of beer and wine. The area we stayed in is Kelowna (Okanagan valley) … more information
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Dear Fellow Gardeners, I hope you won’t be disappointed, as this won’t be an informative practical gardening newsletter, but more a summary of my first few weeks of my Nuffield Travels. I was hoping to write a regular blog, but so far the schedule is very intense – very early morning starts and late arrivals … more information
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I’m so proud to have been selected as one of the 2018 Ireland Nuffield Scholars. This trip will lead me through many countries with a diverse group of people and on my own to discover new or neglected food crops from around the world, but especially from South America. I’m planning to keep his post … more information
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Dear Fellow Gardeners, I hope you have all survived the storm with not too much damage. We were lucky here – there wasn’t even a breeze and not even a chance of making a snowball. The children are so jealous of all the snowman and igloos around the country. Nuffield Travel My journey is just … more information
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Dear Fellow Gardeners, February is often the nicest month in Ireland. We really notice the days are getting a bit longer and we’ll probably get as much sunshine in February as in July. I really think we deserve some good weather soon. There is good news about the Weekend Gardening Course in Renvyle – as … more information
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Dear Fellow Gardeners, I wish all readers a wonderful and successful gardening year in 2018. The last year was certainly quite a challenge with all the rain throughout the summer – especially here in the west. Let’s hope that we’ll finally get a great summer. I will have a busy spring – not busy with … more information
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December Gardening Newsletter Dear Fellow Gardeners, Last week I was teaching for a couple of days at the Permaculture College in Kinsale. It’s a fascinating place with student from all over Europe and plants from all over the world – and Kinsale itself is probably one of the most beautiful towns in Ireland. Next I … more information
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November Gardening Newsletter Dear Fellow Gardeners, It’s great to get a dry spell especially during this time of year. It makes gardening so much easier. I was very busy in the last week planting autumn garlic, spreading seaweed, pruning summer raspberries (I know it is a bit late for that), pruning blackcurrants and lots of … more information
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Dear Fellow Gardeners I am sincerely honoured at having been awarded the Nuffield Scholarship. In my 50th year I will be travelling around the globe searching for vegetables that have a potential for growing in Ireland as well as looking for the “Lost Crops of the Incas”. So next year you’ll hear more about my … more information
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Dear Fellow Gardeners, Every year seems to go faster and faster – we are already in September and up here in Leitrim we didn’t get a summer yet again. The last bit of sunshine was in June. However, there is always the Indian summer to look forward to. I’m very positive about it. Just in … more information
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Dear Fellow Gardeners, It seems strange to write a gardening newsletter from Greece. We are in the most stunningly beautiful southern part of mainland Greece on the Peloponnese peninsula’s middle finger – the Mani. The strange thing is that apart from Greek tourists there are very few foreign tourists. There are nearly empty beaches with … more information
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Dear Fellow Gardener We have finally moved again – last year we sold Milkwood Farm and rented for 6 months in Bundoran while we renovated a cottage in Rossinver, Co. Leitrim which is the village where I first moved to in 1999 when I worked at the Organic Centre. Rossinver is such a beautiful and … more information
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Dear Fellow Gardeners, It’s happening all over again all over the country. The green fields of Ireland are turning brown again. I thought we learned after the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared Glyphosate (the active ingredient of RoundUp) as a possibly carcinogenic and many other independent studies showed harmful side effects of glyphosate on both … more information
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Dear Fellow Gardeners, April was quite a cold month but luckily it stayed reasonably dry. It was still a bit early to sow the majority of crops. There is still plenty of time for anyone just starting off the gardening year. Sowings in May are generally a lot more reliable – everything just wants to … more information
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April Gardening Newsletter Dear Fellow Gardeners, April is one of the busiest months in the vegetable garden. There is little time left to reflect – only time for getting the garden ready for another fruitful year. There are quite a lot of vegetables that can be sown in April – both indoors in modular trays … more information
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Dear Fellow Gardeners, March is really the beginning of the gardening year but please don’t be impatient. I suppose the weather this March isn’t conducive to gardening yet. Let’s hope there is some change on the way. It’s actually wetter now than it was throughout the winter. There is still plenty of time to sow … more information
