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Tuesday 6 June 2023 Dublin: 11°C

# grow it yourself

All time
Voices
From the Garden: How to get the most out of your leek crop
Some advice on growing leeks and a delicious recipe for a potato and bacon bake to include them in.
9.0k
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Nov 30th 2019, 1:00 PM
Voices
From the Garden: The debate about sustainable foods is getting louder... I've even found myself shouting at the TV recently
This week’s gardening column features tips for growing your own herbs and a recipe for root veg pie.
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Nov 23rd 2019, 1:00 PM
Voices
From the Garden: Storing, drying and stewing a large harvest of apples this season
Having your own fruit trees is both a joy and a challenge.
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Sep 28th 2019, 1:00 PM
Voices
From the Garden: Succulent and almost-meaty to eat... Claytonia is a real alternative to spinach
Its real value is in providing us with winter greens from October or November right up until April, writes Michael Kelly.
13.0k
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Sep 21st 2019, 1:00 PM
Voices
From the Garden: When it comes to harvesting and eating sweetcorn... timing is everything
There’s something so elementally enjoyable about peeling back a sweetcorn’s skin to find the beautiful shiny yellow kernels underneath, writes Michael Kelly.
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Sep 14th 2019, 1:00 PM
Voices
From the Garden: Build your own insect hotel and bookings will start rolling in
An insect hotel will encourage more wildlife and biodiversity into the garden, writes Michael Kelly.
28.8k
23
Jun 22nd 2019, 1:00 PM
Voices
From the Garden: Tomatoes are the most high-maintenance of all veg plants - but they’re worth it
As well as specific watering methods there is the regular pinching out of side shoots to allow air to circulate around the plants, writes Michael Kelly.
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Jun 15th 2019, 1:00 PM
Voices
From the Garden: There are very few commercial growers left but you can buy direct from some of them
As consumers we have to vote with our wallets, eating in season and buying Irish, writes Michael Kelly.
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10
Jun 8th 2019, 1:00 PM
Voices
From the Garden: The Hungry Gap must be filled and this kale and gnocchi broth will do the job
Katie Sanderson cooked this recipe in the Kale episode of this season’s GROW COOK EAT and the reaction was amazing, writes Michael Kelly.
8.5k
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May 25th 2019, 1:00 PM
Voices
From the Garden: Carrots can be problematic to grow but the following tips will work
Many growing books will tell you to sow carrots in March or April but I always wait until May or June to sow mine, writes Michael Kelly.
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May 18th 2019, 1:00 PM
Voices
From the Garden: A little frost damage on the spuds - but not to worry they will recover
Learn to make ‘a one-pot veggie wonder that’s crammed with healthy vegetables, herbs and pulses and as an added bonus uses up stale bread too,’ writes Michael Kelly.
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May 11th 2019, 1:00 PM
Voices
From the Garden: Learn to make nettle tea - it has a rich and earthy taste and is a super tonic
Obviously, if you are harvesting nettles from the wild, wear gloves or you will get stung, writes Michael Kelly.
18.4k
11
May 4th 2019, 1:00 PM
Voices
From the Garden: 'I worry about the implications of what Greta Thunberg’s saying for the cosy lives we lead'
It is remarkable to watch this young woman speak her truth to power, writes Michael Kelly of Grow It Yourself Ireland.
66.3k
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Apr 27th 2019, 1:00 PM
Voices
From the Garden: Learn how to really grow parsnips, earth up spuds and make wild garlic pesto
‘Most parsnip seed packets will tell you to sow them in February – don’t do it,’ writes Michael Kelly.
12.2k
4
Apr 20th 2019, 1:00 PM
Voices
From the Garden: How to grow broadbeans? Start by avoiding cheap compost
It’s worth buying good quality potting compost – ideally one that is approved for use in organic production and peat-free, writes Michael Kelly.
11.3k
3
Apr 6th 2019, 1:00 PM
Voices
From the Garden: 'Growing tomatoes is a hobby that became an obsession and then spiralled out of control into a mania'
Growing tomatoes is a double-edged sword because once you’ve tasted a proper homegrown tomato you really can’t go back to the bland shop-bought alternative, writes Michael Kelly.
14.8k
10
Mar 30th 2019, 1:00 PM
Voices
From the Garden: What is the difference between celery and celeriac?
Time to transplant those tomatoes too. ‘Did you know that the little fuzzy hairs on the stem of a tomato seedling can become a root if planted under the soil?’
15.4k
7
Mar 23rd 2019, 12:00 PM
Voices
From the Garden: 'Traditionally Irish people put their spuds in the ground on or around St Patrick’s Day'
The act of harvesting spuds is pure GIY joy. Rummaging in the soil underneath a potato plant and finding lots of lovely tubers is as good as Christmas, writes Michael Kelly.
12.9k
11
Mar 16th 2019, 12:00 PM
Voices
From the garden: Grow, Cook, Eat is back on TV this month and we'll be tackling food waste
We’ll be teaching you to grow onions, pumpkins, sweetcorn, courgettes, kale, beans and chillis for all shapes and sizes of gardens, writes Michael Kelly.
10.3k
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Mar 9th 2019, 12:00 PM
Voices
From the Garden: 'Topsy turvy doesn’t begin to describe our weather'
‘All aspects of our lives – food, transport, energy and waste – will have to change dramatically if we’re to avoid catastrophe,’ writes Michael Kelly.
