Donegal Daily
  • News
  • Sport
    • GAA

      Donegal hoping history stays on their side…

      27 mins ago

      Sport

      Silver for Mona McSharry in Barcelona Swim…

      1 hour ago

      Sport

      Picture Special: 2021 Donegal Sports Star Awards…

      4 hours ago

      Athletics

      Watch: How Eamon Giles proved his doubters…

      5 hours ago

      Athletics

      Watch: How Eamon Giles proved his doubters…

      5 hours ago

      Athletics

      Williamson wins Furey Insurance Buncrana 5k

      1 day ago

      Athletics

      RunDonegal Women’s 5K next Sunday to benefit…

      2 weeks ago

      Athletics

      Pictures: Claire McGuigan is ‘first lady’ in…

      2 weeks ago

      Boxing

      Venue swap for Brett McGinty fight next…

      1 week ago

      Boxing

      Donegal boxers claim Ulster 9 County titles…

      2 weeks ago

      Boxing

      Brett McGinty to return to boxing in…

      3 weeks ago

      Boxing

      Night of Support being held for West…

      3 weeks ago

      Football

      Ollie Horgan says ‘we have to keep…

      7 hours ago

      Football

      Carl McHugh scores to help his side…

      2 days ago

      Football

      Former Finn Harps striker Tunde Owolabi scores…

      4 days ago

      Football

      Harps suffer fourth consecutive defeat as Dundalk…

      4 days ago

      GAA

      Donegal hoping history stays on their side…

      27 mins ago

      GAA

      Former Donegal star to feature on first…

      6 hours ago

      GAA

      Picture special: Donegal fans in Clones for…

      4 days ago

      GAA

      Podcast reveals how French company thought they’d…

      4 days ago

      Golf

      Cloughaneely Golf Club to celebrate 25th anniversary…

      2 days ago

      Golf

      McDonald’s manager Victor Byrne supporting a charity…

      5 days ago

      Golf

      Prize fund of €2,500 for Letterkenny Golf…

      1 week ago

      Golf

      Top 10 finish for Ryan Griffin in…

      2 weeks ago

      Hockey

      Four Donegal players named in Ireland hockey…

      4 weeks ago

      Hockey

      Hockey: Raphoe go down fighting

      2 months ago

      Hockey

      Hockey: Raphoe lose out in crucial relegation…

      2 months ago

      Hockey

      Raphoe Ladies reach Irish Hockey Trophy final

      3 months ago

      GAA

      Match Report – Casey inspires Tyrone in…

      2 weeks ago

      GAA

      Mickey McCann reacts to heartbreaking defeat to…

      2 weeks ago

      Hurling

      Brave Donegal hurlers miss out on another…

      2 weeks ago

      Hurling

      SHL – Strong second half sees St…

      2 weeks ago

      Rugby

      Letterkenny girls play in front of huge…

      2 days ago

      Rugby

      Donegal girls feature for Ulster in provincial…

      3 weeks ago

      Rugby

      Last gasp drop goal clinches dramatic Gordon…

      1 month ago

      Rugby

      Donegal girls selected for underage Ulster Rugby…

      1 month ago

  • Courts
  • Jobs
  • Travel
  • Features
  • Business
  • Property
  • Council News
  • Politics
  • More
    • Advertise with us
    • Haircare
    • Cooking
    • DD Pets
    • Hairdressing
    • Motors
Friday 13°CSaturday 15°C

