JOBS TO DO IN JULY

Jobs For the Week
Harvest your blackcurrants and then cut the stems that have fruited back down to ground level.

Take cuttings from bay trees, using the soft new growth and leave to root on a sunny windowsill.

Feed clumps of autumn flowering bulbs with a balanced fertilizer such as growmore or compost from your bin.

Sow winter flowering bedding, such as pansies and ornamental cabbage and kale. We grew the kale and cabbage last year and they were very attractive in the winter months. The leaves grow brighter (purples, reds and creams) as the weather gets colder.

I was told that top class restaurants use a leaf as a bed for a starter such as a prawn cocktail and that they are edible. Mind you we didn’t try them ourselves!

Horticultural.

A STROLL IN THE GARDEN - MARY DIXON

This week we are in the garden of Mary Dixon from Buncrana. Mary’s garden is set in one of the most beautiful areas of the peninsula with views of the Swilly and backing on to Swan Park.

How long have you been working on the garden?
I have been working on the garden for over fifty years. When my husband and I moved into the three hundred year old farmhouse the garden was a wildernesses. The whole area was full of brambles. I remember I started from one end and slowly worked my way across the ground digging it over with a spade.

What is your favourite plant?
I love hydrangeas. I have a selection of them in the garden such as the mophead ones and also a climbing one that covers a rock at the front of the drive. Of all the colours I like the red and white ones the best.

What is your favourite feature in the garden?
There is a place in the garden where I always sit so my family had a pergola and seat built especially for me. That has to be the best spot in the garden!

What is your favourite season and why?
The summer, because I enjoy the colourful flowers in the garden.

What work gives you the most pleasure in the garden?
Seed sowing in late spring. I particularly enjoy staring the sweet peas and godetia.

Any irritations, how do you cope?
Mare’s tail (horsetail) it is very hard to get rid of. I tend to apply a contact weed killer to the fresh shoots that come up. There are three on the market, Verdon, Hedlan spray and Tetral. All of them have to be used with extreme caution and put directly onto the leaves.

What is your best gardening tool?
The spade. It has served me well

Top gardening tip?
Get help if you can’t cope!

Any plans for the future?
I would like to set up more low energy lights around certain areas of the garden to give it more depth in the evenings

Horticultural.

ME AND MY MOTOR -ROBERT GURNEY

It is Me and My Motorbike this week as Robert Gurney from Ture shows us around his fabulous 1976 Honda Goldwing GL1000. For the last eighteen years Robert has run the Auto Electrical Repair shop in Ture (also known as RG Rebuilds) He specialises in alternators, starter motors and diesel pumps. Robert has a lifetime of experience and enjoyment with the combustion engine.

How long have you been interested in bikes?
I have been passionate about bikes for years. I used to race bikes on the track. I was in the Foyle District Motorcycle club and was the Irish champion on 250 and 500cc scrambler bikes three years running in 1973-4 and 5. The bikes used for scrambling at the time had to be adapted from basic road bikes. Boy were they heavy!

Any plans to change the Goldwing?
Not likely! I always wanted a Goldwing with a sidecar and I am not letting it go now!

Is it reliable?
Very, If it does break down I will be able to fix it myself too because there are no complicated electronics.

Best thing about the bike?
The tow bar is very handy. It allows me to attach the trailer tent to it and away I go. Don’t forget the two-seater sidecar too.

How does riding the bike differ when the sidecar is on?
It is totally different and takes a bit of getting used to. When you turn the bike you have to lean in the opposite direction or the steering gets really heavy.

Any modifications?
The wheels on the bike are made especially for carrying the sidecar. They are stronger and have flatter tyres.

How is the sidecar greeted on the road?
There is a lot of interest in both the bike and the sidecar. It is amazing just how many people have never seen a sidecar before. Thankfully cars give me a wide berth as they are not sure what they are passing!

What would you really like to be driving around in?
I have owned Rolls Royce’s, a Lamborghini, and numerous other cars and motorbikes. I can honestly say that my favourite is the Goldwing!

Motoring.

