Muintir na Tire School Garden Competition

  Artichoke, Jerusalem Jerusalem artichoke is not related to the globe artichoke. In fact, they couldn’t be more different. Unlike globe artichoke, they are an exceptionally prolific plant and are a staple veg during what we GIYers call the ‘hungry gap’ (late winter into early spring). Jerusalem artichoke is also a joy to grow, suffer no diseases, will grow pretty much in any soil, and can be a very versatile veg in the kitchen. SOWING Jerusalem artichoke are like potatoes – while they do produce seeds, we never propagate them from seeds. Instead, plant tubers into the ground, which can be acquired by mail order or from selected garden centres and other growers. For best results plant in March or April. Plant tubers in small holes 30cm apart. We suggest planting tubers in a row on the northern end of your vegetable bed, as they grow to up to 3m in height and shade anything growing close. GROWING The plants, being so tall, are susceptible to being blown over in early autumn gales. T...

  Carrots No veg seems more classic than the carrot. And growing your own means you will be rewarded with a crunchy, sweet and flavoursome crop. Not only are carrots a delicious veg to grow, they also store incredibly well, are highly nutritious, and if you time your sowings right you could be self-sufficient through most of the year with this classic ‘stockpot’ vegetable. The GIYer can also try out lots of different varieties of carrots, which, generally speaking, are not on offer in supermarkets. We generally associate carrots with the colour orange, when in fact you can grow carrots of other colours too, such as purple, yellow and even white. SOWING When it comes to successfully growing carrots good soil is key. Fresh manure is not very suitable for carrots – the high nitrogen content encourages excess leaf growth, and manure can also cause the roots to fork. However, well-rotted compost is fine. Apply a general purpose organic fertiliser (such as chicken manure pellets) about t...

  Claytonia It might sound like a thrash metal band, but claytonia (also called winter purslane or miner’s lettuce) is in fact a really useful, hardy, heart-shaped winter salad green that can be used to bulk up winter salads and stirfries. It was called miner’s lettuce after the Gold Rush miners who valued its high vitamin C content to ward off scurvy. Claytonia is a succulent, almost-meaty salad green that will also withstand cooking (so is excellent as an alternative to spinach) and is very easy to grow. Though claytonia will grow in the spring/summer, its real value is as a winter-hardy green, providing us with winter greens from October or November right up until April of the following year. Claytonia deteriorates quickly once picked, which means you can rarely purchase it commercially – all the more reason to grow it yourself. SOWING Claytonia can be sown in modules and transplanted, but is easier sown direct. It can be sown throughout the year, but is usually grown as a hardy...

  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...