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Dear Fellow Gardeners, Who would have thought that January was such a beautiful month. The winter rains usually last well into February and the soil stays saturated until March – but not this year. I was happy gardening in the last few weeks without getting stuck in the mud. We were mulching the hedges with … more information
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Onion, shallot and garlic information Dear Fellow Gardeners, We just received our onion and shallot sets and garlic bulbs. Here is some useful information about these crops that belong to the Allium family. This family is actually called Amaryllidaceae. All members of this family are monocotyledons. That simply means that they only have one seed … more information
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Seed potatoes now in stock This year we have some amazing and unique varieties available. They are all of excellent quality and the tubers are certified disease free. Seed potatoes Variety Information First earlies: Plant in tunnel in February and harvest in late May/June Plant outdoors in mid March and harvest July Salad Blue PotatoeSpacing: … more information
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Oca Recipes I recently gave some oca tubers to a good friend and wonderful chef – Bernadette O’Shea. As you can read below she was most impressed about this old/new crop and gave me some culinary suggestions. Don’t forget – the potato was once a new crop in Ireland and it came from the same … more information
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Gardening Weekend in Renvyle House Hotel, 5th -7th May 2017 A gardening weekend with Klaus Laitenberger, Organic Gardening Expert and Author, Anja Gohlke, Head Gardner at Kylemore Abbey and Sile Nic Chonaonaigh (Presenter of Garrai Glas).. The weekend programme will include an introductory Evening; several demonstrations and workshops; A visit to Kylemore Abbey Victorian Walled … more information
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The most common gardening mistake – sowing or planting too early in the year This is the most common mistake we all made or still make. With the exception of a few vegetables the majority should only be sown/planted from April or May onwards. Sowing too early often means poor or no germination (each crop … more information
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Introduction to Vegetable Grower’s Handbook Growing our own food is certainly one of the most beneficial pastimes in our lives. We grow food in our garden, harvest it and eat it minutes later. Grown with our own hands, prepared and cooked lovingly – what more could we wish for? We all know about the health … more information
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Concise Guide to Protected Cropping The attached PDF will give you a great overview on when to sow and plant all types of vegetables in your polytunnel or greenhouse. Download our Guide to Protected Cropping
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Download our Concise Guide to Growing Vegetables in Ireland
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Planning your vegetable garden Now is the time to finally get out of the rain and start planning for the new season. The enthusiasm for gardening must have waned by now for even the most committed gardener. I used to worry about it a lot. What if I don’t like gardening anymore? What else could … more information
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World Soil Day The People 4 Soil Campaign was launched on the 5th December at the Botanic Gardens in Dublin. It was an amazing event with a wonderful range of speakers. All lectures were filmed and will be made available. The first videos by Michael Ewing, Felicity Gaffney and myself can be seen when clicking on … more information
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Kinsale Permaculture College This week I gave a two-day course to students at the Kinsale Permaculture College. Kinsale is definitely one of the most beautiful towns in Ireland and on top of this – I was told – it never rains in Kinsale. The college has excellent facilities to teach both Permaculture (Fetac Level … more information
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Dear Fellow Gardeners, World Soil Day is next Monday 5th December. We are organising a conference at the Botanic Gardens on the day but unfortunately for anyone who hasn’t got a ticket – it is already fully booked. We are hoping to film a few key lectures and make them available to whoever is interested. Many … more information
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November Gardening Newsletter Dear Fellow Gardeners This newsletter is about protecting ours soils. The “People4Soil” petition is now open and I hope many of you will sign this important petition. We need 1,000,000 signatures in the EU to get some soil protection legislation initiated. As Sir Albert Howard already said in 1940: “The connection which … more information
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Soils With gardening, everything starts with the soil. To me there is no such thing as a green fingered gardener – only brown fingered ones. The better your soil is, the better your crops will be. If you manage to create a fertile, healthy and living soil you are already half way there to growing … more information
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October Gardening Newsletter Dear Fellow Gardeners, I’m always looking forward to October. It’s usually quite a dry and beautiful month and the colours are amazing. Unfortunately the beautiful autumn leaves don’t usually last long here in the west – a couple of seasonal gales and they are gone. At the recent Ploughing Championships we (Environmental … more information
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September Gardening Newsletter Dear Fellow Gardeners, In the last few days I’ve been travelling up and down the country participating in garden open days or study days. On Friday I was at the Walled Garden Study day held at Russborough House in Co. Wicklow. The event was organised by the Irish Georgian Society. I learned … more information