VEGGIE DELIGHTS

I’d just like to mention all the wonderful produce that had been coming from the vegetable patch over the last couple of weeks. Most fruit and vegetables seem to be ready for harvesting a lot earlier than usual. The first thing that I noticed was the fact that the calibrese (large headed broccoli) has not only matured, but also gone to seed. These plants are supposed to mature in autumn, but I’m not complaining, as they were delicious.

The kids have got tired of strawberries as they have been put under their noses once too often and we’re busy making blackcurrant jam. We have also had our fill of rhubarb for a while so we’ve made jam out of the latest batch. We only have one plant but if it is picked regularly the amount you get off it is amazing. For the last couple of weeks we have had a constant crop of mange tout, the peas where you eat the pod as well. It seems ridiculous that the shops are selling mange tout that has come all the way from Cyprus when you can just walk down the garden to pick some. The regular peas are cropping heavily too. The raspberries are coming thick and fast and we have also been enjoying beetroot. I will get around to pickling some soon but we are enjoying simply boiling them up and eating them sliced. Once the root has been cooked they peel easily with just a flick of the thumb. Watch out though as you will get a mouth full of red teeth when you eat them. A friend of mine says that they are delicious if they are sliced and fried with onions after they have been cooked. This sounds so delicious that I’m off into the garden to pull some up and do a bit of experimenting in the kitchen.

Horticultural.

COMPOSTING DO'S AND DON'TS

After reading the lead story in a recent edition of my favourite newspaper (no, not the Derry Journal), I got a bee in my bonnet about how we, as a society, deal with our waste. As I’m sure you are aware, most landfill sites are now filling up and it is becoming increasingly difficult to find new, suitable sites. Up to 30% of our domestic rubbish is organic kitchen and garden waste, which could be composted. When our old potato peelings and grass clippings are dumped in landfill sites they rot down and create vast amounts of methane gas, which causes long-term environmental problems. So I thought I would like to do my bit for the community and perhaps set up a scheme where I could supply and demonstrate the use of compost bins. There is nothing like compost for healthy gardens and plants! However, Donegal County Council is one step ahead of me. It already provides good quality bins at a heavily subsidised price of around ten pounds, although at the moment you have to travel to Lifford to get one. They are organising local “sale days which will include demonstrations on how to compost waste from both the kitchen and garden. Compost bins will be on sale as well as worm bins (including worms) and soil activators! The Council sale days will be advertised in all the local papers. The first one is in Stranorlar on Thursday 26th of July at 4 pm, then Letterkenny on the 27th at 4pm. The sale will be hitting Inishowen when they come to the community school in Carndonagh on the 28th July at 1pm.

Most kitchen or garden waste will rot down eventually, even if it just put in a pile at the bottom of the garden. The art of good composting is to speed up the process, this is where the containers come in, with the use of an activator to heat the compost, you can have a soil like compost ready for the garden in as little as six weeks in summer!

What to compost
It is possible to compost most organic matter, but in practice you may need to be more selective, as our weather isn’t always favourable for getting hot compost bins.

Do compost
Kitchen waste, such as vegetable peelings, eggshells and tea leaves.
Twiggy prunings but chop or shred them first.
Grass clippings (not too many at any one time)
Dead and discarded plants.
Most weeds.except for perennials such as docks.
Straw.
Small quantities of shredded newspaper.
Wood ash.

Don’t compost
Inorganic material, such as plastic, glass or metal.
Diseased plant material.
Cooked meat or fish, which can attract vermin.
Thorny prunings, which are unpleasant to handle.
Woody and evergreen prunings, unless shredded first, as they rot slowly.
Roots of perennial weeds, which can survive.
Vacuum cleaner dust; it can contain harmful chemicals.
Glossy and coloured paper, which may contain chemicals.


Common problems
Weeds appear after applying compost A heap needs to reach at least 55o C (131oF) to kill off any seeds within it. Only the largest and best managed are ever likely to reach this temperature, so it is probably wiser to leave out weeds that have set seed.

There are large quantities of unrotted matter The most likely reason is that you haven’t included enough sappy material. If you need more, try a greengrocer for vegetable waste, or use a nitrogen- rich activator such as dried blood. Turning the heap should help.

The heap becomes smelly and offensive This is probably because it is too wet or too much soft waste has been added without mixing it up with fibrous material. Keep the bin covered. Adding cooked food can also cause nasty smells.

