April 2024
Winter turns to ....summer?
So, the rain has stopped for a bit, we have had one exceeding hot weekend, and the wind is helping to dry things out. We headed out on our new kayaks in the sunshine and it felt very much like summer. The polytunnel has been heating up nicely - it’s important that I keep everything hydrated, and watch out for germination - I ofter cover the seed trays with (reused) plastic to keep the moisture in, and this needs to come off as soon as the green shoots peep up.
Some of the ceramics that I’ve been working on finally got fired, and I’m really enjoying playing with my new pots and the ranunculus that’s in flower now.
Here’s a video that I enjoyed - you might too. I especially liked the part where she says that we are no longer wearing powdered wigs and hoop skirts…
Seasonal Activities
Of course weeding needs to be done - not the dandelions - we will leave them for the bees, and later on we will dig the roots and dry them for herbal use. The very wet back garden is overgrown with grass which will have a detrimental effect on the flowers, so that is coming out. A lot of soil is coming with them, so I’m having to replenish the soil quite a bit. Luckily lots of previously made compost is ready.
On the vegetable front, I’m planting squash, pumpkin, courgettes, runner and french beans. All of these big seeded plant benefit from a soak in water . I’m also letting them germinate in damp kitchen towels - that means I only plant the good seeds. There’s also lots of potting on to do- and at this point I’m starting to run out of shelf space!
I’m also planting lots of my half hardy annual flowers - here’s my favourite French marigold.
Coole Meadow
So earlier in the month, we undertook a big composting project. 2 of our pallet bins were on top of nettles - and there was no point fighting them. So we removed thos bins, and now we will be able to harvest those nettles easily and regularly with the scythe.
The remaining compost bins were turned and harvested from, inspired by Charles Dowding. It’s always good to have one empty bin when you’re turning - you need somewhere for the lumpy bit - the stuff that’s not yet broken down to go. Trevor from Water St Association was kind enough to give me these pallet collars - so I’m trying them out as an alternative compost bin. And so far they are working very well! Being able to build it up as you go means less effort in moving material into it. Hopefully the same will be true for the harvesting.
On one of the sunny days, we saw some fairly battered looking tortoiseshell butterflies out mating - they lay their eggs on nettles, which the caterpillars then find very tasty. So it’s important to have some nettles in the field for this and for many other reasons.
We have also been preparing the area in the orchard for pumpkins. Lots of mulch - mostly old grass and hay, but also what came out of the compost bins. Thats now covered with mypex, and we’ll be planting out loads of squash and pumpkins once it gets warm enough. The mypex will do double duty - warming the soil and suppressing weeds.
A little update on the spuds that were planted in the compost bin full of hay…there’s definitely growth happening! I haven’t quite decided what to ‘earth’ them up with - though I’m leaning to more of the same composted arisings…
Workshops
This months workshop was a sprouts, shoots and micro greens session, run in Cuige. We had a tasty afternoon with home made Kombucha, hummus made with sprouted chickpeas, garnished with edible flowers. Not sure how I missed taking a photo of that, so you’ll have to settle for the photos that Rachel Coyne took of me teaching.
Flower Farming
The Ranunculus are enjoying their brief but spectacular season. Cerinthe is looking fine, and the bees agree. There’s lots of Euphorbia in all of its chartreuse finery makings its way into bouquets. I have a few glorious tulips that have naturalised - for reasons of sustainability I’m not buying loads of tulips to grow as annuals any more. I have coppiced the eucalyptus so that’s making it’s way into bouquets also. If you’d like to get your hands on some of these beauties, a subscription, collected from me or from the newly reopened Refill Mill is the way to go.
As I mentioned above, I’m also planting the half hardy annuals - sunflowers, cosmos, French marigolds, nasturtium, celosia, to name but a few. No guarantee that any if these will make their way into August bouquets - there are many possible pitfalls along the way. But sure that’s the joy of growing - you never know what’s next!
Learning
April got off to a great start with a Charles Dowding no-dig workshop in Swansdown farm. A fantastic day out, lots of flowery chat, and some good learning.
Eibhlin and I have recorded a few podcasts, and we have had to figure out quite a bit in the process. It’s going pretty smoothly now - you can see where we are streaming here, and get a notification for new episodes here.
I’ve been having a great time at my ceramics class, making lots of different vessels to display my flowers. And I’m pretty happy in the 3D world in general. I have been challenging myself to draw and paint in both the Friday night sessions at the Artist Mess, and the women’s art circle, both run by the powerhouse that is Rachel Coyne. She’s a talented Artist - I’m sorry to miss her big artwork sale on the May Bank Holiday weekend. Worth a trip to town to check it out!
Upcoming events
Using my funding from Creative Westmeath, I’ll be running workshops in Cuige in Mullingar , the newly reopened Refill Mill, Magico bakery in Athlone and in Water St community association in Castlepollard.
My soapmaking workshop in Cuige is fully booked, but Kim is keen to run one in the Refill Mill, so keep an eye out for that.
Here’s what’s currently available in in Lake County Learnings program all priced at €10 - great value! And all suitable for beginners.
Composting at Water St, Castlepollard May 21st Click here for more details
Fermented food Water St May 28th Click here for more details
Growing and arranging seasonal flowers The Refill mill June 12 (only a few spaces left)
Herbs and edible flowers workshop at The Refill Mill June 26th Click here for more details
Growing and arranging seasonal flowers Magico Bakery , Athlone July 14 Click here for more details
Gardening for biodiversity & plant propagation at Water St, Castlepollard September 10 - Click here for more details
Jams and other preserves Cuige September 24 - Click here for more details
There’s a new festival coming to Mullingar - it’s called Bailiú- more details here. As part of this I’ll be running a seed saving workshop in Cuige on May 8th - 7-8:30pm. Here’s the booking link. Participants will go home with lots of seeds, and early May is a perfect time to be planting!
This week I’ll be getting ready for my collaboration with Pure Space (fka Pure Camping) in Co Clare. on the Saturday of the May Bank holiday weekend, I’ll be teaching no-knead sourdough bead making. On the Sunday morning Brian will be doing a scything demo, and there’s a currach regatta in the afternoon. You can come for one event, or for many, and you can stay over if you don’t live close by. And it’s a Bank Holiday!
Sourdough Bread Making - May 4th, Pure Space , Co Clare
I’ll be baking a lot of bread this week, if you’re a local and you’d like some, get in touch!
And a FREE green event demonstrating many kinds of repair:
Mullingar Climate Action Network presents: Green Gather at Mullingar Library, Saturday the 18th May from 10.30 - 12.30.
There will be demonstrations of bicycle repair, furniture upcycling/repair, clothing upcycling/repair and chats about the groups core aims & activities.
And here’s a bit of Madonna for your enjoyment - can’t believe that this is the first time I’ve featured her in this newsletter:
Wow! Love your approach to your flowers. Very jealous that you got to go to a workshop with Charles Dowding, too!