Donegal Daily Donegal Daily

  • News
  • Sport
    • GAA

      Donegal hoping history stays on their side…

      27 mins ago

      Sport

      Silver for Mona McSharry in Barcelona Swim…

      1 hour ago

      Sport

      Picture Special: 2021 Donegal Sports Star Awards…

      4 hours ago

      Athletics

      Watch: How Eamon Giles proved his doubters…

      5 hours ago

      Athletics

      Watch: How Eamon Giles proved his doubters…

      5 hours ago

      Athletics

      Williamson wins Furey Insurance Buncrana 5k

      1 day ago

      Athletics

      RunDonegal Women’s 5K next Sunday to benefit…

      2 weeks ago

      Athletics

      Pictures: Claire McGuigan is ‘first lady’ in…

      2 weeks ago

      Boxing

      Venue swap for Brett McGinty fight next…

      1 week ago

      Boxing

      Donegal boxers claim Ulster 9 County titles…

      2 weeks ago

      Boxing

      Brett McGinty to return to boxing in…

      3 weeks ago

      Boxing

      Night of Support being held for West…

      3 weeks ago

      Football

      Ollie Horgan says ‘we have to keep…

      7 hours ago

      Football

      Carl McHugh scores to help his side…

      2 days ago

      Football

      Former Finn Harps striker Tunde Owolabi scores…

      4 days ago

      Football

      Harps suffer fourth consecutive defeat as Dundalk…

      4 days ago

      GAA

      Donegal hoping history stays on their side…

      27 mins ago

      GAA

      Former Donegal star to feature on first…

      6 hours ago

      GAA

      Picture special: Donegal fans in Clones for…

      4 days ago

      GAA

      Podcast reveals how French company thought they’d…

      4 days ago

      Golf

      Cloughaneely Golf Club to celebrate 25th anniversary…

      2 days ago

      Golf

      McDonald’s manager Victor Byrne supporting a charity…

      5 days ago

      Golf

      Prize fund of €2,500 for Letterkenny Golf…

      1 week ago

      Golf

      Top 10 finish for Ryan Griffin in…

      2 weeks ago

      Hockey

      Four Donegal players named in Ireland hockey…

      4 weeks ago

      Hockey

      Hockey: Raphoe go down fighting

      2 months ago

      Hockey

      Hockey: Raphoe lose out in crucial relegation…

      2 months ago

      Hockey

      Raphoe Ladies reach Irish Hockey Trophy final

      3 months ago

      GAA

      Match Report – Casey inspires Tyrone in…

      2 weeks ago

      GAA

      Mickey McCann reacts to heartbreaking defeat to…

      2 weeks ago

      Hurling

      Brave Donegal hurlers miss out on another…

      2 weeks ago

      Hurling

      SHL – Strong second half sees St…

      2 weeks ago

      Rugby

      Letterkenny girls play in front of huge…

      2 days ago

      Rugby

      Donegal girls feature for Ulster in provincial…

      3 weeks ago

      Rugby

      Last gasp drop goal clinches dramatic Gordon…

      1 month ago

      Rugby

      Donegal girls selected for underage Ulster Rugby…

      1 month ago

  • Courts
  • Jobs
  • Travel
  • Features
  • Business
  • Property
  • Council News
  • Politics
  • More
    • Advertise with us
    • Haircare
    • Cooking
    • DD Pets
    • Hairdressing
    • Motors
homepage-featuresNewsUncategorized

GARDENING WITH GARETH – SPUDS FOR CHRISTMAS AND AN 18TH CENTURY DESIGNED LANDSCAPE

written by Stephen Maguire August 15, 2015
Facebook0Tweet0LinkedIn0Print0
New-potatoes-for-christmas

New-potatoes-for-christmas

You can both show off a bit and create a crop of considerable value by growing your own new potatoes for Christmas.

A nice crop can be easily achieved by growing a small amount in a pot, large bag or a bed.

Take some seed from some of the early potatoes you’ve been harvesting, replant some tubers into a compost filled pot, bag or into freshly cultivated ground (6inches deep) – adding a handful of chicken pellets to the m2, then water thoroughly and leave the pot/bag in a sunny location in the garden. The potato will quickly launch into growth and in a few short weeks you’ll see the new shoots breaking through the surface.

This lush fresh growth will be susceptible to late blight, so as they grow apply a routine anti-blight spray every fortnight during the later part of the summer , you will also need to protect the foliage from frost, so as the nights get cooler start covering the foliage over with fleece, or bring the pots/bags into the greenhouse or polytunnel to protect them.

Don’t forget about watering, especially if you’re growing these in pots. Potatoes are thirsty plants and the number 1 reason why folks get small potatoes at harvest, is not enough water! So don’t be scared to give the bags a good drink (by a good drink I’m meaning 2 gallons a day when they are fully grown).

When they flower remove these flowers by hand, these flowers serve no purpose other than to be pollinated by wind and produce a inedible fruit, by removing these you refocus any energy back into the storage roots (aka the potatoes). This might seem a little tedious, but it could improve your yield by 10%….use the appearance of the flowers as an indicator to start boosting your crop with a weekly feed of tomato food or comfry fertiliser.

Ballyholey Farm Shop polytunnel sitting wide open

Ballyholey Farm Shop polytunnel sitting wide open

Talking of Polytunnels, ventilation is critical as we work through August, a good steady supply of fresh air entering the tunnel is vital in controlling disease, pushing growth and assisting in pollination. As plants grow they take in carbon dioxide and they omit oxygen, so if the plants don’t get enough carbon dioxide the rate of growth decreases. The simply act of keeping the doors open on a tunnel allows carbon dioxide to enter the tunnel, and with this flow in and out it also dramatically reduces fungal diseases such as Botrytis.

So get the doors (and vents) opened all day every day, a great way to ‘heat’ the soil during the evening is to place full bottles of water amongst your plants. The water heats up during the day and then releases some heat back into the soil as it cools during the evening.

Sheep love poking their heads through the fence to get to the fresh bite the other side, and in the process can leave clumps of wool behind, and this my friend is great stuff for detracting slugs away from your plants. The sheeps wool is very wirey and oily and slugs hate the feeling of it. So next time your out walking take a plastic bag and pick some wool from the fences, take it home and then place it around your susceptible plants, such as your Hostas.

Beach Hill beauty

One of the many features in the Beech Hill Landscape

One of the many features in the Beech Hill Landscape

Our garden of focus this week is the grounds of the Beech Hill Hotel, located in Ardmore just outside Derry City. The Beech Hill, was originally called Skipton Hall (first house built 1622 on the site), and has a fabulous designed landscape comprising waterfalls, bridges, a lime tree avenue, a ‘wilderness walk’ and large sways of Snowdrops in early Spring (much of this dates from the late 18th century).

