Unwanted guests

The creepy crawlies are making me lose the plot. A line of spinach is fair game to slugs, snails and rabbits but it is very annoying when these pesky pests take more than their fair share; for example my cabbage has been ripped to bits by caterpillars and gooy greenflies are smothering the broadbeans. 

Should I just leave the allotment untouched and a balance will establish itself with a vast range of creatures that live off and with the vegetables? No, not a bloody chance!

By definition an allotment is an ordered, unnatural place where we humans control. But to blitz all other forms of life because they eat our veg is a bit insane. 

So the pests and I need to come to some reasonable co-existance; a balanced eco-system so to speak. 

I'm no expert and I don't claim to be, but this I feel is the essence of organic farming, finding this balance. So, in descending order, here's my current list of tormentors and some of the organic farming actions I am taking. 

1. Slugs and snails: 

They eat all root crops and most leafy crops, making holes in leaves and often stripping them. Handpick, cover vulnerable veg with plastic bottles and toilet roll tubes. Slug pub bowls work great too, apparently the fermenting smell reminds the slugs of rotting fruit and they dive straight in and drown. 

2. Rabbits: 

The bigger the pest, the greater the devastation. Quick action by Jenny and Peter Young in Castlefarm by fencing and securing the entire allotment area is deterring these four-legged fiends. 

3. White butterflies:

These little fluttery angles of destruction have laid eggs on my cabbages, turnips and radishes. Best cure is prevention, cover with a fine net from the minute they are planted until harvest. I've also heard of people surrounding the plant with carpet. Daily handpicking works too. 

4. The aphid invasion of sticky goo:

Greenfly, blackfly and whitefly. These guys feed of the soft tissue of the plant and suck the sap. The best action here to to encourage ladybirds and hoverflies by planting dill and fennel. Also hand pick the aphids early, use a strong jet of cold water or nettle feed to dislodge them and cut out infested shoots. And if you think it is worth it, use a battery-powered hoover on the adult flies.

5. Birds:

Birds can completely destroy leafy crops, damage seedlings and uproot onion sets. Wire netting or a fleece helps and light reflectors such as CDs. But a good old scarecrow works too. 

6. Wood pigeons:

Other birds rob but wood pigeons are into gratuitous vandalism. Old wire baskets, wire netting and racks can be used to protect seedbed. 

7. Pea moths:

These guys will enter the pea pod and attack the pea, making it inedible. Cover peas with a fleece. 

8. Flea beetle:

The beetle eats small holes in the leaf that can check growth and kill young plants. Coat a piece of wood with heavy grease and pass it along the row of plants. The insects will jump up and stick to the grease. Also cover plants with a fleece. 

9. Humans:

Believe it or not, thieve do operate in vegetable patches. None have been spotted in Narraghmore to date. The prevention is to grow unrecognisable vegetables such as artichokes or fennel and stubborn-rooters such as parsnips and garlic that won't be lifted without a fight!

Caption: The greenfly invasion of sticky goo on my broadbeans

How we have all grown

It's now five months since our first dig into the allotment at Castlefarm in Narraghmore and dare I say out loud things are going smoothly. 

These past weeks we have been planting in earnest, indeed a race against time to get seeds into the ground. 

On row one, 'The Traditional', we have potatoes, onions, shallots, garlic and herbs (borage and chives). Row two, 'The Experiment', we have broadbeans, French beans, peas, runner beans, chicory, radishes, rhubarb, sweetcorn and pumpkin. Next is 'The Unknown' row three, so far fennel, cabbage, turnip and a half row yet to be planted. And row four 'The mix' we have beetroot, carrots, leeks, spinach and a poly-tunnel, where I've started courgettes, tomatoes and have yet to source organic sweet pepper seeds. It's full steam ahead. 

Everyone on the allotments are sharing ideas and seeds; each proudly giving a tour of what they have planted, what's growing, what's not.

We are all nurturing the soil with Castlefarm's organic manure, caring for the seedlings, feeding them now with organic nutrients in turn hoping that they will feed us in the coming months. 

Back in February in the bucketing rain and freezing wind, we tilled the soil, the hardest part of the preparations. Then we got real and ordered a battery-operated rotavator that many of us used. Now in the past weeks, the plots are springing to life and we have faith that a good summer will yield a great harvest, fingerscrossed!

One potato, two potato....oh chit!

