Promises of sunny intervals at the weekend mean that we may be able to escape into the garden.

Forsythia

Spring seems a long time coming and the soil temperature is still on the cold side, but it will be good to be able to start some productive work.

pushing-shallot-in-ground

It is high time onions and shallots were planted.  They are usually grown from sets (very small onions or shallots).  These are pushed into the ground, where they eventually sprout roots and grow into the larger, mature vegetable for harvest.  Until the roots take hold, birds can pull them out.  So once planted they should be checked every day and pushed back into the soil if the birds have moved them.

growing-shallot

As soon as the soil is dry enough early potatoes can be planted. There is no point putting potatoes into wet, cold soil. They will not start to grow & will probably rot off.  Plastic will  warm the soil a few degrees and also protect the potatoes once planted.  As the new, tender potato shoots emerge they are at risk of being killed by a frost, so gardeners watch the weather forecast and cover the potatoes over when there is a chance of a frost.

seed-potato-in-planting-hole

Weeding is an important job at this time of year.  It is easier to remove weeds when they are small, before the roots have developed in the soil. Once weeds become established it is harder to get rid of them. 

weed-too-big-to-hoe

But do not walk all over the soil when weeding, as this will trample it down and spoil the structure.  Try to work from a path, or use a walking board if this is not possible.  A board will spread the weight so the pressure on the soil is not so great.

use-crawling-board

Lawn care must not be forgotten, and the lawn can be mown on dry days.  This will tidy it up and remove leaves and sticks which have blown onto the grass.

iris-reticulata

Finally, take a little time to enjoy the garden.  Our Iris Reticulata are blooming with such beautiful flowers.  They are in a corner of gravel on a sunny south facing wall; just the place to go during an interval from gardening!

 GIY Week is March 12th to 19th!

GIY stands for Grow it Yourself.

plantfamily

GIY is a not-for-profit organisation which started in Ireland, that aims to make home-grown food the norm – during GIY Week the organisation is trying to encourage people that have never grown anything at all to sow a seed for the first time. Whether you would like to be self-sufficient or just want to grow some herbs and salads on a windowsill, GIY wants you get growing!

• Plant some dry peas and eat the pea shoots they grow in a few weeks
• Sow some herb seeds, parsley, basil or chives) to grow in the kitchen
• Plant a bucket of seed potatoes
• Fill a basket with tumbling tomato seeds
• Plant something you really fancy eating!

winter-carrots

GIY Week 2011 is timed to coincide with the start of the 2011 growing season – GIY groups around Ireland will be hosting events, demos and meitheals to provide would-be GIYers with the skills that they need to grow their own successfully.

new-potatoes-lifted

So, get growing this GIY week March 12th to 19th.