News - Page 14
Planting trees can cut urban air pollution by up to 24% according to a new study by US think tank The Nature Conservancy.
Planting Trees
Researchers measured microscopic particles of pollution near trees and compared them to particulate counts in areas where there were no trees growing. They found levels were between 7% and 24% lower near trees. The study also found that trees caused a ‘cooling’ effect, reducing air temperatures nearby by up to 2...
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Store your surplus maincrop carrots to keep them in good condition for eating later in winter.
Store Carrots for Eating Later in Winter
Seasoned veg growers sow two types of carrot: sweet, tender early carrots which mature in double- quick time to pull fresh and eat straight away, and slower-maturing maincrop varieties to harvest all at once in late autumn for winter stores.
Main crop carrots include some of the most delicious varieties there...
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Ireland’s gardens are blazing with autumn colour and it’s a fantastic time of year to set off for a bracing walk around some of the best to collect inspiration to take home for your own garden. It’s also prime time for planting new trees and shrubs – so if your garden is short on autumn fireworks bring your notebook to the garden centre here in Youghal after your visit and we’ll help you create a display to end the year with a bang!
The National Bot...
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As winter starts to bite, it’s time to batten down the hatches and make sure the garden is shipshape ready for the bad weather to come. Here are some of the jobs you can be getting on with this month.
General tasks:
- Wrap tender plants with hessian wrapped around a thick layer of straw to protect stems from frost damage.
- Plant bare-root hedging as soon as you get saplings home: if it’s too wet or frosty, heel them in temporarily til...
Force Witloof chicory in the dark for one of the most delicious gourmet treats of the winter veg garden. Witloof chicory produces torpedo-shaped pale yellow ‘chicons’ or chicory hearts in just four to six weeks after harvest. They add crunch and sophistication sliced sparingly into winter salads, or if you want to tone down the bitterness even further, try braising them gently in the oven with shallots and thyme.
Sow your chicory in early summer in pots o...
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Dry tomatoes and other fruits to keep them in perfect condition for deliciously nutritious snacks right through winter.
Dry Tomatoes
Dried tomatoes are a classic of Italian cuisine and for sheer tastiness there are few better ways to preserve your surplus tomato crop. You can also dry apples, pears and apricots; and you can wow the kids by drying berry fruits into ‘fruit leathers’, perfectly preserved strips of dried fruit you ca...
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Clear away plant supports as part of your end-of- season clear up and store them carefully for next year. Whether they’re bamboo canes, hazel rods, or metal plant grids and obelisks they’ll do sterling service for years to come if you treat them well now.
Clear Away Plant Supports
Untwine old plant stems and cart them off to the compost heap as long as they weren’t diseased (in which case put them in with the green waste collection or burn them...
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One of Ireland’s best-loved gardens has closed its gates for the last time as celebrated garden writer Helen Dillon hangs up her secateurs and leaves her Dublin home after 44 happy years.
Helen Dillon
Her half-acre garden in Ranelagh has been open to the public for 25 years and became celebrated around the world for its exuberant displays of perennials grouped around an elegant formal water feature based on a Moorish fountain and canal. They includ...
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Ripen the last of the green tomatoes now before it’s too late. There are always a few underripe tomatoes left at the end of the season, but there’s still time to persuade at least some of them to turn red before the first frosts.
Persuade those Tomatoes!
First, 'stop' your plants by removing growing tips so they're concentrating on fruit rather than new foliage. Then maximise what heat there is by detaching plants from supports and laying them fl...
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The brilliant colours of autumn, caught by rays of mellow sunshine, are among the highlights of the gardening year. It’s also time to put the garden gently to bed, so there’s plenty to get on with this month!
General tasks:
Go on a slug and snail hunt looking for both pests and clumps of their pearly white eggs.
Clear autumn leaves from flower beds regularly, especially if they’re collecting in the crown...
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