Wormeries and leaf bins
Even if you have no garden, you can still compost kitchen refuse using a wormery. This relies on brandling worms to digest the waste. The bin can be kept inside or on a patio and organic debris added in small quantities as it arises. A rich liquid is drawn off which makes an excellent houseplant feed, leaving a small amount of fine compost. If you have a lot of trees in your garden and collect a large amount of dead leaves in autumn, then it is best to compost these separately as they rot down more slowly. Round them up in a wire mesh cage, chicken wire is ideal, water in dry weather and two years later you will have leaf mould, suitable for conditioning soil and for enriching potting composts.

Horticultural.

CUTTING FLOWERS

Photo: Young honesty (top) Lupin (below)

This week a row of streetlights has appeared on my road and one of them is right outside the front garden. I must confess it is taking some getting used to. You should see how the marigolds glow in the orange fluorescent light! I don’t have to switch any indoor lights on in the evening, and I’m able to go on my midnight slug hunting expeditions without my torch. I know it will be safer for the kids walking home on those long winter evenings, but being the old traditionalist I’ll miss my stargazing.

My tunnel is a pleasure to be in at any light at the moment though, all because of one plant, an aromatic lily (Lilium Henrii) this striking flower has an almost overpowering scent that fills the tunnel. Originally these plants were from China (I managed to salvage this one out of a skip last year) and they prefer well drained soil .As they are bulbs they can be prone to rotting if conditions are too wet. The best time to get the bulbs, if you grow them yourself, is in late summer-October is probably the best time. Pick healthy bulbs, not bruised or shrivelled. If you are out visiting garden centres in the near future it’s worth checking out the flowers in full bloom, or you will also see them in florist shops in cut flower displays.

Cutting flowers

Cutting flowers and decorative leaves to take indoors for arranging is one of the pleasures of gardening. This form of summer pruning generally does no harm but there can be pitfalls. Taking too much, not only diminishes the garden display but it can also harm next year’s growth. Of course some keen flower arrangers grow flowers specifically for cutting and it is worthwhile putting aside a bed for this purpose. Of course as I mentioned last week sweet peas love to be cut and some flowers such as Lupins and Delphiniums if cut at this time of year can encourage a second blooming. Deadheading flowers can prolong displays too but of course it is not practical for all plants for example, Poppies, Honesty and Chinese Lanterns are often grown for their seedpods.

Horticultural.

KILDARE GROWERS SHOW

My vegetable patch has had a serious growth surge over the past week. From a distance the area looks full and lush, but on closer inspection this is mainly because of weed growth, the dock leaves and thistles look very healthy indeed. I decided to wade in and dig out the invaders before any of them go to seed. Clearing the ground was very similar to treasure hunting as I found my long lost watering can and my favourite garden spade, which I haven’t seen since late spring. I’ve also found loads of potatoes, which is very strange, as I didn’t plant any this year! I must have had some potato peelings in my compost. I found a clump of rhubarb that I didn’t know I had too. Julie had put in a crown that she had got from a neighbour. Some plants have unfortunately disappeared; the peas and leeks just couldn’t compete in the thick undergrowth. My biggest success story this year is the garlic; they’re so large you would swear they came from a supermarket!

Kildare Growers Show
Last week I made it to the Kildare growers show in Kill, Co Kildare. The venue is a great opportunity to talk shop with other people in the horticultural industry. There were in the region of 150 companies exhibiting their products. I decided to concentrate on finding out about watering and heating systems when I first arrived. When I had all the relevant catalogues pushed into my carrier bag I was free to wander around aimlessly to soak up the atmosphere and have a look at what new products are going to be on the market in the near future. Here are a couple of things that caught my attention.


Lighting
Lighting for the garden is getting more popular. Every year sees new designs. There is even a small light to brighten up your hanging baskets when everyone’s tucked up in bed. I spotted some very sturdy granite and steel posts that had bright halogen bulbs enclosed in the tops, one of the designs, called “Rusty” was exactly that, a light attached to a 1m rusty steel pole, don’t laugh, but I actually thought they were good value at about £200 each, (top quality rust) There is a good range of solar lighting on the market if you can’t be bothered with all that electric cable buried in the garden. Most of the ones I saw were plastic and a bit wobbly, but I’m sure they are o.k. as long as the children don’t try to pole-vault over them. These have the advantage of easily being placed anywhere in the garden and you can move them around to suit your mood. I was assured that we have enough sunlight to power these lights all year, but I haven’t tested this out for myself yet.


