A West Cork garden at the edge of the Atlantic Ocean

The swallows are beginning to gather practicing their swooping moves in the evenings as the sun is setting. They are feeding for insects in the evenings as they prepare for the long journey south where they will overwinter in Africa, traveling thousands of miles to get there. The sight of them gathering together in the evenings is a real sign of the changing seasons.

Other small birds are becoming interested in the garden about now too as they gather to graze on the seed heads of borage, evening primrose and any other worthwhile seeds that are ready. There is plenty for them to feed on with rose hips, mountain ash berries and blackberries in plentiful supply.

The vegetable garden is peaking with summer vegetables ready for harvest, onions can be taken from the ground now and dried, the leaves collapse and begin to yellow indicating that they are ready for harvest. Once they have been harvested, leave them on the surface of the soil for a few days if the weather permits and if rain is due then a polytunnel or glasshouse is a good option on a rack to provide air circulation to cure the outer layers which will ensure better storage over the coming months. Another tip for onions is to dig the bulbs out rather than pull them so that less damage is done to the root plate as this will lead to better storage also. After drying for a few weeks they can be plaited and hung in a cool, dark place for use over the leaner months in the garden.

With beds emptying of crops like onions it is time to consider the plan for the winter months and green manures are always a good option to cover the soil, maintaining and enhancing the nutrient value of the soil over the winter months. 

Alternatively a layer of cardboard can be added to the soil surface to smother any weeds and a layer of garden compost or manure added to the top when the heap is being emptied.

A WORKING GARDEN

A visit to the kitchen garden of Dunmore House Hotel recently revealed a very organised space that maximises on every inch of growing space producing a range of vegetables and interestingly lots of herbs which are a very sensible crop to grow when space is at a as they provide such additional flavour to meals. 

The garden is located at the edge of the Atlantic Ocean, tucked in across the road from the hotel. Biodiversity is at the heart of what they are doing here and a pond attracts plenty of beneficial wildlife to the garden. 

The food growing area is surrounded by mounded wildflower ditches and borders which provide shelter from the wind and are planted with an array of annuals, perennials, grasses and shrubs that will attract pollinators and other beneficial insects to the gardens. Fennel, hebe, oleria and buddleja were some of the larger plants growing along the seaward boundary and lots of groundcover herbaceous perennials like geranium, osteospermum and persicaria.

Observing what is growing in this garden is a lesson in what will grow well by the sea for anybody struggling with this dilemma in their own gardens. There are many adverse growing conditions to contend with this close to the ocean, among them, salt spray, wind and managing water, yet they seem to overcome these difficulties to produce a healthy and productive space for gardening which also looked really pretty. Companion planting is working well throughout the garden and growing flowers with vegetables not only looks good it is beneficial for the crops and choosing the right plants means that the flowers can be used in salads and garnishes adding some colour and excitement.

The garden is made up of two polytunnels and many raised beds which are home to neat rows of lettuce, chard, kale, spinach and onions with tomatoes and courgettes being grown under cover. 

Composting is a key part of gardening at this location and seaweed is a natural choice for use here.

Permaculture and organic principles are at the heart of this garden. There were lots of trays of transplants at the ready for planting in vacant beds and great to see such organisation, attention to detail and growing being done on site. Food does not get any fresher than this, literally being delivered across the road. Check out www.dunmorehousehotel.ie

Plant of the week

A great plant for companion planting in the vegetable garden is tagetes or french marigold. Choosing the right species of cultivar is also a consideration particularly if space is at a . Some french marigolds can get to 1m tall with a similar spread. Tagetes tenuifolia ‘Gem mix’ provides a combination of a few different coloured miniature marigolds with delicate ferny foliage, the colours range from yellow to orange to a burnt orange and they are covered in single edible flowers for the summer months. They get to about 25cm tall with a similar spread and have a good compact habit with soft ferny foliage. The foliage is also pleasantly scented, a great plant to include in the vegetable garden.