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August Gardening Newsletter Dear Fellow Gardeners, This year is a really trying year, more so for gardeners than for the vegetables. Most crops are doing quite well despite the grey skies and the continuous rain. They are a little slower to mature compared to better years. I had to wait until the third week of … more information
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July Gardening Newsletter Dear Fellow Gardeners, Just in case we do get a dry summer (maybe a repeat from our pre-summer experiences in May) you might have to water your plants outdoors. If you water your plants, give them a thorough soaking. Watering little and often is a disaster as it brings the plant roots … more information
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Dear Fellow Gardeners, Welcome to the June Gardening Newsletter. It appears that we are getting well compensated for the miserable wet winter we had. Summer is here and more good weather is on the way. There is really no place more beautiful than Ireland in the sun – with the cow parsley in the hedgerows … more information
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Dear Fellow Gardeners May is definitely the busiest month in your vegetable garden and hopefully you have managed to do all the other jobs such as bed preparation in the previous months. The soil has warmed up sufficiently to sow and plant nearly all vegetables. So make sure you take time off in May so … more information
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Dear Fellow Gardeners, Finally the gardening year begins. From now on everything moves fast and I need to shake myself from hibernation. There is little time to reflect. April is a busy month. You should try to have all the beds prepared even if you don’t plant anything yet. This allows you to control the … more information
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Dear Fellow Gardeners Yesterday was the first day I could feel that spring was in the air. I lifted the seaweed which covered the beds over the winter months and gently dug over some beds that are needed for the early crops that need planting soon (see below). While digging a robin kept me company. … more information
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Dear Fellow Gardeners, Phenological Calendar In Ireland February is officially the beginning of spring. I never fully believed it as it is still is a very dark month, but in the last few years, February has been one of the best months of the year so I’m finally convinced that February is the beginning of … more information
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Dear Fellow Gardeners, Growing Oca, Yacon I wish you all a wonderful new year. Hopefully we’ll get a much better year than 2015. While most European countries suffered from heatwaves there was only one day in 2015 when I was in a T-shirt in Co. Leitrim. In 2015 I did a couple of small variety … more information
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Dear Fellow Gardeners, Wild Bird Seed In the last two weeks we were nearly drowning up here in Leitrim. The wind and rain never stopped. I’m quite annoyed with myself for not having covered the vegetable garden yet. I usually do that as soon as the crops are harvested and in store. Up to about … more information
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Oca (Oxalis tuberosa) Even if you don’t fancy eating this delicious vegetable it deserves a good place in your ornamental garden as a beautiful curiosity. It resembles the native wood sorrel (also an Oxalis) and develops lovely yellow flowers in late autumn. Oca is an amazing crop, but unfortunately it still remainsvirtually unknown outside of … more information
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Hi Klaus, I have my allotment in Skerries and can get good fresh seaweed. Should I dig it into the soil in my polytunnel or put it on top of it. By digging it in now I feel it will rot down quicker and by leaving it on top I feel it will go hard and … more information
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Hi, I was wondering if I can order a copy of your book ‘Vegetables For The Polytunnel & Greenhouse’ ? I recently bought your book A Vegetable ‘Handbook and seen from that about your other book. Many thanks Louise Hi Louise, Many thanks for your enquiry. Unfortunately we sold out of this book a … more information
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Dear Fellow Gardeners, Blight Free Potato Usually November is my least favourite month of the year but leading up to it was really fabulous. I was harvesting my potatoes yesterday – the first chance I had. I usually dig them up much earlier – around the second week in October. So I was worried about … more information
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Dear Fellow Gardeners, Snail Farming September always seems to make up for a bad summer even up in County Leitrim. We call it the Indian summer here – it’s really an American – English term which describes the time when the American Indians went to hunt. In Germany, Austria and Switzerland we call it the … more information
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Dear Fellow Gardeners, Welcome to the September Newsletter. In September we often have the best weather and the harvest is even more abundant. We probably had the most terrible summer here in Leitrim. The tomatoes only started to ripen in the middle of August – about 6 weeks later than usual. At least they are … more information
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Dear Fellow Gardeners, Welcome to the August Gardening Newsletter. August is a lovely month in the garden. You can sit back and reap the rewards from it. So many crops are ready now with the endless gluts of courgettes, perpetual spinach etc. Spring planted garlic will be ready as soon as some of the leaves … more information
