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Friday Food Fact – Cold Weather Makes You Hungry
It’s strange how inspiration happens. In the process of thinking up today’s blog, the question ‘does cold weather make you more hungry?’ sprung... -
Grow Your Own Vegetable Tips As the summer growing season comes to a close in late August and September, it needn’t be the end of fresh homegrown veggies for another year. Consulting the GIY website, which is packed with useful tips for gardeners and vegetable growing enthusiasts everywhere, we find some handy info to help with the plan for what to do with your tunnel when your summer crops are finished. We also take a look at what you can plant now that will provide some homegrown flavours during the winter months. What to do in late August and September As your tomatoes and other polytunnel crops are coming to an end, planning ahead to make use of your empty tunnel is a good idea. GYI has lots of info in a month by month format of what to do in the garden and we highly recommend you take a look. But here are just a few bullet points they advise to be getting on with in late August and September: Remove crops that have come to an end and clear the ground around them, paying particular attention to digging up weeds. Remove excess leaves from tomato plants to allow air to circulate and the sun to ripen the remaining fruits Water pumpkins and pinch out growing tips to plump the fruits for autumn harvest If you have grown French beans and you still have some pods left on the plants, these may be too tough to eat now, so keep them for seeds for next year. As night temperatures start to fall in September, close your polytunnel doors to conserve heat for any remaining crops. Growing Crops for Christmas Dinner Yes, we know it’s a bit early to mention the ‘C’ word, but in gardening terms, you’ve got to think ahead! Imagine being able to go out to your polytunnel on Christmas morning and dig your own veggies for the dinner! Now’s the time to plant a couple of things that may be ready to pick on Christmas Day. We love that idea! Seed potatoes can be planted now for the Christmas harvest. Our research says that it’s best to plant them in a container to start them off, which can be transferred to the tunnel where they will get heat on winter days. Herbs like parsley, rosemary and thyme are hardy and work well in pots in the tunnel – these are the basic herbs of Christmas for stuffings and gravies. Sow greens like perpetual spinach (pick and come again) and oriental leaves, which will crop in the New Year. Bring a bit of freshness to the winter table! Making your Tunnel work for You in Winter A polytunnel is a huge investment for any gardener, and wily ones make sure they get full use of it all year round. After the growing season comes to an end, the tunnel should get a good clear out green manures (plants that fertilise the soil) that can be planted now and should be ready to dig into the ground in October. This will help regenerate the soil for next year. Use the tunnel for sowing seeds for next year’s crops. Herbs and early peas can be sown in September, for planting out in spring. As autumn moves on, October is a good time to sow cauliflower and broccoli in the tunnel to get them started over winter. If you want a really good insight into growing your own, GIY’s founder Michael Kelly has it all written down in his Grow Cook Eat tome on the subject. In his ‘easy to read and makes you feel like you can do it’ style, this is the book for all those who want to embrace the GIY lifestyle! Available in good book shops. Visit Our Shop
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Preserving Summer Flavours With Good Food Ireland
As September rolls in, orchards, countryside, gardens and polytunnels are showering forth a great harvest. Marrows, courgettes and squash are plumping.... -
Five Great After School Dinners
Yes…it’s time to get organised again as the kids get back to school. Doesn’t matter whether you’re a stay at home or working parent after school... -
Darina Allen’s Jam Making Tips
As the prolific growing season has begun, we look at ways of putting all the gorgeous tastes of the season into a jar! The Doyenne of Preserving, Darina... -
Top 5 Picnics Off The Motorway In Ireland
By a stream. In a sunny glade in the woods. On a hillside perched high over the ocean. Ireland has plenty of picnic spots to choose from! Lay out the rug.... -
What Foods Are In Season In August
Summer is reaching its productive crescendo in the next few weeks. Gardeners out there know this is the time when produce is coming thick and fast. The... -
Irish Grown Beans
Are you full of beans after the weekend? No? Don’t worry, you soon will be when you’ve read this blog. -
Our Top Favourite Places To Stay In Northern Ireland
If you’ve never been to Northern Ireland, you’re missing a trick. The place is a hidden gem. The Nine Glens of Antrim, Causeway Coastal Route, Lough... -
The Good Food Ireland Guide To Mint
Mint is the herb of summer. It grows prolifically and its uses are many and varied. Make the most of this soft-leaved herb now as the summer won’t... -
Let Summer Produce Shine at your Next Dinner Party
Seasonal fruits and vegetables taste better and are far more nutritious, that’s enough reason to prioritise eating them. When you’re... -
According to our friends at GROW HQ in Waterford, July is the month when all the hard work pays off and you get abundance aplenty from your vegetable patch. For those who aren’t growing themselves, farmer’s markets and farm shops all over Ireland will have growers who are now showcasing new potatoes, spring onions, spinach, a wealth of salad leaves and the first of the tomato harvest.
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Father’s Day Facts
Here are a few interesting facts for Father’s Day. In Ireland, the day is always celebrated on the third Sunday of June. It has links with...