Muintir na Tire School Garden Competition

  Kohlrabi Kohlrabi is gaining in popularity and little wonder – it’s quick-growing, relatively easy to grow and tastes great (like a very mild turnip), cooked or raw. Not to mention they are beautiful looking plants. Available as green, white or purple varieties, kohlrabi stems grow above the ground. It’s a brassica, so include it in your crop rotation. SOWING Kohlrabi will grow in most reasonably fertile soil, but grows best in a fertile soil with compost and a general fertiliser added. Try adding some a week or two before sowing/transplanting. Do not grow kohlrabi anywhere that you have grown any member of the cabbage family the previous year (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. Find out how to create your own plan here. Kohlrabi can be sown in modules at 1cm depth for later transplanting. But the easiest way to grow them is directly into the soi...

  Why Grow It French beans are an easy to grow legume, and are arguably more tasty than some of their family members. There is a huge variety available – green, purple, flecked, cream – and they are quite versatile. Immature French bean pods are excellent to eat whole, while the beans inside larger pods (often called haricot beans) are also very tasty. Climbing French beans make a very attractive addition to the summer veggie patch. Sowing French beans grow best in a fertile soil with compost and a general fertiliser added one or two weeks before sowing/transplanting. There are two types of French bean: climbing and dwarf. Dwarf beans grow just 45cm tall. Climbing French beans grow up to 6-8ft tall. Seeds can be sown direct in the soil or in module trays for transplanting. Seeds are sown 5cm deep in modules from late April to July. Outdoor sowings can be made from late May until July. For dwarf varieties, sow 5cm deep every 10cm in rows 50cm apart. For climbing varieties, sow two b...

  Beetroot Many people have an aversion to beetroot because the only way they have ever tasted it is boiled and drowned in vinegar. If this is your experience, we recommend giving it a second chance. Beetroot is a fine root crop that is easy to grow, is incredibly good for you, and stores well, therefore can usually be eaten all year round. On top of all these benefits, when it comes to cooking it has multiple uses – boil it, bake it, grate it into salads, make chutneys, wine and even cakes (beetroot brownies anyone?). Try baking young, small (golf-ball sized) beets in the oven wrapped in tinfoil – they are a revelation. SOWING Beetroot likes a fertile soil with good levels of soil nutrient. Ideally it should be planted in a soil that has been manured the previous winter. Don’t worry if you have not prepared any beds prior to sowing – you can still successfully grow beets so long as the soil is healthy. Appy an organic fertiliser about a week before sowing/planting out. Beetroot ca...

  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...