This year seems to have flown so fast and it’s hard to believe it’s the end of June as I write this article. Maybe it’s because the weather was so bad with rain and cold winds all spring, bringing poor growth in the garden. It was impossible to get seeds and plants growing as the soil was so cool. Even up until the first week of June the soil temperature was very low.Plants have come on in the last couple of weeks and peas, beans, potatoes, as well as set onions have come on and are growing even if they are behind. I suppose we have to put it down to being one of those years and I can remember plenty of them since I began gardening.
This year seems to have flown so fast and it’s hard to believe it’s the end of June as I write this article. Maybe it’s because the weather was so bad with rain and cold winds all spring, bringing poor growth in the garden. It was impossible to get seeds and plants growing as the soil was so cool. Even up until the first week of June the soil temperature was very low.
Plants have come on in the last couple of weeks and peas, beans, potatoes, as well as set onions have come on and are growing even if they are behind. I suppose we have to put it down to being one of those years and I can remember plenty of them since I began gardening.
Grass came on really well in most places and the silage season is in full swing around here. Spring barley is recovering in some fields as they held water in the soil for longer but hopefully this bit of sunny weather we have at the moment will last and all will be well in the end. Even the cattle were late leaving their winter quarters, but they are all out now and thriving on luscious grass.
On to a personal story, as a long-time member of our Portarlington guild of the ICA, it was a sad day for me and other members when our guild closed its doors for the last time on 14 May 2015. Down through the years we had really great times, as well as always supporting local charities by setting up plays etc.
I remember one such play was about the famine. We had a great time putting it together along with huge support – but I suppose all good things must come to an end.
It was a thriving guild at one time, with 40 members, but as times went on and changed, it was very hard to get new members so membership dwindled down to under 10. That’s not enough to stay afloat. It was great for farming women to meet years ago when there was no such thing as television and some did not even have a radio.
Back to the garden, summer brassica plants have been transplanted and so too has savoy as we like nice hard white heads to develop before winter and savoy takes time to settle into growth.
Bloom has come and gone for this year and was a big success yet again, well done to all for the hard work involved and for the well-deserved gold medal.
Email me at lilysgarden1@gmail.com
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