This article is from page 36 of the 2007-04-10 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 36 JPG
THE most important thing about gardening is to begin.
Once you start to dig the soil, sow a seed, plant a plant or tend to nature in any way you are embarking ona journey that can lead to unexpected places. In many ways it is a journey within. When you are pottering in the garden, tidying and tending, embarking on a project or harvest- ing the fruits of your labour, you can feel at one with yourself and the universe. When you dig the soil you ANucm DOMOUD Kee meOynle-lMmy alee ser-lMmyyen(ee| nurtures and sustains us. There is no better way to get connected to the goodness and the bounty of the earth that I know of. And the results can be spectacular. Not just in the sense of peace and calm satisfaction that pervades the body and mind but in the abundant generosity of nature in her gifts of colour, form and taste.
So, how to begin? The first thing to say is that it’s easy; seeds and plants want to grow; all they need is a chance. So don’t be afraid, give it a go and see the results. There is something amazing about sowing a seed and witnessing its first green shoot piercing the soil and emerging into the light. Truly it is a miracle, and it happens all the time – even without our help.
Start small. A garden should be a pleasure not a burden. You can al-
ways expand. Pick a few seed pack- ets that you fancy. I would always encourage everyone to grow a few flowers. They are so easy and give us such joy. To begin with, annuals (ie they flower and go to seed in one year) are a good choice; Calendula (Marigold), with its beautiful bright orange and yellow heads, would cheer anybody up.
Nasturtiums are also good value, sprawling and crawling with their beautiful edible leaves and flow- ers to fill any vacant space. There is Cosmos to tower over them all summer long in their willowy grace and, of course, Sweet Pea to climb up a fence or a pole and provide a gorgeous aroma. To finish it off, if you have the space, poppies are easy to grow and self-seed abundantly, and sun-flowers (while needing a lit- tle more care) will reward you with a stunning display. They also attract beneficial insects to help keep your garden pest and disease free.
Apart from their beauty, all these flowers are easy to grow. You can start them in a tray or a pot of compost in early spring, say April or May, on a bright window sill inside, and plant them out once the danger of a hard frost 1s past. Or, even easier, once the soil has warmed up outside, say May or June, sow them directly in rows in a garden bed and transplant them to their final position once they have germinated
and are established. Be sure to water them well before you lift them care- fully with a fork, and water them into their new positions.
So there you have a beautiful flower garden which will flower throughout the summer and into the autumn, especially if you pick the flowers regularly. As a bonus it is easy to save the seed from these flowers for planting in subsequent years. You only have to buy the seed once and then you have them for Nate
Now for food plants. Again, start small. Even a window-box and a few pots can provide an abundance of leafy greens and herbs to enliven and season your meals. Once you begin to eat them from your own garden there is no turning back.
There is nothing like fresh, vi- brant, tasty, succulent and flavour- some vegetables harvested from your own garden. That is just the taste, let alone the wonderful feeling of pride and achievement you get from growing some of your own food and being, in some small way, self-reliant. Then there’s the treats for the belly.
Your body knows what’s good for it and once it gets sufficient expo- sure to real food; food that is grown in a live organic soil, food that is full of health and vigour and life- giving forces, there is no going back to the dead stuff; food that has been
poisoned, pumped up, irradiated and bred for a long shelf-life.
So be warned, you are embark- ing on an anarchic journey when you plant a seed. Salad greens are a good place to start. They are easy, quick, look beautiful and taste delicious. Because we eat them raw they are a particularly important and nutritious food.
There is no harm in having some ordinary lettuce such as a Cos-type, loose-leaf or Iceberg mixed in as well. A few Nasturtium flowers thrown in adds colour and the leaves add a peppery taste. Other easy-to- erow vegetables for beginner gar- deners include peas, beans, potatoes, cabbages, kale, beetroot, parsnip, swede, turnip, onions, radish and carrots.
Most of these can be sown thinly, in the positions where you want them to grow, once the soil has warmed up and been cleared of weeds. Then you can thin them, to the spacing they require, when they get big enough to handle. Thinnings of young plants often make lovely snacks early on in the year, they are extra-sweet and succulent.
Another way is to begin some seeds inside in trays or pots of soil or compost on a bright window sill. | QT om daTereemeslOmMm ns sloe MU sloAa IE hVc reached a good size and the danger of frosts is past, transplant them out- side in their growing position. Water
them in well.
Frost-sensitive plants, such as tomatoes, peppers, aubergines, pumpkins and courgettes respond well to this treatment and then you don’t always need a greenhouse or polytunnel to grow them on. Some of the varieties we grow at Seed Savers have been selected for their ability to ripen outside in an aver- age Irish summer, such as Stupice, Marcel and Aurora tomatoes, the Ebisu pumpkin (the creamiest one I’ve ever had the good fortune to eat), and the Healthy Pepper (better in the warmer south of the country).
SO go on, get a window-box or cultivate a piece of ground. Begin with a few seeds. Look after them and they will return your care many times over. When you pick those flowers or harvest your own vegeta- bles you will get a warm, satisfying (even Self righteous) feeling inside. When you cook the food and share it with friends you will be glad.