SEED TEST

Question.
I have a small vegetable garden. I have lots of seeds left over every year. Is it false economy to save them for the following year? Thanks DM Ballyliffen


Answer.
Seeds do get weaker as the years pass (loose viability), the rate of deterioration depends on certain factors. What it is, when it was harvested and when it was stored. For example, while melon, chard, peppers and tomatoes are reliable for up to four years, and lettuce and carrots for three, parsnips and cabbages start to decline in their second year. Always keep seed in a cool, dry place, ideally in airtight jars with a handful of rice grains or a bag of silica gel to absorb humidity. Do a germination test before you plant old seed. Put some of the seed in a dish with moist cotton wool or similar and leave for two weeks. If the seed has not germinated then spend a bit of money on some new seed.

Horticultural.

SUN LOVING PLANTS

Do you yearn for a week or two on the French Riviera? Nothing to do all day but soak up the suns rays on the veranda and admire the Mediterranean splendour? Well you could save yourself the journey and bring some of the plants to your own back garden. There are some plants that will grow happily on the peninsula that will make you feel that you are on permanent holiday.

PLANTS FOR THAT MEDITERRANEAN FEELING

Cypress
The pencil like conifers that perforate the Mediterranean horizon are called Cupressus sempervirens “Green Pencil”. These are hardy enough and look well in a large container on the patio.

Rock Roses
Cistus are great mound forming plants for sunny, well-drained banks or borders. The leaves are very downy and the plants are covered in tissue paper like leaves in the summer. They come in a range of colours from pink, purple or white.

Box
The Med is full of clipped box parterres, which are not always on a grand scale. Some are small squared patterns filled with gravel and centred by a citrus tree, which really looks the part.

African lily
The Agapantus hybrids are quite hardy but you would probably need to mulch them in winter to protect them from the elements. They look great in pots and have long lasting flowers which open up in late summer.

Rosemary
This plant is delightful in the garden (or on roast lamb). Rosmarinus officinalis is an evergreen shrub, which thrives in pots or in well-drained soil. Plant it where you will brush against it to release that Mediterranean fragrance.

TENDER CHOICES
These are plants that will require a bit of TLC in the winter to keep the frosts off. If you have a conservatory or a heated green house they can be over wintered.

Lemon
A must have for the terrace. A potted lemon tree called Citrus x meyeri “Meyer” proves to be the hardiest and most reliable. Pick the fruits and put a slice in your gin and tonic! The white blossoms will scent the conservatory in spring.

Bougainvillea
This tender climber will look great on a trellis in the garden. It doesn’t like to be colder than 8 degrees in winter though.

Oleander
Nerium oleander makes effective hedges in the Mediterranean but here we can put them in pots. They come in a wide range of colours.

Agave
These spiky plants really shout hot weather. They look stunning in pots, but they are sharp so keep them away from where you are walking.

Horticultural.

VW CAMPERVAN HISTORY

VW CAMPERVAN

Last week in Inishowen I was lucky enough to follow a precession of Volkswagen camper vans from Buncrana to Malin Head. They ranged for the original split screened models to the rather bland looking T25 model that manages to sum up caravanning in the 1970’s. It was a fabulous display of vehicles. I was only sorry that they didn’t stop in Malin, they just turned around and headed for a different part of the country. Because of that I didn’t manage to talk campervans for the afternoon. The history of the machine is very colourful and one can pass many an hour recalling it in the pub

VW CAMPERVAN HISTORY

The history of the Camper van really goes back to the end of the 2nd world war where the allied forces found themselves running the VW factory in Wolfsberg in Germany. To ferry parts across the massive factory stripped down VW Beetles were turned into little transporters. A Dutch VW importer called Ben Pon thought these machines had a future and in 1947 sketched his idea of a Beetle based van. Two short years later it was launched at the Geneva Motor Show as the modern equivalent to the ox and cart.

They say most ideas are simple ones, and the one behind the VW bus is as pure and simple as they come. It started life off as a box on wheels and what a big box, 170 cubic feet and enough room to hold a 15 hand horse. It was very simple and in the next 5 years VW would turn out 90 different body combinations from, refrigerated ice-cream vans, half a hundred delivery vans from mobile milking machines to bakers bread vans, scores of milk floats, florists, veterinary surgeons, beer wagons, butchers shops, mobile grocers. Then there were the police vans, fire engines, ambulances, the pick ups and last was the camper van. The first big sale was in America; in the mid 50s with dinky sinks and cosy cookers it was the home from home. By 1963 America had purchased 150,000 of these camper vans. The Splitty, which was a reference to the split windscreen, was replaced in 1967 by the bay window model and what the bay lost in personality it gained in refinements with having windup windows and a top speed of 80mph. The bay window made the VW a success and by 1975 the Hanover factory had turned out 4 Million of these vehicles. Not bad for a van that started life as a box on wheels.

