Muintir na Tire School Garden Competition

  Sweetcorn Sweetcorn takes up a good deal of space and gives a relatively low return – just two cobs per plant. It can also be difficult to grow well in Ireland given our relative lack of sun. But the sheer pleasure of harvesting a fresh cob of corn and the incredible sweet taste make it worth a try. They say you should run from the veggie patch to the kitchen when you harvest sweetcorn to cook it immediately – this is because as soon as you pick it the sugars in the corn immediately start to turn to starch and so the flavour is degrading literally by the hour. So, in other words, you will never taste anything like homegrown sweetcorn. SOWING Sweetcorn grows best in soil that has had compost and a general fertiliser added, so we suggest adding some fertiliser a week or two before sowing/transplanting. Sow seeds in May indoors in pots for later transplanting. Sow small pots about 2-3cm deep – one seed per pot. Sweetcorn will need temperatures of 20°C so a warm sunny windowsill or a...

  Florence Fennel A delicious, white, aniseed-flavoured bulb that will be ready to eat in four months. Worth growing for its pretty foliage alone. It’s a little tricky to grow, but definitely worth a try. SOWING Florence fennel is a Mediterranean crop that needs warm growing conditions, so it should be grown in the summer. If exposed to fluctuating or low temperatures it will be at risk of bolting. Florence fennel can be sown in modules for later transplanting or directly into soil. If sowing in modules, sow one seed per module from late April to July. If sowing direct, sow from late May till July, 1cm deep, thinly, in rows 30cm apart. GROWING Plants will be ready for transplanting when they around 10-15cm high. Space 30cm apart in rows 30cm apart and thin direct sown crops to the same spacing. Don’t allow the soil to dry out as this can encourage bolting Florence fennel will grow in any reasonably fertile soil. HARVESTING Expect bulbs to be ready 14-16 weeks after sowing (the bulb...

  Squash & Pumpkin We mainly associate pumpkins with Halloween – they are, of course, fun to carve faces into, but they are also very good to eat too. For the homegrower who is trying to produce crops to store over the winter, pumpkins are an attractive option since they store particularly well, thanks to their very tough skin. When it comes to squash, they can produce a high yield of fruits that will store well throughout the winter. Ideal for soups, stews or roasts. SOWING Make sure the soil where you are going to grow your pumpkins/squash has had a decent application of well-rotted manure or compost. Add a general fertiliser 1-2 weeks before transplanting out. Plants should be sown in 7cm pots for later transplanting. Sow seeds in May 2cm deep in pots. They will be ready to transplant after 3 or 4 weeks when the roots have filled out the compost in the pot. GROWING Squashes/pumpkins are frost sensitive, so don’t transplant them out till the danger of frost is passed – cover ...

  Broccoli, Sprouting Sprouting broccoli is a different vegetable to the standard broccoli that we get in the shops, which is actually called calabrese. Sprouting broccoli produces small florets in purple or white varieties and is traditionally harvested in winter and spring. It is a fantastic vegetable to grow as it will provide plenty of food at a time when there’s very little else available in the veg patch (from February to April). SOWING Sprouting broccoli should be planted in a soil that has been well-manured the previous autumn. Alternatively, you can add compost or manure and/or a general fertiliser one week before sowing/planting. Do not grow sprouting broccoli anywhere that you have grown any member of the cabbage family the last three years (cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, kohlrabi, collards and kale). The best way to manage all these veg is to create a crop rotation scheme prior to growing. Sprouting broccoli should be sown in May. It can be sown outsi...

  Beans, Runner Runner beans are incredibly prolific, incredibly attractive looking, and easy to grow. Runner beans plants will grow up to 10ft tall and a row of them growing up a cane wigwam will make a great feature in the summer vegetable patch. The beans themselves are tasty and freeze well. In fact, the only downside to runner beans is that you will have to pick them every other day in the summer months – so don’t be tempted to sow too many of them. A single plant will produce up to a kilo of beans. SOWING Runner beans like a fertile soil, so ideally add compost and a general fertiliser a week or two before sowing/transplanting. Seeds can be sown direct in the soil or in module trays ready for transplanting. Runner beans are frost sensitive and grow poorly in cold weather, so don’t sow indoors until early May. You can sow/tranplant outdoors in late May or early June. Sow 5cm deep in pots or direct – they are big seeds that grow quickly. If sowing direct space plants 30cm apart...