Bamboos
Bamboos are very trendy at the moment. Most varieties are actually well suited to our climate, although some need protection from the salty winds we get. These plants, (like the rusty pole), do seem a bit expensive at first, but after the initial shock of parting with your hard earned money, give very good value. A carefully chosen plant will give a lifetimes pleasure with the soft rustle of their leaves and graceful movement. Some species are quite invasive and are best grown in large containers on the patio. The plants range from a groundcover to over 10 metres tall so you wont be stuck for choice.

Horticultural.

BRIAN GRANT

“Aussie Rules” at the Lake of the Shadows

Australian born, Brian Grant, a man with strong local connections is the new manger at the Lake of Shadows Hotel. Brian’s Great Granddad was John Grant of Glenard (known locally as Big John Granny). During famine times, John Grant was a substantial sheep farmer and guaranteed a loan of ₤1,000 to complete the building of Cockhill Chapel. His uncle, Thomas Donegan (married to Bridie Grant) was the Headmaster of the Illies School for 40 years. His father Johnny (from the Glen) Grant went to London with his friend Owen Doherty to work. He had been courting Philomena Ellen Gallagher from Derry before he left. The friends split up, Owen heading for Canada and Johnny to Australia where he got back into his old work and became manager of a sheep farm. Once established, he wrote to his sweetheart asking her to marry him and to join him in his new life. Philomena’s mother was not impressed with this idea – “Why does he want you to go all the way to Australia –can you not meet him half way in London?” Philomena travelled over in the fifties to start a new life and her first experience of Australia was a ten-hour journey in a horse and cart through a flat dusty desert to the wheat and sheep farm that was to be her new home. Used to lush green hills was it any wonder she wanted to come straight home again? After 5 years they moved to Perth to raise their family.

Brian joined the Commonwealth Bank of Australia when he left school and worked there for sixteen years, travelling all over the state of Western Australia working in their 80 branches. Western Australia is huge, over three and a half thousand miles by road. This state could fit Ireland into it 15 times yet only has half of Irelands population.

He visited Buncrana three times during this period enjoying the life and craic of a young man about the town with his cousins. It was these trips that gave him the idea of coming over to spend more time over here.

Meanwhile Brian was growing more discontented with life at the bank. He had enjoyed the life initially as he loves providing customers with good service but the ethos of the bank was becoming more about money and less about the customer. Brian left to set up a restaurant where he met his wife Perla. Perla, originally from the Philippines, was working for Brian. Brian had a strict no dating the staff rule, so he had to sack her to ask her out. After a year they married and had their son Brian John (B.J.)

Their life was enjoyable, both working for themselves (Perla had her own business making ice-cream cakes!). During their leisure time they enjoyed going out in their boat (eighteen foot, half-cabin, fibreglass) for a spot of fishing, usually herring, whiting, snapper, squid, octopus, crabs and lobster. They had to watch out for sharks, as there have been a few sightings off the coast. They could go out most of the year as the weather is very different from here. Australia is the driest country in the world and Western Australia is the second driest state in Australia. The coldest days in the winter (July/August) see the temperature at about 15◦ C dropping to –1oC during the night. It gets dark about 6pm. In the summer (January/February) temperatures can soar to 42-43oC and the sun sets at about 7.30pm. There are water restrictions throughout the summer and most gardens have a water bore (like a well) drilled to pump water up for the plants. Budgies and parrots fly wild and are common visitors to the garden and wild kangaroos bound over the golf courses. (When Brian arrived in Ireland he raised a few eyebrows in the insurance company in Buncrana when asked did he have any previous claims and he told the yes, one, I hit a 6ft kangaroo)!

