ME AND MY MOTOR -PADDY MORGAN

Paddy Morgan, like a lot of car enthusiasts, sees Ford cars as innovators of new technology over the years. I used to have a 1964 Ford Zephyr myself some years ago and it was one of the most comfortable cars I have ever driven. The downside I suppose was the fact that you had to get under the car with the grease gun every few thousand miles and lubricate the moving parts. There were no sealed units then!

Name: Paddy Morgan
Address: Creeslough
Car: 1982 Ford Granada 2.8 ghia

How long have you had the car?
A little over two years now.


How long have you been involved with vintage cars?
I have been interested in old cars since I was a child. I have been actively involved with vintage cars for 20 years now.


Did you restore the car yourself?
The car didn’t need restoring as it is still in its original condition.


Any plans to change?
As a matter of fact, yes!. I have the car up for sale at the moment. (Anyone interested can phone Paddy on 087 9063195


Is it reliable?
Extremely reliable. Ford were well ahead of the competition in the 1980’s and their technology was very advanced. The cars ran very well even though there were no computers to regulate the workings of the engine.


Best thing about the car?
The Granada was (and still is!) a luxury car so the ride is very comfortable. It comes into its own on log journeys and just soaks up the miles.


How often do you wash it?
It gets a lot of washes because white tends to show the muck.


Any modifications?
No, as I said earlier, the car is in original condition, weren’t you listening?


If you were the Minister for Finance what would you do to help motorists?
Lower road tax,( although it doesn’t really effect old vehicles)


What would you really like to be driving around in?
I still have a soft spot for the old Ford Anglia 105. They were great road and rally cars and even Harry Potter drove one!

BOLTING ONIONS

Why have my onions bolted? H.B. Carn

It's to do with cold temperatures at a critical period in their growth. We've had a few cold wet days over the past month, which may have upset their cycle. Chances are they are the red variety; these are very prone to it.

Horticultural.

DRAINPIPE PLANTING

I saw on a gardening programme that plants can be started in the greenhouse using a long drainpipe/guttering then sliding then into a trench in the garden. Does this work? Cheers Ray by e-mail

It’s an old Geoff Hamilton trick, especially useful for peas... which can then be slid off into a prepared trench the same shape as the guttering, with minimal root disturbance. It sounds easy but there has been a lot of trial and error in the method. Use a pipe about two feet long and don’t put holes in it. The roots go into the holes and stop the soil being slid out. You can use the method with most plants and flowers. If you get the roots quite well developed there shouldn’t be any bother as it comes out in one piece like a grass sod.

Horticultural.

STRAW BERRIES

The warm weather has given a great boost to the veggie plot. There has been a rush on questions about the garden too. Let’s get straight down to it!


Should I put straw under my strawberries to stop them rotting? Will it blow away in the wind? BT by e-mail

I was in an allotment recently and someone had put each of their strawberries into their own jar. This was to give them their own mini greenhouse I think or maybe it was the first steps to making jam!

The time to put straw under the strawberries is when the fruit has formed. As long as it is round the entire plant. Straw is like unravelled knitting, it not only holds itself together, but the leaves and fruit also pin it down. So unless you are in a really windy spot, it should stay put. A friend of mine grew the fruit very successfully in old tyres filled with soil. With two plants per tyre we could make a use of all of the old ones littering the peninsula.

Horticultural.

STRAWBERRIES

NEW STRAWBERRIES

New strawberry plants can be planted between now and early September, 15-18in apart, with a 12 inches between the rows. Plant them in soil, which has been really well enriched with manure or old compost. I saw a very pleasing display recently where the strawberry plants were planted into a copper water cylinder with holes cut in the sides. The plants were growing well and showed no signs of slug damage. This will be down to the fact that slugs do not like copper and also because the cylinder was raised up on bricks to clear it from the ground.

Horticultural.

LATE SUMMER IN THE FRUIT GARDEN

The summer sunshine was ideal for fruit growing. Some fruit was knocked back a bit because of the lack of water. The content of fruit is mainly water so if they are deprived of this then problems arise. I saw indications of erratic watering recently on some apple and pear trees. The fruit had been dry for a while then when the sudden rains came the fruit expanded and the skins split. It isn’t just apples and pears that are affected by this. Tomatoes are very sensitive to irregular watering and their skins split very easily. After a very short space of time bacteria sets in and the fruit becomeq inedible. The secret is to keep a constant supply of water to the fruit trees and bushes even if they have been established for a few years


FRUIT CARE

Water:

Water fruit trees and bushes in dry weather. Large established trees shouldn’t need any extra water – but fruit on a very dwarfing rootstock, and trained fruit, particularly when trained against a wall, may well do. If your fruit tree is not already mulched after watering lay a thick mulch of organic matter around it. This will help retain moisture and suppress weeds.

Containers: Don’t forget that container grown fruit relies on you for nearly all of its water supply. Water daily, even when it rains, as rain can bounce off leaves rather than soaking the soil. If you are going to be away for a few days, move containers into the shade, if practical, to reduce water loss.

Peaches: If you are lucky enough to grow wall-trained peaches and nectarines in the conservatory, prune them immediately they have fruited. Cut out the shoots that have borne fruit, and any dead wood. Tie in replacement shoots.

Reduce fungal diseases: Prune plum and damson trees after fruiting. Cut out any material that is dead or diseased. Pruning plums at the correct time of year will minimise the risk of infection by fungal diseases. Vigorous growth in the summer reduces the chances of spores of this disease gaining entry through pruning cuts

Blackberries: Continue training new canes of blackberries. Watch out for thorns! Train the young shoots to wires against a fence or wall in one direction and the older fruiting canes in the opposite direction. Tie in with twine. This method makes picking and pruning simple.

Blackcurrants: Prune blackcurrants any time between now and late winter. Remove up to one third of the bush each year, cutting out the darkest, oldest wood in favour of young growth, which will bear most fruit next year. Start with low growing shoots to prevent next year's fruit from dragging on the ground. Overall, aim to maintain an upright shape and open habit in the centre.

Apples and pears: Harvest early apples and pears. A reliable way of telling if a fruit is ripe or not is to cup the fruit in your hand and twist it gently. If it is ripe the fruit will fall into your hand. If not leave on the tree to ripen further. Early crops of apples and pears do not store for long so are best enjoyed not long after picking.

Raspberries: Continue pruning summer fruiting raspberries. Cut out the canes that have borne fruit this summer and tie in the canes that have grown this year. Any new canes that are weak should be cut out, rather than tied in, as it is unlikely that they will bear much fruit.

Trained fruit: Prune trained fruit trees now. Cordon apple and pear trees need to have side growths from the main stem cut back to 8cm. The shoots that were cut in the same way last year will have produced side shoots. Prune these back to 2.5cm. Summer pruning encourages fruit bearing spurs for next year. Prune esplaier and fan-trained trees in the same way.

Finish off: Finish off summer pruning of cordon and fan trained gooseberries and redcurrants.

Horticultural.