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Soil Conference Dear Fellow Gardeners, July is the month where we can enjoy the fruits of our labour. I’m always looking forward to the first tomatoes. Again I’m trying out a few new varieties this year. When will it ever stop? Especially when there are thousands of varieties available. Unfortunately one of my very favourite … more information
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The Importance of Soils With gardening, everything starts with the soil. To me there is no such thing as a green fingered gardener – only brown fingered ones. The better your soil is, the better your crops will be. If you manage to create a fertile, healthy and living soil you are already half way … more information
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Dear Fellow Gardeners, May has really been a terrible month all over the country. Let’s just hope that June will be better just as the New Zealand weather prophet predicts. He was right about the miserable May so let’s hope he’ll be right about the sunny June. Sowing and planting vegetables in June June is … more information
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Q: Frost damage on potatoes I have sown your mixed salad which has grown extremely well and is delicious. Have also planted tomatoes and am now ready to plant your beetroots. During the last frost my potatoes which were 4 to 6 inches high were absolutely hammered. I have just removed the damaged leaves and some … more information
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Q: Garlic Spray Hello Klaus The seeds I ordered from you have now started to grow well and I am interested to know how you make the Garlic spray that you have mentioned before. Last year I had an infestation of whitefly on my calabrese and it became inedible. Thank … more information
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Q: Treated Fence Posts Hello Klaus, I hope you are keeping well. I hope you don’t mind me emailing you but I have a question in relation to treated fence posts and I would value your thoughts on it. Basically I have an 8M x 8M allotment that I have decided to put a fence … more information
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Q: Kale and Chard Chard and Kale … what a magnificent start for any small gardener. I have just pulled up last year’s Kale plants….nearly a metre high and having just started going to seed. I put out nine plants from seed in June last year, covered them with insect netting (as you recommended on … more information
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Chitting Seed Potatoes I have some potatoes left from last year. They were quite scabby. Can I re-plant them now as seed potatoes or should I buy new ones? A: You most definitely will have to buy new seed potatoes this year. Scab will stay on your tubers and will re-infect the new crops making … more information
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Q: Modular Trays One other quick question, I am trying to find info on the appropriate sized module tray for different seeds, I presume it just size of seed really and how long they are going to be in there but it’s difficult to find info on it. But the smaller they are the more … more information
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Q: Digging in leaf mould Last year I was mulching all my beds with leaf mould and then dug it into the beds in spring. All crops were very poor and never grew properly. What happened? Paul A: This is a very common mistake if any material with a high carbon content eg: leaf mould, … more information
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Q: Storing Squash and Pumpkins Last year I grew the Crown Prince squash which you highly recommended. They were delicious but unfortunately didn’t keep well. I harvested them as they turned big. A: Both winter squashes and pumpkins should only be harvested once the leaves have died back in October. Then their skins mature (cure) … more information
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Q: Autumn Raspberries When and how should I prune my autumn raspberries? A: Autumn raspberries are the easiest fruit to grow and to maintain. January an February is the best time to prune. Simply cut off all shoots at ground level. Klaus
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Q: Broad Beans Can I sow broad beans now in February? A: Yes, broad beans don’t mind the cold at all. You can sow the seeds directly outdoors into a seed bed. My favourite variety is Witkeim. It produces delicious and high yielding pods on strong plants. February to early March is the best sowing … more information
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Q: Seed Compost Would you mind giving me a recipe for making a good seed compost? A: I would recommend that you buy a good organically approved seed compost. There are two excellent brands available: KKS Klassman (available from Fruit Hill Farm) and Living Green (available in most good garden centres). Both are ideal for sowing seeds … more information
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Q: Oca Storage I recently received Oca tubers from you. I see that they do not need to be planted until April. How should I store them until they are ready to be planted? Which way up do you plant them? I notice that there is a fat end a thinner end. The thinner end … more information
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Q: Watering modular trays I have been sowing some of the veggies you recommended for this time of year under protection in your book. Just wondering how often to water the modules trays they are on a heating mat. A: If you have the trays on a heating mat you will have to water more … more information