A different choice of engine sizes were available from the 1600cc, 1700cc, 1800cc and 2000cc. VW had been giving away gold watches to anybody who got past the 100,000 mile mark, but had to stop when the bay window model arrived after giving away 160,000 watches, because it became more reliable. But in 1979 all that personality stopped and was replaced by the wedge.

The comfy camper became a bungalow on wheels (hope this does not offend any T25 owners). There were 5 million of these vehicles made by VW so they must have done something right when they made the Camper Van. VW discontinued the camper van but at the Detroit auto show in 2001 they announced that it fully intended to build a production version of the retro family van, which was to be called the Microbus. That plan has now changed, as VW will now be making a much more traditional minivan design that has little in common with the Microbus concept. Instead, Volkswagen will employ Chrysler to build a minivan for it based on the latter's 2008 model-year redesign of its Town & Country and Dodge Caravan series of vehicles. Even though it's expected to go into production at Chrysler's St. Louis plant in 2008, this seven-seater will feature a distinctively VW type of design. So although the outside of the vehicle will resemble the glory days of the old camper, the interior will reflect the new trend for seven seater vehicles designed to get the kids to school on time.

Environmental.

SCRAPPING CARS IN INISHOWEN

SCRAPPING YOUR MOTOR

Dear motoring.

I have a scrap car that I want to get rid of. Could you tell me where I can find the nearest scrap yard that could take it? The car is in Buncrana. I would like to think that the car would get recycled properly without adding to the pollution problem. Do you know anything about the End of Life Vehicle regulations that have been introduced as well? Thanks DG by e-mail


Reply

Mr. Daniel Lynch, Buncrana (074) 93 61687 has both a Waste Collection Permit for the collection of scrap metal and a waste permit for the site both issued by Donegal County Council. You may be able to deliver the car to the site or have the car collected. The cost is a matter for the waste collector and you will need to enquire with them directly about that.
Other locally based permitted operators include:

Joseph McCann, Kincasslagh 074 95 43407
Thomas Monagan, Letterkenny 074 91 28008
Raymond McDaid, St. Johnston 074 91 48211
Samuel James Clarke, Raphoe 074 91 45615
Gerald Green, Letterkenny 074 91 55042

Other locally based permitted waste collectors include:

John Furey (Thorndale Recycling) 086 3021312
Terence Howard, Raphoe 074 91 45518
Erin Recyclers, Leitrim 071 98 42959
Ciaran Moyne, Kilmacrennan 074 91 39055
Seamus Strain, Milford 074 91 53163
Gerard Green, Carrigart 087 9001778

Under new End of Life Vehicle Regulations that came into force on the 1st January 07, a member of the public can bring an ELV to an Authorised Treatment Facility. This facility is to be organised by the Producers (car manufacturers/importers) and there must be at least one ATF per county. Donegal County Council has issued on permit for an ATF but the facility has not been constructed as yet. There are two further applications fro ATF's pending and a possibility of more applications. When one or more Atfs are available a member of the public may bring there ELV to the facility free of charge, they will also receive a certificate of destruction for the car. Until an ATF is available within the county, the public can continue to use any of the above permitted scrap metal operators.

Environmental.

HAIR LOSS

Ian
Have you any advise about how I can stop my husbands hair from falling out, he is beginning to resemble a beach ball. Thanks, Desperate Housewife by e-mail..

Reply
I think you are asking the wrong person! I had a thick mane when I was younger but like most men it thinned out drastically, so I shave off what’s left. My family has a history of baldness though. My great grandfather got a shiny top at the age of 21. His remedy was to retire to Switzerland in the hope that the fresh air would re-kindle the follicles. Alas it didn’t but he did enjoy fifty years of breeding greyhounds in his extensive leisure time, wearing a flat cap I might add. It is said that diet is a contributory factor in hair loss. A western diet rich in fat from red meat has been suggested to promote pattern baldness A wholesome diet, rich in silica, calcium and iron, will help reduce or prevent hair loss. Green, leafy vegetables, especially sea vegetables, are good mineral sources. Raw oats provide silica. Dried fruits are rich sources of iron. The balding process can be slowed down by taking a low-fat diet. Some scientists postulate that the male pattern baldness is tied to increased testosterone levels during puberty. A high-fat, meat-based diet raises testosterone levels, and that may adversely affect hair follicles. Anemia is one of the most frequent causes of hair loss. Get hubby to eat plenty of iron-rich foods, whole grain cereals, dark green leafy vegetables, eggs and dates might help. The only alternatives other than this would be to buy a flat cap for the shiny scalp or get a polishing cloth. Switzerland is nice this time of year as well, a ticket for one maybe!