The landscape around the big house has changed dramatically over the years, with perhaps the greatest influence being the creation of Europe Base 1 by the US army in the second world war, within the BeechHill hotel there is a wonderful display of photos and images of this period.

In the grounds of the hotel there are a number of walks (3 odd miles worth), which tell the story of both the designed landscape but also of the marines time there, with Nissen huts and names carved into trees giving a snapshot into our recent history. Within the grounds there are (as you’d expect by the name) some fabulous Beech Trees, many 200+ years old and there is a wonderful Oak tree which is around the 400 year old mark too. The Lime Avenue at the front of the house is a wonderful feature, which in the spring is covered in Snowdrops then Bluebells.

Head Gardener Robert Peaker with Donegal ETB Horticulture Students

Head Gardener Robert Peaker with Donegal ETB Horticulture Students

The walled garden is going through a wonderful renaissance, with hotel proprietor Patsy O’Kane taking a keen interest in the redevelopment of this area to a highly productive kitchen garden, under the care of Head Gardener Robert Peaker. Robert currently has around 1/5 of the garden under production with a couple of polytunnels, a glasshouse and lots of outdoor beds. The stone work within the walled garden is wonderful to see, with the south side being curved in both corners to catch as much light as possible.

The walled gardens and grounds of the Beech Hill Hotel are open to the public 7 days a week, and families are encouraged to explore the 32 acres of woodland which surround the award winning hotel. The path network is excellent for buggies and stollers, although some of the smaller side paths have some steep drops to keep an eye on the toddlers! Details can be found on beech-hill.com

Next Week….Sowing Shamrocks for St Patricks Day and growing plants that slug DON’T like!…

Gareth Austin

Gareth Austin

Gareth Austin is resident Horticulturist with BBC Radio Foyle, a member of the Chartered Institute of Horticulturists and Horticultural Lecturer with the National Learning Network. For more see www.garethaustin.com or join Gareth on Twitter @GardenerGareth .

GARDENING WITH GARETH – SPUDS FOR CHRISTMAS AND AN 18TH CENTURY DESIGNED LANDSCAPE was last modified: August 15th, 2015 by Stephen Maguire
Facebook0Tweet0LinkedIn0Print0

Tags:
donegalGardeningGareth Austin
Stephen Maguire

Stephen Maguire is the co-founder of Donegal Daily. He has worked as a reporter for almost 30 years starting locally with the Donegal Peoples Press before moving to the Mirror Group. He continues to contribute daily to national media outlets including the Irish Times, RTE, the Irish Independent, Irish Sun, Irish Mirror, Irish Star, the Daily Mail and the Examiner.

LEAVE A COMMENT

You may also like

Retired Letterkenny deputy principals honoured by INTO

12 mins ago

Volunteer fair to take place in Carndonagh

37 mins ago

Donegal ETB appoints new Adult Literacy Organiser...

1 hour ago

Karate club members kick off their shoes...

4 hours ago

New scheme to transform vacant buildings for...

4 hours ago

More than 1,200 Ukrainians supported in Donegal...

4 hours ago

Some Donegal people waiting on passports since...

5 hours ago

Sorchas Healthy Living: All you need to...

6 hours ago

Buncrana Courthouse not to reopen until September

8 hours ago

Irish fishing communities to take their case...

9 hours ago
Advertisement
Advertisement

MOST POPULAR

Donegal County Council
Advertisement

Sport Hub

  • Stay up to date with Donegal Sport Hub on Facebook

    5 months ago
  • Donegal links rank in Top 100 Golf Courses in the World

    6 months ago
  • Bundoran 10 Event set for March 2022

    6 months ago
See More

Donegal Woman

  • Moya Brennan ‘thrilled and humbled’ with honorary doctorate

    6 hours ago
  • Donegal mum shares the unseen side of MS

    1 day ago
  • Donegal scientist joins prestigious Royal Irish Academy

    1 day ago
See More

Columnists

Healthy Living - Sorcha McElchar

Sorchas Healthy Living: All you need to know about turmeric

15 hours ago

Motoring - Brian McDaid

Carrie Harvey – a community cornerstone

2 days ago

Group Holidays - Travel Department

See the world with holiday discounts from Travel Department

4 days ago

At Home with Hegarty's - Hegarty's Home Interiors

At Home with Hegarty’s: Sit back and relax in the stylish Positano Corner

1 week ago

Career Advice - Rory White

Career Guidance with Rory White: Choosing your senior cycle subjects? Keep your options open!

2 months ago

See All Columnists
Advertisement
Donegal Daily Jobs

Read More

  • News
  • Sport
  • Courts
  • Jobs
  • Sales & Services
  • Obituaries
  • Features
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Council News

Information

  • Contact Us
  • About
  • Advertise WIth Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclaimer
  • Terms & Conditions

Our Sites

Donegal Woman
Donegal Woman
Donegal Daily

© 2022 Donegal Daily. All rights reserved.
Website by owenod


Back To Top.

Posting....