Brian wanted to show his family Ireland. He felt the environment was safer than city living and believes the education system to be one of the best in the world. On arriving in Buncrana at the end of August he dropped his CV into the Gateway Hotel and was taken on as a chef. After six weeks he was approached to manage the Lake of Shadows. Brian is delighted with this new opportunity. “There is a great team down here at the moment with the return of Head chef Peter Moriarty and Bar Manager John Doherty. We are working on new menus and promoting the Gateway for weddings.” With Brian’s commitment to service and personal attention and his open friendly manner he will do everything he can to make that most special of days perfect. He also wants to improve day-to-day service having his staff give the welcome that Ireland is famous for. Brian would encourage customers to tell the staff if they give good service and to tell him if they don’t.

Brian is very interested in local history and if any Inish Times readers have any pictures or stories about the history of the Lake of Shadows he would love to hear from them. Just drop in or phone and ask for Brian.
Brian, Perla and B.J. initially came over for a year but within a day of being here, B. J. was asking, “Can we stay for 2 years daddy?” B. J. loves the local school and the freedom of playing with the other kids on the estate. Brian loves the fact that B. J. is learning Irish and teaching the language to him. With the way they are settling into the community, they could be around for a long time!

TOPTIPS - FENG SHUI

TOP TIPS FROM THE WORLD OF FENG SHUI

Play loud music once a week.
This might not go down too well with the neighbours so make sure they are out first if your house is attached. In China the lunar New Year was celebrated loudly with drums, cymbals and firecrackers to wash away old energies and welcome in the new. Play loud, happy music. Ten minutes will be enough!

Never hang your washing out overnight.
Night energy is very Yin so leave your washing in the basket if it’s getting dark outside. The washing would soak up yin energy and upset your feng shui, and as we all know, that’s not a good thing to do!

Pointing the finger.
Pointing your finger at someone gives them negative energy, likewise if someone points a finger at you. Try not to point fingers at one another, or anything else sharp like scissors for that matter!

Household.

RADON TESTING

Photo: All new and old houses should be tested for radon

Ian
I live on the east coast of Inishowen. A neighbour told me that they are testing their house for Radon. What is this? Thank you N.M by e-mail

Reply
Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas, which originates from the decay of uranium in rocks and soils. It is colourless, odourless and tasteless and can only be measured using special equipment. When radon surfaces in the open air, it is quickly diluted to harmless concentrations, but when it enters an enclosed space, such as a house or other building with poor ventilation, it can sometimes accumulate to unacceptably high concentrations.


Radon decays to form tiny radioactive particles, some of which remain suspended in the air. When inhaled into the lungs these particles give a radiation dose, which may damage cells in the lungs.


Since July 1998, every new house is required to incorporate some degree of radon preventive measures at the time of construction in accordance with the revised Building Regulations (and particularly Technical Guidance Document C to the Regulations) published by the Department of the Environment and Local Government.


The degree of protection required is dependent upon whether or not the site is located within a High Radon Area. Looking at the map of Inishowen on the Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland (RPII) website, we can see that the highest concentrations around the peninsula are in the Moville to Greencastle area. Although the levels are highest here this isn’t an indication that your house is affected. Throughout Ireland there have only been about 2000 cases of high Radon levels in houses so the odds are in your favour.


Experience has shown that radon levels may vary significantly from one building to the next and that the radon level in a house cannot be reliably taken from measurements in other houses in the neighbourhood. Consequently, the Institute recommends that all householders have a radon measurement made to determine the radon level in their home. Where high radon levels are found, householders are advised to consider having remedial work carried out to reduce the radon level.

The radon level in a house can be measured simply and inexpensively. It is usually carried out by placing two small testing devices (detectors), in the house for a period of three months. At the end of this period the detectors are returned to the testing laboratory for processing. This procedure can be carried out entirely by post and there is no need for anyone to visit the house. A three month measurement period is recommended because radon levels in a house can vary considerably from day to day due to changes in the weather conditions, ventilation, building usage, etc. It is generally considered that measurement over a shorter period than this does not give an accurate representation of the exposure to radon in the home. Have a look at the Radon website for more information. www.rpii.ie/radon

The Institute provides a radon measurement service to householders at a price of €45. More information on radon, including an application form for a measurement, can be obtained by contacting the Institute on FREEPHONE RADON 1800 300 600 or by emailing radoninhomes@rpii.ie, giving your name and address.

PREVENTATIVE STEPS.
There are preventative steps you can take if you want to be on the safe side.



