Planting And Watering In The Leeks.

We planted the leeks we grew from seed the other day.  First I got my dibber (old cut down shovel handle) and made holes.  Then I placed or dropped the leeks into their new home or holes.  Then I got my watering can and watered the soil over the roots and filled the holes with water,   

Watering in my leeks.  The plant pots are even taking over this part of the veg plot.  Anybody want some cheap perennials?

Leeks originate from far off places like Egypt and the Mediterranean.  The Romans are said to have brought them to Britain.  There aren't many vegetables that don't come from far away.  So we eat a Continental diet without knowing it.  

I watched Monty talking to a twelve times Chelsea gold prize winning veg grower from Anglesey last night.  They use builders plastic membrane to blanch the sock of their leeks.  I just plant them like the above and the soil blanches their sock for me.  I believe you can even get a self blanching leek?  

We lifted some more spuds this week.  You can't beat the freshness of homegrown food picked the same day. Yes it may be Organic.  But is it fresh or was it flown in from Israel?.  Why do they even wrap Organic vegetables in plastic?  Perhaps I should grow a lot more vegetables again?  I just love growing perennials.  

Could you imagine if you could go to a restaurant and they ask you what vegetables you would like to eat?  Then they take you outside to the restaurant veg plot and you say:
"I want those leeks".

Then they dig them up and cook them while you have a glass of wine or a pint of real ale?  Anybody know if such a restaurant exists?

Rooted Plant Cuttings On The Garden Table.

I have an hobby nay obsession to propagate garden plants by division and by taking cuttings.  To misquote Blue Peter:

"Here's some we (Mother nature and me) made earlier."

I went through my cuttings the other day which are hiding from the glaring sun under an hedge.  They had to go under the hedge because my cold frames are full and the polytunnel thinks its Portugal or  Spain:"Scorchio"

I found sixteen cuttings had took.  These are Fuchsia and Soapwort.  The Fuchsia is a lovely whitey salmon pink flower and not the one you see in West Cork hedgerows or in Cornwall.  Soapwort was used years ago for washing.  You can even make your own shampoo with it!

They are dead easy to take.  Just get your scissors and cut them off the parent plant or bush.  I can dip them in hormone rooting powder or in my home made rooting liquid (see Salicyclic acid willow blog post) or not even bother with any.  I didn't use any and just placed them in compost in trays and pots and kept them regular watered.

A few weeks later and they are potted up and ready to enjoy the sunshine and rain.  Gardening doesn't need to cost a lot of money if you make your own plants.  If you lived near me we could swap perennials and cuttings?

Anybody else had any success with cuttings lately?  Go on give it a go.  You will be amazed!

From A Jam Pan To A Flower Arrangement.

On the way to Glin last Sunday we stopped at a carboot sale.  I spotted this rather tarnished brass jam pan.  I asked the seller how much?  They said: "Ten Euros!"  My hand went in my wallet like a ferret down a rabbit hole.  

I walked in from the garden the other day and the missus said:

  "I have summat to show you!"

She had only gone and polished the brass jam and placed some plastic flowers in it!  All praise to your elbow grease and using ones initiative. 

It now sits proudly in between the range and television and my old kettles.  

Apparently brass jam pans are better than other metal pans for cooking jam.  They don't blacken the fruit and don't leave a metallic taste.  Don't think we'll be using it for cooking though!  

Another picture from Glin Castle.  My feet and the tomatoes and chives in the glasshouse.  I suppose the chive flowers attract the bees?  Hope you're enjoying the month of May?  It's my favourite month of the year.

The First Spuds Of Summer.

The wife was watering the potatoes in the polystyrene  welding packaging box yesterday in the polytunnel.  She decided to give the spud plants a thorough soaking.  Suddenly she shouts to me:

"I've got summat to show you!"

The power of the water from the hose had washed the soil/compost from the surface and we could see our our very first new potatoes!  

That is a first.  Spuds ready on the 16th of May.  

All gardeners have dirty finger nails.

Just in time for tea!

They grew in compost and I fed them with my nettle 'garden' tea.  They are delicious.  Are your potatoes ready yet?

Tight Wad Gardening. New Additions To The Plant Nursery.

