Newsletter October 2023

AGM Saturday 14 October

Don’t miss the annual general meeting that will take place on Saturday 14 October, 12:00-1:30 in the Family Resource Centre, Killaloe. We encourage all members and prospective members to come and reflect on the leaps and strides made over the last twelve months, and to look forward to being part of developing the garden as a welcoming, inclusive and productive space for everybody interested in gardening in the coming year.

Please pay membership fees 2023-2024

Please remember to pay annual membership fees for 2023-2024 in cash in advance or before the start of the AGM. The fees for 2023-2024 are:

· Membership €20

· Membership with half plot €40

· Membership with full plot €80

Membership forms for 2023-2024 are available on the website. Please let us know if you no longer wish to cultivate a plot. The treasurer will be available in the garden on Saturday 7 October, 12 noon to 2 pm to receive fees.

Saturday 7 October work, socialise, barbecue

It’s that time again, the first Saturday of the month, our regular clean-up workday and social session. As the weather forecast is for a sunny, warm day, we’ll light the barbecue and enjoy socialising too.

National Allotments and Community Gardens Week 14-21 October

The first ever National Allotments and Community Gardens Week is taking place 14-21 October.

The week aims to raise awareness of allotments and community gardens, to highlight how important they are and to detail the huge benefits of community gardening for communities, individuals, and the environment.

The 2023 theme for the week is Growing with Nature. There are already events planned to take place all over the country. For more information:

https://cgireland.org/national-allotments-and-community-gardens-week-14th-to-21st-october-2023/

Plant spring bulbs

Spring bulbs are now appearing on shop shelves. There are plenty to choose from, for planting in pots, in beds or naturalising.

Whether planted in pots or directly in the ground, tulips are planted more deeply than daffodils, which are planted more deeply than crocuses.

Once they have finished flowering, bulbs planted in pots can be moved out of sight for the leaves to die down and fortify the bulbs for the following year. Daffodils, crocuses and other bulbs for naturalising are best planted in spaces that won’t be mowed where they may be allowed to die down naturally.

Plant garlic

In some plots in the garden garlic is already growing well. Autumn garlic may still be planted until mid-December. Push the individual cloves about 2cm below the surface of the soil every 15cm in rows 30cm apart. Planting direct is normally easiest but, if soil is very wet, you can sow in module trays and transplant when sprouted.

Sow sweet peas and broad beans

Sow sweet peas and place them in the cold frame over winter. They will have more time to develop strong root systems and that means they will have more flowers. The young plants will be hardy and ready to plant out next Spring.

Varieties of broadbeans that you can sow in October are Aquadulce Claudia and Super Aquadulce. Seed can be sown directly in the soil but, as our soils tend to be wet in winter, often its best to sow the seed in pots or root trainers.

Achocha

You may have seen a strange plant growing along the western fence. This is Achocha, also known as slipper gourd or wild cucumber. It is believed that achocha is native to certain regions of the Andes Mountains in Peru and Bolivia and was an important food crop to the Incas.

The fruit are crisp when raw. When fried, sautéed or baked, they taste almost like roast green peppers. Unlike green peppers, they don’t need to be grown in a greenhouse or polytunnel but grow well outside.

The strange weather we are having gave one of the achocha vines a boost and it was starting to produce loads of fruit. Sadly, strimming cut it off at the base. Lesson learned. Protect the stems of any plants growing up the fence.

One vine remains but it is struggling, perhaps too much competition from weeds or poor soil. But, maybe a careful search will reveal a few fruits still hanging on.

Welcome

We extend a very warm welcome to a family, originally from Aleppo in Syria, who have recently arrived in Killaloe from Jordan. They are delighted with the garden and are looking forward to becoming part of our community.