Seal all the gaps in your floors.
Improve indoor ventilation.

As always good old fresh air comes to the rescue!
Put in natural underfloor ventilation.


Lastly you could opt for the expensive underground sump. This pumps out the air from under the house into the air. It is an option only if you get tested and find the amounts in the house are at a dangerous level.



Environmental.

POLLUTING ISSUES

There was a law passed recently to come down hard on people who pollute waterways. The fines, if the local county councils can implement them, will be very heavy. Industries that pollute private or public supplies could be charged up to 5 million euro or some employers facing ten years in jail. Private individuals who pollute the waterways will face up to 3000 euro with a maximum jail sentence of twelve months. More responsibility will rest on house owners and builders to ensure that no blockages to sewers take place. This sounds all well and good, but it will be a difficult job to bring the offenders to court. The environment health department are probably flat out coping with litter, noise pollution and poor housing.

One environmental issue that also makes the news quite often is burning rubbish. This act can incur a fine; at present this stands at 1270 euro if the case is taken to court. Burning rubbish is a real problem, especially now the population is growing and with it the increased waste that is being generated. At present Ireland generates 2.3 million tonnes of household and commercial waste every year. (I’d say this isn’t taking into consideration the amount of illegal dumping that is going on). This is an increase of over 60% over the last five years. Going into more detail that works out at 600 kg of waste per head of population, (that’s the weight equivalent of twelve sacks of coal or nearly 300 bags of sugar). Because the waste disposal in the county is charged to the customer, a lot of people tend to go for the cheaper option of burning their waste. Household waste contains a range of material from plastic, metal, glass, paper, cardboard and a wide range of garden waste. All of these products can give off toxic fumes.

BURNING WASTE
Most years around the summer solstice we find plumes of black, toxic smoke rise from the peninsula. This is because of the large bonfires that are set alight at this time of year. I went round the sites to take photographs of the burning, as I wanted to see what was causing the sky to darken. On some of the fires were washing machines, fridges, metal gates and water tanks. There were car and tractor tyres and all manner of plastic items such as broken children’s toys. They were thrown on to the fires for the fun of the flames but without thought for the environment (including danger to peoples homes). Now before I come across as the sort of person who has an answer to this problem, I haven’t. As long as excess packaging is produced, plants and trees grow and consumers consume plastic and metal, there is no easy answer. I don’t think that many people could live today without accumulating some of tomorrow’s junk.

Plastics and certain paper products (like glossy magazines) produce some of the most toxic pollutants when burned. Plastic and rubber, like from a tyre, are particularly toxic. Most people tend to put a match to their rubbish when the air is still, this is a dangerous time to set a fire as the harmful particles and gasses in the smoke can remain at harmful levels for days. This can trigger all sorts of respiratory problems. Headaches and eye irritation are other signs of taking in the fumes.

Many of the items burned in the fires produce dioxins. These settle in fields where they can be eaten by livestock. Some of the dioxins could come back into the food chain in milk or in animal fat. Some dioxins are stored in the body and at least one dioxin, TCDD, has been classified as cancer forming.

Some people feel that a small fire does no harm. But almost three quarters of dioxin emissions in Ireland come from domestic waste burning.

ALTERNATIVES TO BURNING
There are some things we can do to keep the damage to the environment to a minimum. Try the three R’s REDUCE, REUSE and RECYCLE. Try to buy products that have little or no packaging, try to find uses for plastic containers. Take anything that can be recycled to the council yards. Plastic, glass, oil and cardboard can all be reused.

Further information can be found at: VOICE (Voice of Irish Concern for the Environment) tel. 01 475 0467 or e-mail avoice@iol.ie and the Web page is www.voicebuz.org You can pick up an information leaflet at the local council office.

Environmental.

JOBS TO DO IN JULY

IN THE GREENHOUSE

Watering
All potted plants need a daily check for watering. Add a full-strength liquid feed once a fortnight or a dilute one more regularly.

Ventilation
A protective shield against the sun might be a good idea this month. Whitewash of shade netting will do. Open ventilators and doors every morning, but close them again on cool evenings. Do check that birds or cats aren’t getting locked in overnight, use netting to keep them out if necessary.