Household.

COLD AND FLU REMEDIES

Colds and flu conversations seem to be very popular at the moment. When you are down with a dose there seems to be a certain comfort in letting someone else know how much bodily fluid your loosing. If you are like me then you also feel that you have the worst cold ever recorded in the history of humankind. Winter seems to be the time for colds, but it isn’t the weather that causes all the misery. It’s the time spent indoors and confined spaces with sick people. The viruses that cause colds and flu are highly contagious and all you have to do is to scratch your face after being in contact with someone with the sniffles and you are down with it too. Adults get around four colds a year and there is no denying that they play havoc with our health. One very wise sage once commented that a cold is nothing more than an oil change for humans. Others think that there is a cleansing out of toxins when we are suffering with the sniffles. There is probably some truth in this, as we do seem to feel great a few days after recovering.

LOOK AFTER YOURSELF
No over the counter medicines or prescription drugs can cure the common cold, but this doesn’t really matter as the important issue is to take things easy and look after yourself. Some remedies from the chemist can make the symptoms worse though. The ones that come to mind are the antihistamine and decongestant combination drugs, which are supposed to clear the nasal passages. These can cause drowsiness, dry nose and throat and oddly enough, nasal congestion. Analgesics such as aspirin, paracetamol and ibuprofen, reduce fevers and relieve muscle pain. These have all sorts of side effects like nausea, heartburn, headaches and skin rashes. All of these things don’t seem to matter when we are ill, we just keep popping the pills and hoping for the best. A lot of the uncomfortable symptoms can come from these products. There are flu jabs that can be obtained for certain strains of cold. Drug companies have to gamble every year that they produce the correct one for the strain. The effectiveness seems to wane quickly and the effectiveness will also depend on the health of the recipient. There is an alternative to the injection. There is a method of putting a liquid up the nostrils, and it seems to be working well. Antibiotics have no place in the treatment of colds and flu either, unless the illness becomes complicated by bacterial infection. The fact that the law might change soon so we can freely obtain antibiotics over the counter at the chemist is a bit worrying as a lot of people seem to think that they are a wonderful cure all.

WORTH ITS SALT
There is a simple remedy for nasal congestion that you might find in the chemists which is helpful for colds and flu. Saline nasal sprays and drops. Spraying salt water up your nose can loosen things enough to clear your head. Some people use a small pot with a spout called a neti pot. The idea is to tip your head back and pour salt water in one nostril and let it come out of the other. It works apparently, but I have never been brave enough to try it. The pots are available from yoga equipment suppliers and they are great if you really want to be the centre of attention! Make your own saline solution by mixing ¼ of a teaspoon full of salt into some warm tap water. Make it fresh each day and put it into a spray bottle and use as needed, especially when the family are around.

HERBAL REMEDIES
There are loads of preventative steps to take to ward off the colds. Keeping up vitamin contents, eating a balanced diet are a good start. When it comes to herbal remedies though, some people swear by Echinacea. This plant extract stimulates white blood cell activity and increases the production of interferon, which is nature’s antiviral substance in the body. Research shows that if Echinacea is taken just as the symptoms appear, they can shorten the duration of the cold and also lessen the severity of the symptoms. However it may reduce immunity if taken over long periods. You will find Echinacea in the health shops but check with staff on how to use it effectively. Remember herbal remedies are still medicines and should be taken with professional advice.

HERBAL DRINKS
Try a herbal drink, you can sweeten it with some honey if you like, this will also sooth the throat and lemon added will keep the vitamin C intake up too. Elderflower and hibiscus are also high in Vitamin C. Try mixing herbs of your choice e.g. dried peppermint leaves, lemon balm leaves, elder flowers, hibiscus and yarrow leaves. Stew like you would normal tea (not too strong though).

The important thing to do if you have a cold is to look after yourself, curl up under a duvet and keep warm. If you must go to work then try and concentrate on less demanding jobs. And remember to cover your mouth when you sneeze!

Household.