After a little bit of experimentation this year i grew some melons (Hales Best Jumbo, Galia F1), tomatoes (Moneymaker), pumpkins (Turks Turban), cucumbers (Pheonix F1), peas, beans and potatoes.

There were some interesting results......

I am still getting fruits from the cucumber plants with 3-4 still on each plant and more coming...

Last Sunday was a very enjoyable day. A group of about 18 of us were introduced to the world of fungi by an experienced mushroom forager. The weather was perfect, a clear, mild and dry afternoon. After a talk/introduction to fungi by the invited speaker at Cleen Hall, we went into the nearby woods for a couple of hours with baskets foraging for whatever mushrooms were out. We then went back to the hall and sorted them into groups with similar characteristics and spent a couple of hours trying to identify what we had found with the use of reference books and questions, before finally tasting some four or five of the edible ones.

 

It was a great day enjoyed by everyone and very good value!

 

Attached are some photos of the mushrooms i picked and then photos from the hall where everyone's were displayed for identification purposes.

 

Many thanks to Wayne Frankham from Knockvicar Organic Garden who organised the event!! It really awakened curiosity in me about fungi and i plan to do foraging in the nearby woods this month when i have time, to see how many i can identify.

 

 

Although i am delighted to have been able to pull it off to complete the Work Experience module and thus finish the DL course outright this year i decided it might be useful to others if i upload extracts from my WE report so that new or continuing course participants will be aware of what is available at Knockvicar, particularly anybody who lives in Roscommon or a neighbouring county. I thought it to be a great environment for learning purposes due to the variety of activities, knowledge of the staff and general setup, and would recommend it as a good place to go for those who will be considering work experience placement options.

 

 

 

Introduction

Knockvicar Organic Garden is located in Boyle, Co. Roscommon, east of Lough Key. It has been in existence for approximately 13 years and is open all year round, typically Monday to Saturday, although from May to September it is open on Sundays aswell. It can be found in Google Earth using the co-ordinates 53*59′51.53” N 8*11′58.73 W. The Organic Garden produces a variety of fresh vegetables, salads and herbs, while purchasing fruit and eggs from local producers which are for sale from the garden shop. The crops are grown on approximately three quarters of an acre of land using 10 polytunnels of varying size, a greenhouse for germination, and some outdoor beds. The project was established in 1997 with the assistance of Crossna Community Co-op and the Pobal Community Services Program (CSP).

In addition to growing produce, The Organic Garden is also delighted to be agents for Fruit Hill Farm, Chillington Hoes and Brown Envelope Seeds. The garden is also involved in many other activities aswell both within the immediate local community and other surrounding communities as listed below.

Internet website

The garden has its own website at http://www.knockvicargardener.com where it is possible to see general information about the seasonal activities at the garden from brochures downloadable in PDF format.

Organic Certification

The Organic Garden is certified by IOFGA organic under licence number 4091 with IOFGA’s food label IRL-OIB2-EU. It obtained organic certification in 1999 and went through a 2 year period of conversion.

Products for sale and Services available to the public

The Organic Garden of course produces organic crops for sale to market, but it is not limited to just that and provides other additional products and services aswell. An overview includes:

-   Supports local producers: Buys in eggs, fruit (mainly apples) and some root vegetables from local producers, therefore giving them an outlet for their produce at the garden shop.

-   Education/Training/Advice: The garden is involved with three local National Schools; Cootehall, which is close-by to Knockvicar village; Carrigallen which is nearly 60km away on the Leitrim-Cavan border; and Aghavas which is within proximity of Carrigallen. Staff from Knockvicar garden call to the schools at regular intervals and work with the pupils to develop and maintain the school gardens. The pupils are not only introduced to how food is grown but are actively involved aswell, including having responsibility for the upkeep of the school gardens in between visits from the Knockvicar staff.

Knockvicar also provides training at the garden so that trainees can come by the garden and be involved in growing crops themselves in tunnels and areas dedicated for training purposes, and are known as active students. Garden staff also attend local shows or community halls where they can offer training on composting, growing vegetables organically, crop planning and other activities, like shared cooking experiences where a food lover can demonstrate how to make a meal for seven people using a very small budget.

Knockvicar garden is of course delighted to serve anyone who feels they need advice and will receive e-mails, phone calls or visits to the garden from people who may have specific areas they need help with, or information on gardening methods or products. They do also provide an organic gardening service at reasonable rates.

-   Gate sales, Garden/Farm supplies: The garden sells the grand part of its produce so the public are welcome to call to the garden shop and staff will gladly assist them when selecting produce to buy, which can often include tips on preparations for cooking and recipes. Customers are free to choose from harvested produce or request that produce is harvested at that moment. In addition to the garden produce, customers can also purchase garden supplies including organic seed or potting compost, organic soil conditioners, organic pest or disease control products, green manures, organic seeds, propagation trays, irrigation lines, hoes and other garden products and tools. Being agents for Fruit Hill farm, Chillington Hoes and Brown Envelope seeds also ensures a grand variety of options.

-   Polytunnel installation service: Knockvicar also provide a polytunnel installation service and can either advise on suppliers and materials or do the complete installation for customers.

-   Knockvicar Bog Walk: Knockvicar Organic Garden is situated next to Heritage Bogs and Nature Trails. Free access is available to the public who can wander along the designated trails which are marked and have posts with information placards. If required Knockvicar can also act as guides for groups or individuals.

Although Knockvicar Organic Garden provides this produce and services to the general public (who are very welcome), it exists primarily to serve the local community , the people of Knockvicar, Crossna, and the rest of Ardcarne Parish. As mentioned in the introduction the Knockvicar Organic Garden was developed jointly by Crossna Co-op and Pobal Community Services Program (CSP). Therefore the garden itself and the bog walk are funded by the CSP. The CSP itself is funded under the National Development Plan 2007-2016. The Department of Community, Equality and Gaeltacht Affairs is the Government Department responsible for the programme; Pobal manages the programme on the Department’s behalf. The aim of the CSP is to support voluntary and community groups to provide local services to their communities. The provisions of these services is aimed at:

-   Alleviating disadvantage in those areas

-   Promoting social and economic development in those areas

-   Facilitating the sustainable and inclusive development of those areas

-   Support initiatives for Community Enterprises, Community Halls and Facilities