Growing bags
Never let crops in growing bags go short of water. Standing the bags on gravel trays or on reservoirs with wicks through the base can prevent drying out. I used to cut holes in the bottom of the bags in the polythene tunnel so the roots could spread out into the soil if necessary.

Glasshouse pests
Biological pest control can be used at this time of year against whitefly and red spider mite.

Cuttings
Pot on rooted cuttings of pelargoniums, fuchsias and other plants as soon as the roots have filled their pots. Take cuttings from the non-flowering shoots of shrubs and climbers.

KITCHEN GARDEN

Fan-trained fruit
Unwanted shoots should be cut off plums and apricots to maintain the fan shape. With figs, prune out the tips of any unwanted sideshoots after the fifth leaf, or remove them completely.

HERBS
Woody stemmed herbs such as sage and thyme produce lots of fresh healthy new shoots at this time of year, which will quickly root if taken as cuttings. We had a lemon balm plant outsaide of the back door that was getting far too big for its site. We cut the plant right back only two weeks ago ant the plant has made a full recovery and is being very well behaved and compact.

HARVESTING
Harvest beetroot and other crops while they are still young and tender. Early potatoes will be ready to harvest soon,. Check one plant first to assess the crop size. Leave them to develop further if the potatoes are too small, and water the rows every week. Check for the dreaded blight, I have already heard of one disaster on in the area, even though they sprayed with copper sulphate.

FRUIT CROPS
Enjoy the fruits of your labours by picking rhubarb, strawberries, raspberries, currants, cherries and gooseberries. Remember that if you do net fruit bushes to keep birds away, check the netting daily to ensure that no birds have become trapped.

SWEETCORN
Plant out pot-grown sweet corn. Place the plants in blocks, not rows, spacing them out about 45cm (18in) apart each way. We mad the mistake of planting out our seeds directly in to the soil early on in the season. The result is that we have no corn plants this year!

SEED SOWING
The following vegetable crops can be sown directly outside now if you are quick: lettuce and salad leaves, radishes, kohl rabi, spring cabbage and endive, plus dwarf French beans for a late crop. Winter spinach can be sown from July to September.
Above all remember to take things easy this month. You do not want to break out into a sweat!

Horticultural.

MILK SPRAY

How is your garden after the relentless heat of the last couple of weeks? Maybe you have a small enough garden to water frequently. If not in drought conditions you will need to look out for vulnerable plants that will suffer. Don’t worry too much about the grass though, that can stand the dry and will soon pick up like magic after a good downpour. Remember to really soak your containers and baskets too. If they have dried out then you will be as well off soaking them in a bucket of tepid water, dip your feet in whilst you are at it.

MILK SPRAY

Can you use milk to clean leaves? RB by e-mail

Reply.
Milk is good for cleaning the leaves of houseplants such as the cheese plant. It is far more versatile than that though. You can spray milk on to apples and lettuce to control mildew. For large areas, dilute one part milk to nine parts of water, unless it is skimmed milk then it’s practically all water anyway! The other idea is to dissolve 1lb (450g) of dried milk into a little hot water and then add 1 gallon (4litres) of cold water. Spray on to tomatoes and cucumbers when planting and then every ten days

Horticultural.

ME AND MY MOTOR -PAUL DOHERTY (ROE)

Paul Doherty (Roe) from Buncrana has something special to show us this week. Paul is the proud owner of a beautiful Beauford Open Top Tourer. The car was made in 1972 by an English car company called Beauford and owned by Gordon Geskell, the company founder until being shipped over to Inishowen.

The design and colour of the car makes it an ideal vehicle for public events and Paul is more that happy to hire it out for weddings and formal occasions. The car’s other use at the moment is publicising the families new company, (and doing a very good job too!). The new premises called Elite Appliance Centre in the Milltown Business Park, Buncrana, is a purpose built 3000 square foot superstore displaying a wide range of electrical and indoor and outdoor lighting products.


Tell me more.
The car was the original prototype that appeared in all of the company’s promotional material and made to a very high standard with a fibreglass body and steel chassis. The company that made the car are still in business and there is also an owners club www.beaufordclub.org.uk . Here you will find all sorts of information as well as seeing Beauford cars for sale.

