Photo's: Doagh island visitors centre in Inishowen.
The seaweed was the staple diet at the time of the famine.
Tuesday, 2 October 2007
A STROLL IN THE GARDEN- DONAL DOHERTY
Donal Doherty from Carndonagh showed me around his extremely productive garden this week. Donal has always had a keen interest in all things green and spends more time in the garden after retiring from 37 years working for the Inishowen oil Company. Before that, Donal worked for a company called JJ and LF Goodbody in Carndonagh, who made jute sacking for packaging potatoes for export. When he isn’t gardening Donal is running marathons and half marathons as well as 5 and 10 km races. He has recently won a national medal from the Athletics Association of Ireland for coming second in a half marathon (I really should exercise more!)
How long have you been working on the garden?
30 years. I set the trees and laid out the lawns. I have worked with potatoes for longer than that though. My father inspired me as he always had the earliest spuds in Carndonagh.
What is your favourite plant?
I think the curly Kale is very versatile. It is great for winter and spring use.
What is your favourite feature in the garden?
I have been working with bees for year and I love the hives. I got the queen and fifteen workers to feed her from Buckfast abbey. I would recommend Goriston College in County Meath if anyone wanted to take a course on beekeeping
What is your favourite season and why?
The spring. There is so much work to be done
What work gives you the most pleasure in the garden?
Planting seeds and seeing the fruits of my labour
Any irritations in the garden. How do you cope?
Nothing at all. Its all part of the cycle. If plants are in the right place with companion planting they look after themselves.
What is your best gardening tool?
I have a great fork that I use all of the time.
Top gardening tip?
Take it easy and enjoy the garden. The journey of 10,000 leagues starts with a single step.
Any plans for the future?
I would like to get the garden designed at some stage but I am happy with things as they are in the meantime.
Horticultural.
CLONMANY SHOW
Photo's : Some of the delights on display at the Clonmany show.
It is harvesting time for a lot of vegetables. We didn’t plant too much this year but are getting plenty of mangetout, beans and courgettes. These are easy crops to harvest and picking encourages more veggies to come so they are very productive. The peas, spinach and salad are doing well too though the sweet corn looks like it might not produce much this year for us as we planted it a bit late.
I went to the Clonmany Agricultural Show last week, which was part of the 40th Clonmany festival. I enjoyed looking at the home industries competition, particularly at the different types of potatoes that are grown around the peninsula and ready for early harvesting now. If you fancy a change from spuds though why not consider Jerusalem artichokes.
JERUSALEM ARTICHOKES
I have heard that Jerusalem artichokes make a good alternative to spuds, what are they and how can I grow them. Thanks E.M. by E-mail
Reply
There isn’t much to touch the humble spud. You can tire easily from eating pasta or rice everyday, but there’s nothing like a big bowl of mash to fill you up. Jerusalem artichokes would make a pleasant change to the usual fare but they do have a distinct flavour and not everyone likes the taste. Those that do will relish the soup that it makes. If you know anyone who has the crop then you could get some tubers from them to make a start. If not, garden centres usually stock them. The plants need to grow until the leaves turn brown in autumn. Either harvest all of the tubers and pick some small ones to plant next year or do as the French do and leave the ones that stay on the stems in the ground to grow on for next year.
PREPARATION
Wash and scrub the tubers in water. If they are smooth, cut away the roots and tips. When peeled put them in water. Knobbly artichokes are best boiled in their skins for about ten minutes until half cooked. Then run them under the cold tap and peel the skins off.
I went to the Clonmany Agricultural Show last week, which was part of the 40th Clonmany festival. I enjoyed looking at the home industries competition, particularly at the different types of potatoes that are grown around the peninsula and ready for early harvesting now. If you fancy a change from spuds though why not consider Jerusalem artichokes.
JERUSALEM ARTICHOKES
I have heard that Jerusalem artichokes make a good alternative to spuds, what are they and how can I grow them. Thanks E.M. by E-mail
Reply
There isn’t much to touch the humble spud. You can tire easily from eating pasta or rice everyday, but there’s nothing like a big bowl of mash to fill you up. Jerusalem artichokes would make a pleasant change to the usual fare but they do have a distinct flavour and not everyone likes the taste. Those that do will relish the soup that it makes. If you know anyone who has the crop then you could get some tubers from them to make a start. If not, garden centres usually stock them. The plants need to grow until the leaves turn brown in autumn. Either harvest all of the tubers and pick some small ones to plant next year or do as the French do and leave the ones that stay on the stems in the ground to grow on for next year.
PREPARATION
Wash and scrub the tubers in water. If they are smooth, cut away the roots and tips. When peeled put them in water. Knobbly artichokes are best boiled in their skins for about ten minutes until half cooked. Then run them under the cold tap and peel the skins off.
Horticultural.
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