I don't know about you, but after being at Bloom this weekend, I am so fired up for the garden. It's some show, next year I'll take two days there as I was still in the Bord Bia food village at 3 in the afternoon, not having even glimpsed the winning gardens, the horticultural retail section and the prize veggies. Gardeners heaven. The shuttle bus from Houston had a rave-like atmosphere on it as green fingered friends were all excited en route from all corners of the country to see this event. It's so well put together, so well run and has something for everybody. The lads at the GIY stand were busy putting their giant GIY lettuce installation together when I visited.
This is one of the prize-winning gardens, making some statements about the impact of waste and pollution, in a very beautiful way.
This piece got a lot of attention, its a vertical garden for the space starved, which appeals to me. It's a simple shelved construction with a plastic roof, downpipes for rainwater collection and butts, and crates to hold bags of compost. Its great, could do with a little work on the aesthetic side but it serves a great purpose and it was very popular.
Which brings me on to my reminder about my self sufficiency workshops staring tomorrow at the garden in No.1 Hotel on Pery Square, NOT the Pery on Glentworth Street. I'm very excited about meeting like-minded people who want to get a few things growing and we can get our hands dirty together and share ideas. Bring yourself, we start at 10 so arrive by 9.50 if possible and bring just yourself, gloves if you like though I'm a big believer in getting mucky.
See you in the morning and please e-mail me with any questions
Courses for One Pery Square – Valerie O’Connor www.valskitchen.com
Workshop one June 5th 10-12
Introduction to organics and permaculture
Principles of crop rotation, what works with what
Companion planting
Seed germination- how to sow seeds correctly
Sowing of seeds in modules to take home
Workshop Two June 12th 10-12
Creating a herb garden
What herbs thrive in what conditions, how to get the most from them
How to grow delicate herbs like basil and coriander successfully
Healing properties of herbs
Workshop Three June 19th 10-12
Container gardening
Creating a sustainable environment for your crops
Planting on your seedlings, – tomatoes, salads, courgettes etc
Making and planting a raised bed
Workshop Four June 26th 10-12
The soil – What makes your soil work?
Creation of organic matter – composting
How to make good compost
Liquid feeds
Making comfrey tea and nettle liquid feeds
Mulching
Workshop Five July 3rd 10-12
Soft fruits
Planting and maintaining raspberries, blackcurrants etc
Strawberries, feeding and potting on runners
Pests and diseases
Slugs, aphids and other garden dangers managed using organic methods