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Q: Onion troubles I have been growing vegetables for many years – last year’s crop of onions was a complete disaster for some reason. I grow different varieties to ensure a reasonably good crop – last year the varieties grown were Santero, Sturon and Centurion, all grown from good quality sets. All of these varieties … more information
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Q: Tomato Problems I planted about 24 plants in the polytunnel. They grew fine – in fact over grew – because I probably overfed them. Set loads of flowers- but no fruit for ages. I read somewhere that fruit will not set if plants are too hot. So I started to open doors in tunnel. … more information
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Q: Chitting New Potatoes I was hoping you could give me some advice on new potatoes. I just got a delivery yesterday from Fruithill Farm of seed potato of Orla , Casablanca , Maris Bard Do I need to chit these before planting? My plan is to plant them in containers. I have 30 large drums which I … more information
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Q: SuperNemos Just wondering if you have any feedback for us on your applications of SuperNemos over the past few years? A: I thought the Super Nemos worked really well in my garden. It seemed to have reduced leatherjacket populations, but it was only a trial and not a scientific experiment. Note: SuperNemos are a … more information
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Q: Yacon Tubers Your Yacon is delicious but I’m a bit mystified by the round, dark red tubers attached to the edible and the knobbly – mind telling me what to do with them? A: The yacon tubers are really exceptionally sweet. I think they become even sweeter the longer they are stored. As regards … more information
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Delay Planting Your Vegetables Until The Weather Is Warmer Dear Fellow Gardeners, We had such a wonderful spring followed by a return of winter in the last couple of days. This weather can even confuse your vegetables. If you have sown or planted certain crops quite early in the year, they may have felt the … more information
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Vegetable Growing Information Dear Fellow Gardeners, Spinach – Annual and Perpetual While both of them belong to the beet family (Chenopodiaceae) they are actually quite different. Perpetual spinach is more closely related to chard and beetroot as to annual spinach. I always think it’s one of the best beginner’s crops to grow and also one … more information
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Twelve dangerous fruits and vegetables Some scientists try to tell us that buying organic fruit and vegetables is a simple waste of money. One leading scientist (Prof. Gibney -UCD) even tells people that they may better flush their money down the drain rather than buying organic produce. He says that there is no scientific evidence that … more information
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Dear Fellow Gardeners, Hopefully we’ll soon be getting the first glimpses of spring. I still don’t understand why February should be the beginning of spring. It can often be the coldest and most miserable month. I always look forward to March though. We will certainly get some good spells of weather – hopefully in time … more information
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13/2/2015 I went with the MSc Organic Horticulture students on a field trip last Wednesday, visiting two separate organic holdings. I was blown away by the sheer enthusiasm, skills and generosity of time they gave to us. The first holding was run by Rory Magorrian in Ballyhooley, Co. Cork. He trained with Jim Cronin … more information
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13/2/2015 We just received our onion sets both red and brown and shallots. Unfortunately the garlic was all sprouted when it arrived so we won’t have any for sale this spring. The brown onion sets are a Sturon type (Variety: Stur BC20) – a much improved strain of Sturon. It’s a very reliable … more information
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9/2/2015 It’s interesting to note that soil degradation and environmental problems are far more wide spread in countries with a predominantly Christian theology. The excuse to exploit the earth stems from the Creation Story in Genesis 1. Have a look at the bible again and you’ll find: Genesis 1: God blessed them (Adam and … more information
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3/2/2015 In February we can finally start again in our vegetable garden. There are three crops that can be sown or planted directly outdoors. They don’t mind the cold but the may mind the wet soil. An easy and simple wetness test is to see if the soil sticks to your boots or tools. … more information
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Dear Fellow Gardeners, In Ireland February is the beginning of spring. I personally think it’s a little optimistic to think of spring in February but there are definitely signs that nature is waking up after a long sleep. My enthusiasm for gardening, however, is still dormant. In the past I was slightly concerned if I … more information
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Gardening and Wildlife Projects for Schools The aim of this project is to encourage school children to experience and learn from nature. A garden is often the best classroom where real discoveries can be made. It’s full of outdoor projects that can be replicated at home or in schools. It’s free to download for … more information
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Dear Fellow Gardeners, January is generally a cold and miserable month in Ireland and it’s far too early to get out into the garden. I do, however, love the cold frosty and clear mornings following a freezing night. There are just a few jobs that can be done now but overall – it’s time to … more information
