Cherrie's Notes
What better way to spend a September evening than by visiting a lovely rural garden framed by high hedges, surrounded by fields and home to a greenhouse, an old apple tree, happy rootling chickens and raised beds full of vegetables.
The garden in question belongs to the Bell family, Colin, Sharon, Karl, Zara and Ellen and the reason for our visit was to find out why the Bells have been bitten by the 鈥淕row it Yourself鈥� bug and to record the first in a series of features about their vegetable growing adventures for Gardeners' Corner.
The Bells are one of six families whose gardening progress is there for all to see on the GIY website at www.giyireland.com where you鈥檒l also find details of GIY groups all over Ireland along with practical information and projects for the season.
Barbara Pilcher was with us and when it comes to growing your own, Barbara 鈥渨alks the walk and talks the talk鈥� and the Bells were delighted to have the chance to ask her advice. Mick McEvoy from GIY was with us too and so were dancing clouds of man-eating midges. So for the next hour the garden was filled with nipping midges, happy chickens and tortured people.
No matter, we all rose above the overwhelming urge to scratch and run and it was real pleasure to meet the Bells and find out a bit more about this new family passion for growing their own.
It all began with the gift of a greenhouse from a colleague of Sharon鈥檚 and it was this, so Colin told us, which got them all galvanised into action. Add that to the fact that Colin loves to cook and everybody loves the idea of fresher than fresh vegetables straight from plot to plate and they were off. Proving that a plate isn鈥檛 always necessary, as we were recording, Zara was happily enjoying a pea or two, in time honoured tradition, straight from the pod鈥︹��.just a wee snack before tea.
The vegetable garden is very much a family project and along with the vegetables there are seven lively chickens which bring life into the garden in their own particular way. They are looked after by Karl who enjoys his chicken rearing responsibilities very much.
We鈥檙e very grateful to the Bell family for letting us invade their space and while this first visit was a getting to know you visit, we are really looking forward to the next time when we鈥檒l be harvesting and perhaps getting some cookery tips from Colin too.
There鈥檚 an extra magical and empowering dimension to a garden where fruit, vegetables, herbs and if you鈥檙e really lucky, even nut trees grow and more and more of us, like the Bell family, are seizing the day and having a go.
Knowledge as ever, is key and if you feel the need to supplement yours, why not join a local GIY group or sign up for an evening class.
Clare Dunwoody took a change in career direction and did just that and now she teaches Horticulture and Leisure Gardening at the South Eastern Regional College. We popped along to the Holywood campus during the week to meet Clare and to have a chat about some of the practicalities of growing vegetables in raised beds. The college grounds are airy and spacious with the tree lined Holywood Hills behind. The heavens opened just as we arrived so we started the interview in the greenhouse where we were nicely distracted for a moment by the loveliest salmon pink and claret coloured Pelargoniums, which, alongside some pale and pretty Streptocarpus, are now enjoying their winter quarters under glass.
The last remaining vegetables keeping them company inside were a pot of cheery chillies, just the thing for cooking with on an Autumn evening and a huge cucumber, a last flash of summer fayre.
Outside again, once the rain stopped, we were able to take a closer look at the raised beds and talk through some of the factors you need to consider if you are growing vegetables this way. Things like crop rotation, soil, depth, drainage, safe timber and green manure.
You can hear all of Claire鈥檚 advice on this week鈥檚 programme which, in that 鈥渙h so handy鈥� way you can download as a podcast, there for you to re-visit if you need to remind yourself of any of the information or advice.
And talking of advice, I was on the hunt for a birthday present this week and found just the thing, a print which states 鈥淚f you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need鈥�
Enough said, don鈥檛 you think?