When do you get to drive the car?
I use it as often as possible, usually at the weekends. My daughters love being driven around in it and are amazed at the amount of attention it attracts.

Is it reliable?
It couldn’t be better. The car is quite modern, despite looking like it was built in the 1930’s. It has a really reliable 6 cylinder Nissan 2.6 engine and every part is accessible to work on if needed. The road holding is superb and there are five gears as well.

What is the best thing about the car?
Taking the hood off and having the children in the car on a sunny day.

How often do you wash it?
I very rarely wash it. The paintwork is so shiny that the muck doesn’t stick to it. It might be something to do with the large mudguards too!

How would you help motorists?
Reducing tax would be the most beneficial thing to do for motorists.

What would you like to be driving around in?
A Ferrari maybe but for driving around the peninsula, maybe a Hummer!

Motoring.

CORNCRAKE IN INISHOWEN

BirdWatch Ireland are doing their annual survey on corncrakes and there have been a few sightings around Inishowen. At one time, not too long ago these shrill birds were commonplace in the fields but over the years their numbers have been on the decline. One major factor is the change in how land is managed. The modern method of collecting hay and silage means that the birds are driven into the centre of the field and killed by the machinery. BirdWatch Ireland offer limited grants to farmers who will delay their cutting until the 1st of August and also cut from the inside outwards to give the corncrake adults and their young a chance to get to the outer edges and ditches of the field.

NEEDS
Corncrakes need tall vegetation such as nettles, iris patches, reed grasses and cow parsley during April and May to provide cover when they arrive in Ireland from Africa. These plants give shelter until the meadows have grown tall. In the breeding season around June and July they need hayfields to cover the nests and young, so the cutting times and grazing times of the land is important.

ATTRACTING
If you are interested in attracting corncrakes then the density of cover is important. The birds will not use early cover if they cannot move easily through the vegetation. If there is a mat of dead or woody stems on the ground the area may be unsuitable. The easiest way to thin it out is to open the land up to grazing in the autumn and early winter.

The corncrake is one of many wild birds whose numbers can be increased with wildlife friendly land management. If you would like details of grants and corncrake habits ring Sandy on 074 91 65177.

The Corncrake project is run by BirdWatch with the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and Duchas, the Heritage Service

Environmental.

ME AND MY MOTOR-ASH MCFADDEN

Ash McFadden is a well known face around the peninsula (and beyond!) His work and enthusiasm at the Inishowen Maritime Museum and Planetarium in Greencastle is outstanding. The museum has gone through three major upgrades since it opened, thirteen years ago. There is a new Car Safety Programme being run in the museum where visiting schoolchildren get to see first hand just how violent a collision in a car is, even at 7km per hour! A company called Autoliv brought over the special equipment from Sweden. To book for the programme, call 9381363

What car do you drive?

A 1995 Opel Astra 1.7 Turbo Diesel Estate.

How long have you had the car?
I bought it in 2001.

Any plans to change?
I might make it a bit longer and thinner!

Is it reliable?
Semi- reliable. If I were to change the car I would go for the same model though, as the inside is very practical.

Best thing about the car?
Durability, it has been through a lot.

How often do you wash it?
Now and again. There isn’t much point really because I live in a bog. I have named the car “The Bogmobile!”

Are the images on the wing real things you have hit?
Yes they are! They are actually called “Nose art” Aircraft have images on the nose to show how they fare in combat. (Ash has a pilot’s licence for commercial fixed wing aircraft and gliders so it is a fitting tribute to the casualties!) The images are self-explanatory. The rooster was dancing in the middle of the road at 2 am and jumped straight into my windshield. The telegraph pole and the second fox were done at the same time. The fox jumped out of the hedgerow and swerving I ran into the pole.


What would you change on the roads?
I would get rid of the (illegal) purchase tax on new vehicles.


Top Tip for drivers?
Drive with the lights on. The ESP (in America) did a survey, which showed there was a 40% reduction in accidents when lights were used.

What would you really like to be driving around in?
If I didn’t have to carry equipment I would go for a Mazda MX5

Motoring.

NATIONAL GARDEN EXHIBITION CENTRE COUNTY WICKLOW

For more information http://www.gardenexhibition.ie/


Horticultural.