15.3k
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Mar 2nd 2019, 1:00 PM
Voices
From the Garden: Learn how to grow peas in an old gutter pipe and to make a delicious gnocchi
Michelin star chef, Derry Clarke, with us at Grow HQ recently and he shares our homegrown, seasonal ethos, writes Michael Kelly.
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Feb 23rd 2019, 1:00 PM
Voices
From the Garden: Celeriac is fabulously durable, and is useful for all sorts of recipes
This week, Michael Kelly took advantage of a quiet period in the growing season to take stock.
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Feb 16th 2019, 1:00 PM
Voices
From the Garden: Cleaning the house and garden are not chores - but the route to enlightenment
Since reading the book, I’ve started sweeping the floor every morning in a mindful way – it’s delightfully old school and calming at the same time, writes Michael Kelly.
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Feb 9th 2019, 1:00 PM
Voices
From the Garden: The spirit of meitheal lives on as the neighbours come to lend a hand
Turning over the soil in the polytunnel is a breeze with a little help from friends – who also provide some helpful tips, writes Michael Kelly.
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Feb 2nd 2019, 1:00 PM
Voices
From the Garden: One vegetable is essential to the Irish diet - so why not learn to grow it?
Potatoes are high in vitamin C, naturally fat-free, a source of fibre and potassium and low in sugar. They are also versatile and delicious, writes Michael Kelly.
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Jan 26th 2019, 1:00 PM
Voices
From the Garden: It's time to reflect on all the food we are importing that could be grown here
It’s no longer just about ‘exotic’ fruit and veg that are difficult to grow in Ireland, we are now importing lots of veg that grow perfectly well here, writes Michael Kelly.
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Jan 19th 2019, 1:00 PM
Voices
From the Garden: How to make your own compost - you can learn from my mistakes
I have had some God-awful compost heaps over the years – slimey, smelly, sludgy yokes that festered away in the corner of the garden, writes Michael Kelly.
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Jan 12th 2019, 1:00 PM
Voices
From the Garden: Midwinter is the time to grow veg in containers and to make root veg pie
This is a delicious, warming and healthy pie that utilises those vegetables that are still available in early January, writes Michael Kelly.
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Jan 5th 2019, 1:00 PM
Voices
From the Garden: Reflecting on the year - it all went great except for the aubergines!
As usual, the aubergines were a disaster – at this stage, I think I only bother sowing them because there’s not much else to do in February, writes Michael Kelly.
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Dec 29th 2018, 9:30 AM
Voices
From the Garden: Supermarkets selling below cost veg is hurting farmers and it is bad for us all
Farmers protested outside M&S in Liffey Valley last week to draw attention to what the IFA called ‘predatory’ pricing models, writes Michael Kelly.
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Dec 22nd 2018, 9:30 AM
Voices
From the Garden: Every cloud has a silver lining and bogland proved useful this summer
Bogland is usually not the best place to grow things, but it came in handy this summer for growing squash during the drought, writes Michael Kelly.
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Dec 15th 2018, 1:00 PM
Voices
From the Garden: Leeks don't get the recognition they deserve
Leeks often don’t grab the health headlines the way their allium cousins – garlic and onions do. But they contain most of the same flavonoids and sulfur-containing nutrients, writes Michael Kelly.
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Dec 8th 2018, 1:00 PM
Voices
From the Garden: Artichokes have an unfortunate nickname but don't let that turn you off
Fermenting artichokes will reduce their – ahem – windiness and this recipe is delicious, writes Michael Kelly.
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Dec 1st 2018, 9:30 AM
Voices
A Dublin dad was growing 'hipster' veg in his garden back in 1955
So many people in my generation remember their fathers toiling away in the garden, we’re only one generation removed from the soil, writes Michael Kelly.
21.4k
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Nov 24th 2018, 9:30 AM
Voices
From the Garden: Your green tomatoes are unlikely to ripen now - so use them up in chutney
As I’ve looked glumly from the house at the sodden garden, it’s been playing on my mind that it’s high time I got the beds in the veg patch covered down for the winter, writes Michael Kelly
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Nov 17th 2018, 9:30 AM
Voices
From the garden: 'Do not 'Irish mammy' the sprouts by boiling the divil out of them for 20 minutes'
Instead blanch them for just a few minutes, writes Michael Kelly, as he also advises on growing beetroot and making celery soup.
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Nov 10th 2018, 9:30 AM
Voices
From the garden: 'When buying veg, always seek out Irish vegetables and try to avoid price promotions'
In 15 years more than half of Irish field vegetable growers have stopped production, writes Michael Kelly.
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Nov 3rd 2018, 9:30 AM
Voices
From the garden: How to make your own tangy kimchi at home
Here’s how to make sure you always have some homemade healthy kimchi to hand.
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Oct 27th 2018, 12:00 PM
Voices
From the garden: 'It's ridiculous we spend money on vitamin C when blackberries rot in ditches all over Ireland'
This week, Michael Kelly has a recipe for blackberry crumble that’ll get some great vitamin C into your system.
26.7k
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Oct 6th 2018, 9:00 AM
Voices
From the garden: How to make your own tomato ketchup from scratch
Tomatoes are a vegetable that can be preserved in many ways – they can be used in jams, jellies, relishes and chutneys, writes Michael Kelly.
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Sep 29th 2018, 1:00 PM
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