With the Grand Slam last weekend I neglected the allotment, in fact I simply just ignored it. I had planned to plant the first crop of seedlings but instead I was glued to O'Driscoil, O'Gara, O'Connell & Co and no, I didn't feel guilty.
Then I had to take Mother's Day off to attend the glorious homecoming and even got a glimpse of the Six Nations Cup. Oops, I'm going to have to dig deep this week to overcome the relapse!
On the agenda is the potato. Supermarket potatoes don't come close to the buttery, melt-in-the-mouth floury taste of the Irish spud. Little did I know that growing potatoes was as controversial as the pension levy. Debate rages every year over whether you should "chit" seed potatoes before planting time or if you can just bung them into the ground.
For the unskilled (me!) chitting aka greensprouting is putting your seed potatoes in a cool but light area, rose end upward for several weeks so they form strong, strudy shoots.
Some experts, including Paula Prender, our allotment teacher in Castlefarm, Athy encourages chitting in that it gives the potatoes a head start in the growing season so they mature nicely before a blight strikes.
My mom, daughter of an Offaly potato farmer, is strongly opposed to the idea of chiiting; so much so she laughed heartily at my neatly-rowed seed potatoes in egg cartons.
She reasons the sprouted potatoes will find the soil to cold when planted out and their growth will slow as a result. "You're fussing over them, pampering and spoiling them; they aren't grandkids you know," she jokes.
To find out what method works best for me, I'm going to do both and see what happens; the proof will be in the potato.
And to get the debate really raging, should I leave all the shoots on the chitted potatoes or rub some off? Answers on a postcard please!

The plot thickens

This week is all about preparing the soil. The plots had been ploughed several weeks ago and are ready to be tilled. The benefits of this are it provides more oxygen, water drainage and makes it easier for roots to penetrate the soil. 

The other reason to till the soil is to incorporate organic matter such as compost or manure to help improve the quality. As we learnt in our class this week, the ideal fertiliser is good old manure and it is plentiful supply thanks to the Young's herd of organic cows at Castlefarm. So we spent the weekend shovelling shit!

Going potty

My seeds arrived, hurrah! I ordered them from The Organic Centre in Leitrim (www.theorganicentre.ie) and it took less than a week. The grand total was €114 for more than 30 packets - everything from broadbeans to swiss chard, with a bit of cabbage, turnip, carrots and pumpkins in between. So it's time to stop planning and start potting. 

As a newcomer to growing vegetables, I was amused to see how different seeds can be: onions, small and sliver; broadbeans, big and brown. Some were almost too small to see. 

The more thrifty gardener can use empty recyclable milk and yogurt pots or egg cartons. I opted for the shop-bought variety, five seeds for €5, each tray takes 40 seeds. 

I filled the seed trays with damp compost (Shamrock Organic Gold) and gently firmed it down. I placed one seed into each pot and covered it with a light layer of compost. 

The aim is to successfully germinate the seeds and for that you need moisture, air and the right temperature over a period of two to three weeks. 

Seeds I potted were kale, lettuce, broadbeans, dwarf french beans, runner beans, leeks, peas, onions, rosemary and a whole lot of thyme. On my schedule for the coming weeks is cabbage, chicory and spinach. 

I loosely covered the trays with cling film to keep the moisture and heat in. It is important to keep the compost moist; I got carried away though and may have drowned my leeks and onions as there is no sign of any germination taking place, so careful not to over water. As it is I'll be starting over with my leeks and onions. 

The peas and beans have thrived, with the prize specimen already reaching nine inches; my girlfriends are impressed!

For the moment, my kitchen has been invaded by seed trays, taking over all available counter space and window sills. Just a couple more weeks and they'll be out of the house and into the ground, only to return as fully grown and edible vegetables (hopefully). 

What's up next, shoveling shit - digging deep with muck and manure!

Can you dig it?

Owning an allotment is the ultimate workout I'm told: fresh air, back ache, dirt under the fingernails and the joys of growing your own is something I am looking forward to.

The plan is to be self-sufficient by growing vegetables in my new allotment in Castlefarm, Narraghore, Athy. So as a 'townie' from Naas with Offaly blood in my veins (don't hold it against me!), it will be a challenge. 

A word of warning, this is by no means an advice column, merely an experimention and record of a newbie allotment holder/veggie grower. 

The advice in February is to prepare a plan and buy your seeds and tools. They say to start small and gradually expand your edible horizons, we'll see!