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Dear Fellow Gardeners, This year was definitely one of the easiest gardening years I remember in Ireland. All gardening jobs, especially hoeing and weeding are so much easier and more pleasant if we can do them in the sun. Potatoes This year I grew only the reliable potatoes – Orla (early), Sarpo Mira (main) and … more information
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Dear Fellow Gardeners, The year 2014 must have been the kindest year for gardening. Nearly all crops grew better than ever before and we have our store full of carrots, potatoes, onions, garlic, shallots, beetroot, parsnips and Jerusalem artichokes. I hope we’ll have enough until April next year. Storage: The root crops (potatoes, beetroot, carrots, … more information
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Dear Fellow Gardeners, Even if it doesn’t feel like it yet – autumn is fast approaching. The leaves on the trees are changing colour and the days are getting noticeably shorter. We had such a wonderful year so maybe we get a wonderful autumn as well. Usually as soon as the leaves change colour we’ll … more information
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Dear Fellow Gardeners, It must be the first year in living memory where farmers and gardeners aren’t complaining. It was definitely one of the easiest gardening years with great growth of all crops. There was plenty of warmth as well as occasional and in some areas – frequent showers. I’m so thrilled about some of … more information
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Dear Fellow Gardener, August is supposed to be the hottest month of the year so let’s hope to get great drying weather for our onions and garlic. Onions and garlic dry best if kept outdoors during a dry sunny spell. Just a quick reminder: harvest your onions when nearly all the leaves have fallen … more information
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Dear Fellow Gardeners, Isn’t it a beautiful year in the garden? Everything is much easier and more beautiful when the sun shines. Also the crops are doing much better. There was no trouble with fruit. There are plenty of apples on the trees as there was no late frost or gales at blossom time, even … more information
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Dear Fellow Gardeners, The 21st of June is the longest day of the year and it’s also one of the most important days in the plant kingdom. Plants are highly sensitive to the natural world – quite obvious really as they play a major part in it. Before the 21st June, when day length increases … more information
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Dear Fellow Gardeners, May is definitely the busiest month of the year. There is no time to be complacent, nearly everything needs to be done now or at least within the next 4 to 5 weeks. I’m always surprised how quickly the garden fills up. In May everything wants to grow. We usually have warm … more information
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Dear Fellow Gardeners, Let’s hope that spring is just around the corner. We are still waiting for it up here in Leitrim. At least we haven’t been tempted to sow or plant too early in the year. We had a course here in Milkwood last week and I was hoping to sow or … more information
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Dear Fellow Gardeners Spring must be round the corner by now. It hasn’t come up to Leitrim yet, but when I was down in Skibbereen last week I got the first glimpse of it. Going for a luchtime walk I felt my back warming up with the spring sunshine and the birds were beginning to … more information
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Dear Fellow Gardeners, Welcome to the February Newsletter and I hope you’ll enjoy reading it. February is generally the month when I get out of my gardening hibernation. Finally there is work to be done. The days are getting noticeably longer and every day we can notice the beginnings of new growth and … more information
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The aim of this project is to encourage school children to experience and learn from nature. A garden is often the best classroom where real discoveries can be made. It’s full of outdoor projects that can be replicated at home or in schools. It’s free to download for anyone who tries to encourage children … more information
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Newsletter January 2014 Dear Fellow Gardeners Another year has started but the gardening bug is still asleep. Probably only the hardiest gardeners will be out and about now. I always use a good excuse (a true one though) that it’s bad for the soil if you walk on it when it’s too wet. Especially … more information
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Bionet Cloche There is one thing that has completely revolutionised and substantially improved my gardening susses in the last couple of years and that is the use of my home made cloches which are covered with bionet or enviromesh instead of clear plastic. The problem with cloches in Ireland is that they usually blow away … more information
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Dear Fellow Gardeners Welcome to our December Newsletter. December is a quiet month in the garden. It is the month to reflect and to plan the year ahead. After a great gardening year we deserve to rest a bit, just like nature does in winter. I would like to take this opportunity to … more information
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Reflecting on last year It’s a good time to reflect on current gardening year and to make plans for next year. The more we plan, the easier it will be. Hopefully you remember which varieties did well in your garden and stick to them and if not try some different ones. There is quite a … more information
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