An Organic Lifestyle (Organic Growing Pains)

The barrels are still producing carrots,Kathryn had some during the week also,I can't believe the amount of carrots they have produced this year and not a sign of carrot fly! More white turnips and giving the broccoli a liquid feed did produce more smaller florets. I discovered our broccoli is actually calabrese! Some runner beans from Liz in the next plot, Lauryn was delighted to be allowed to pick them off the plant. The runner beans on the next plot provide a splash of colour as well as produce, Liz herself would not stand in to the photo! Honey investigating as usual, Aaron is not too sure about being too close! Lauryn found my wellies and donned them, they are actually her great grandmothers! These were my own mother's and were in her shed when we were clearing out. They were one of the things I could not throw away so they are still in service on the allotment. The peppers in the greenhouse, lots of baby ones coming on and we have picked some. Aaron is not turning hi...

Well I am back to basics again. I spent most of the week in Robert's Cove not relaxing in the sunshine but treating all the decking before the winter sets in.We headed out to the allotment this morning.Kathryn and the girls had been holding the fort for the week, picking anything that was ready and keeping an eye on the greenhouse.Lauryn and Aaron, (two more of my grandchildren) came along to help out. Lauryn took charge of the hose, it was one of the few sunny, dry mornings we had but just in case everything was getting watered! Aaron determined to get every last drop of water out of the watering can. Aaron making sure Lauryn fills the watering can to the brim. He did not miss out on the greenhouse either.

While surfing last night, I found this brilliant Irish web site. It is questions and answers from other Irish gardeners and the site admin will answer questions as it is run by a horticulturalist. It is not just about veg growing but all aspects of trying to garden in our current Irish weather. I made a note to self some time ago to check out blight resistant pops for next year, well I found an excellent article on this site and will be going back when the time comes for buying seed potatoes as they give the names of ones to avoid, guess what....I had all the ones they advised to avoid! Well worth a visit and bookmarking for future reference. I have put a link at the side for it too. Another interesting site I found from there is Irish potato suppliers, link at side also.They supply seed potatoes and the organic varieties which are blight resistant. Another one to bookmark.

I had no intention of going out to the allotment today due to the weather but by mid afternoon I wanted some fresh air and thought the plants in the greenhouse would need some water,so took myself off out.The greenhouse yielded 2 green peppers ( to give the others on the plant some space), 4 red tomatoes and I tidied up the plants removing dead or yellowing leaves. More carrots from the barrels and still more to come. The white turnips are giving a great return, next year we will do successive sowings from march to June to have a continuous supply of them as everyone loves the taste! A new addition to the harvest is the baby beetroots. Our scarecrow standing stoically despite wind and rain, looking a bit faded but still doing his duty. The leeks are growing, still in their holes, but they must be earthed up from Sept on. A close up of the monster developing under the foliage of the pumpkins on the bank of horse manure!

Well back to basics. The weather today is wet and grey at the moment, so no gardening. Susan Taylor, (see motivation and education post) also discussed green manure and how beneficial it is to keep down weeds and feed nutrients back into the ground. It can be over wintered on a plot or put on a space that you do not intend putting something in for a while. There are various types grown over winter and dug back into the ground around February. I liked this one in the photo called Phacelia which can be allowed to flower and left on any patch of ground until you need that space, with the added benefit of flowers. I copied this photo from Irish Seed Savers Assoc, as it was the only one I could find. The seeds can be bought online from them as well. Irish Seed Savers have an excellent article on Potatoes, the names, a description and history.It is well worth looking at before buying seed potatoes for next year, as they also give details of blight resistant varieties and seed potatoes can b...

The moon icon on the side bar shows the different moon phases. There is a growing interest in planting by the phases of the moon. The waxing and waning of the moon affects the tides and more and more people are convinced that by using this knowledge, that there are certain times in the moon cycle when planting or not has an effect on the growth and harvest of their produce.I saw a moon chart on scarecrows garden blog (see links on side) and left a comment about it.She very kindly did a whole post in reply, and has put it on her side link so the information is easily accessible. The instructions for downloading the Moon icon are also on there. The time shown is the same for the northern hemisphere but the moon seems to be seen from the opposite side, I'm not an astronomer ! I would think the planting information would be the same (have a look). Bearing in mind we are going into Winter and they are planting seeds for Spring! If anyone has anymore information in relation to this side ...

Now for something completely different but very relevant to my love of nature and my country.This morning it was actually summer....well the sun was playing peekaboo with the clouds but it was warm and the countryside looked green and beautifull. I had to go to west Cork on business and traversed a triangle from Clonakily to Macroom. I had never taken this particular route before and I must say the scenery is wild and breathtaking. The heather is in bloom covering the rocks and hillsides, my camera does not do justice to the purple haze on both sides of the road. This is on the R578 from Dunmanway to Macroom. So if you ever see that sign ...take it!!! This is another view of the heather covering the crevices in the rocks Natures bounty growing freely along the ditches.Sadly the terrible weather we have been having may affect them. I remember as a child spending late summer days picking 'blackas'. Groups of us would be gone for hours and no body had to wonder where we were or ...