[mojorex]

I dont know if anyone saw the programee on tuesday night, Richard Corrigan the chef is setting up city gardens in cork, i just thought its such a good idea really good advice on the show too.

[sharonl]

Yes I have it on weekly reminder now, it will definately be usefull for me as I've only just started with an allotment, so it couldn't have come at a better time.

Great show, and its about time somebody did something like that in ireland. They have so much more of an allotment culture over in the UK. i watched Hugh Fernly Whittingstalls programme about the community small holding and was so jealous! I think theres big demand in ireland for allotments, most people just don't know where to start. You really have to dig to find any info on county council allotments and how to apply, then you find theres an enourmous waiting list, and up until this year there just wasn't many private allotments. Its great to see so many private allotment schemes starting up and this programme will certainly draw attention to the whole allotment 'movement' and hopefully the county councils might come under more pressure to provide allotments.

sharon

[michael brenock]

there is a desperate shortage of good sound hands on information on cultivation of vegetables. richard corrigan's show was a commentary on allotments not much educational value but he certainly created a greater awareness of the value of allotments. two generations have missed out on vegetable and fruit growing in small gardens and this needs to be redressed while there is know-how still around.
michael brenock horticultural advisor (retired)

[stooriefit]

Saw this post and followed the link to RTE iPlayer, I watched the 19 may programe, it was exellent !!.Michael Corrigan bursts with enthusism for growing and rearing your own food. I have bookmarked the RTE site and will watch the programe in the coming weeks.
Jock

[michael brenock]

i agree that there is plenty enthusiasm for the growing but no amount of this will make up for good sound down to earth advice, of course i am delighted that a high profile person has drawn attention to this need and this great opportunity.
michael brenock

[Liparis]

Sheer enthusiasm is the driving force behind people starting to grow their own. Then, if the good, sound, down-to-earth advice isn't nearby, they are motivated to find it and get stuck in. No enthusiasm, no motivation, no pleasure and no crops.
Some of these high profile people on TV are responsible for getting hundreds if not thousands of non-gardeners enthusiastic and motivated, wihout them, it probably wouldn't happen to a lot.
Bill.

[Sean Ph'lib]

I wonder if there would be a demand for a simply-written book on vegetable-growing?

[stooriefit]

Plenty of books out there Sean,. try Ebay or a book site called Greenmetropolis.

http://www.greenmetropolis.com

Jock

[John H]

I have been watching the series, it is handy to pick up a few tips. I liked the idea for growing strawberries in a wavin pipe. They had a pipe hanging and filled it with soil and cut out rectangles on the top and planted the strawberries in it then.

It could be a good way of covering a wall

[Liparis]

Would make a good method of growing strawberries for the latest "in-type" of gardening, called Forest Gardening. It's a method of getting maximum out-put from the small garden.
Growing high crops, as an example, nuts or apples, then dropping down to runner beans, then the next size down, and so on until you reach your ground level crops. It has been tested and shown that it reduces decimation of crops by insects because of the confussion it causes them and they give up and move on. It also encourages wildlife and birds which would feed on any obstinate nasties. Ideal for those of you growing organically. I suppose it's also a method of compannion planting but on a wider scale and being less selective of what you companion-plant. You could do it on small or very large scale. How it would work on crop rotation, I'm not sure, I'll look into further, or maybe one of you googlers could google it?
Bill.