We purchased seven perennials at the rare plant show at Glin castle on Sunday.  I bought one individually and six for twenty five Euros.  Instead of paying 6 Euros each.  Which converts this morning to five Pounds and twenty four Pence.   Flipping heck!

I took them into 'Portugal' my poly-tunnel 
 and the operation commenced.  Remember the gardeners mathematical equation? The only way to multiply is to divide!  

I ended up with thirty seven new potted plants for my nursery.  Yes they will take a bit to grow back to the same size before division but Oak trees once were acorns.  

A Grand Day Out At Glin Castle Plant Fair And A Saunter Around The Gardens..

We visited three counties (Cork, Kerry and Limerick) yesterday and went to the Rare Plant Fair at Glin Castle on the Shannon estuary.  It was a beautiful day and reminded me of Cholmondley Castle in Cheshire.  Here's some photos for your perusal and enjoyment.

Me at  the plant fair in my blue hiking jacket and scruffy jeans, cap and walking shoes.  Looking at plants.  I bought seven perennials.  Talk about a bus man's holiday.

A young lady looking at one of the magnificent Gunneras.  What a fine specimen.  I have one in my garden.  But not that big.

Two photos of Glin castle.  Taylor Swift and her boyfriend stayed here recently.  She paid 45000 Euros for the priviledge.  

Inside the walled kitchen garden.  God was in his heaven and I was too.  The walls make a wonderful micro-climate and there where flowers in full bloom and the veg was thriving.  

Neat rows of vegetables.  The white sticks in the ground say things like: Onions, peas...?

 An ode to a Grecian Urn.  What a magnificent specimen.

 The old yard leading to the productive kitchen garden.  Complete with  gardeners' bothy's, stables and dove cotes and even a tractor.  I would love to have seen this hive of industry back in the day when country houses employed lots of staff and horses.  

It was a great day out and bought seven plants and Taylor Swift started playing in my head.  

Here's a video of the gardens at Glin.  It's only short and worth watching!  

Have you visited any gardens or plant fairs recently?

The Amsterdam Visits Bantry.

We noticed the massive cruiser: Amsterdam berthed in Bantry harbour yesterday morning.  The launches brought passengers into town.  Some of the tourists carried umbrellas and wore raincoats and held cameras and took photos and went a for a pint of the "black stuff" or a "nice cup of tea".  Others boarded coaches and went on day trips to Beara and no doubt Killarney.  

My mother use to tell me about back in the fifties when the American and British Atlantic liners use to berth in Bantry Bay.  Back in the time when me mum met my dad ("In Baghdad where my mother met my dad") the tourists would flock to see Cork and Kerry.  Then along came the jet planes and they flew into Shannon. 

However or but.  Since Bantry Harbour Commissioners built the new jetty and the ships have returned.  It's just a shame West Cork or Bantry doesn't have an Eden Project.  

Something for the tourists to visit even when its raining!  Perhaps the Euro Millions could donate 36 million for a worthwhile project.  Well they did in Cornwall.  Changing a China clay quarry into a tourist attraction.

The passengers on the Amsterdam have almost completed an 114 cruise voyage leaving Fort Lauredale in Florida and then onto: Panama, Peru, Chile, Pitcairn Island, French Polynesia, Tonga, New Zealand, Australia, Indonesia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, India ("flipping heck"), Oman, Jordan, Suez Canal, Italy, Spain, Portugal, France, Belgium, Holland, Denmark, Norway, Scotland, Belfast, Dublin, Cobh and Bantry by the sea.  Then back to Florida.

Here she goes on her way to Florida.  Here's a song for the passengers to use enjoy their supper and voyage and thanks for passing where we live.









We watch that cruise ship programme on Friday nights starring Jane McDonald.  I love her self deprecating northern humour and it was wonderful seeing them sail along the river Duoro in Portugal recently.

Have you ever been on a cruise?  The ship not a missile!  I like to jump on a plane and get to my destination.  Aren't flights boring?  

I usually start imagining one of the air hostesses turning into Britney Spears and singing "Toxic".  The missus reads a book or watches a filum (eighteen years in Ireland) and I look at my watch every five minutes.