This Horticultural Project comprises of 5600sq feet of ground which is
open to the South facing and Eastern ends. The site is loacated at the
corner of a large field with a loam type soil structure, ideal for cultivating
fruits or vegetables of most types. It is bounded on the north and west ends
by ditches which provides sufficient wind shelter for wind protection of
allotments where required. The area is fenced from the field with a double
plain wire electric fence with an electrified white tape on top (essential,
since there are often bulls residing in the neighbouring field!).Inside the
fence on the South side abutting the field is a line of young trees transplanted
from around the farm. They are all sycamore trees with one eucalyptus near the
entrance. They are planted roughly 10 feet apart which leaves room for them
to be thinned out later on if necessary as these are not dwarf tress. As the trees
continue to grow they will provide adequete wind protection from the south side
acting as a wind break while not hindering the passage of south-facing light too
severely.
There is a raspberry and strawberry allotment at the north east and south
east corners respectively with a compost section near the entrance.
Greenspace
Some colour!
Potatoe Crop
The above pictures, left and right display a before and after presentation of the horticultural area
respectively, with some begonas carnations and young roses displayed in the central picture adding
some colour to the grounds of the courtyard area. For the potatoe allotments shown, the plants here
are about a foot tall. It is important to keep potatoe allotments weed free as they harbour ground pests
and are a suction for soil nutrients, reducing the amount available for the potatoes.
Shown below sre some lists and table representation of the allotments and some of their specifications/requirements.
- Fruits
- Raspberrys
- Malling Promise: Autumn bearing Malling Promise is a vigorous Raspberry with good flavour.
- Glen Ample: Delicious large fruit produced in mid-summer with vigerous upright canes.
- Joan J: Joan J is an autumn fruiting raspberry which produces heavy crops of juicy berries.
- Strawberries
- Florence: Florence is a late season strawberry which produces heavy crops of firm, large dark berries
- Raphsody: Raphsody is a late season strawberry which Produces heavy crops od large berries.
- Alpine Strawberries: These plants produce a small but very sweet strawberry fruit.
- Plums
- Opal: Opal is a reliable plum which produces a heavy crop of large fruit with golden-yellow flesh.
- Imperial Gage: Imperial Gage is a greenish yellow, juicy sweet gage that is a reliable cropper.
- Vegetables
- Potatoes
- British Queens: British Queens are one of Irelands favourite variety of potatoe.
- Kerrs Pinks: Kerrs Pinks are also a popular commercially grown potatoe in Ireland.
- Roosters: The Rooster has a distinctive coloured skin-dark pink or red.
- Sarpo Mira: A new variety launched in 2002, it has high resistance to potatoe late blight.
- Carrots
- Autumn King: Grows deep into soil and is a reliable main crop carrot with long season of use.
- Nantes: Middle-early season variety suitable for greenhouse cultivation and for freezing.
- Flyaway: This carrot variety produces sweet orange roots and has good resistance to carrot fly.
- Onions
- Red Fern: A round variety with a deep red colour. This variety also stores very well.
- Sturon: A popular and reliable onion with excellent flavour and medium-sized bulbs.
- Apache: Bullet shaped 7cm long green fruit, ripening to red.
- Cucumbers
- Marketmore: Ridge Cucumber with trailing habit which yields well outdoors.
- Flowers
- Begonas
- Carnations
- Primroses
Shown at the bottom of this page is a video of wild mix flowers.
- Roses
- Geraniums
Set of Flower boxes
Not all gardening involves cultivating the soil,growing and maintaining allotments. Tasks like this piece
of DIY i did in the making of flower containers help to support the Greenspace project and later I will
distribute these containers around the Courtyard area and fill them with assortments of flowers.
| Description |
Allotment Size |
Protection Required |
 |
This allotment contains second
generation Kerrs Pinks and British
Queens. Fertilizer used includes
leaf compost and Sulphate of potash.
Potatoe leafs are poisenous to rabbits
|
15ft x 10ft |
No protection required |
 |
This is an allotment of Alpine variety
strawberries. They are autumn bearing
and produce a small but very sweet
fruit. The rabbit wire surround is
very necessary as the plant is attr
active to rabbits.
|
8ft x 5ft |
Rabbit wire protective fencing |
 |
This is a foundation pathway mulch
I am creating for an allotment of
Malling Promise Raspberries. The
plantlings are propogated from two
plants I bought from the garden
centre last year.
|
12ft x 5ft |
Bird Protective netting required |
Click Here To play video showing a wild flower mix allotment. This is to improve the
level of biodiversity in the garden and as a food source for the honey bee and
wasp pollinators which are in decline.
There are many ways to spurn on new growth in a garden and what better way than to Plant
some native Irish deciduous trees which I referred to in the opening paragraph. There is a plethora of deciduous trees
around and at the borders of the main garden. Here and as shown below I am endevouring to continue on the tradition
of supporting our native tree species. These are transplants from the main garden.The funnel provides protection from
rabbits who can damage the young saplings. As I mentioned in the main opening paragraph this new line of trees will
after some maturity of growth will provide an adequete wind break fro protection of growing fruits and vegetables.
Young Sycamore Sapling
Broad Bean Plant
The Final image (above right) is of a Broad bean plant with the pods just about visible on the bottom
