I farm: “400 acres of spring onions, leeks, celery and cabbage. All of the land is conacre. The only issue with conacre is that it’s getting increasingly difficult to get good ground.”

Sowing: “We sow the scallions between August and September and over-winter them. New season spring onions are grown from February to June, leeks from April to July, celery from April to July and cabbage from March to July.”

Harvesting: “Harvesting is staggered throughout the season. We plant different varieties at different times of the year. We propagate seedlings in the glasshouses and sow them into pots. This year’s harvest is looking good. The weather has been on our side.”

This week: “We are very busy at the moment harvesting scallions, leeks, cabbage and celery.”

Carroll Produce: “My father Barney grew tomatoes in glass houses and that’s where Carroll Produce began I suppose. Today I now employ between 150 to 160 workers in the peak season, which is usually in May, June and July. During these three months planting and harvesting is under way so extra labour is needed. We’ve a great team behind us. We supply mostly to supermarkets and wholesales.”

Family: “There’s my wife Louise and our three children, Claudia (eight), Pippa (six) and Niall (four).”

Show jumping: “I recently won at Shelbourne Park. We’ve had a great season to date winning the amateur championship at the Dublin Horse Show also.”

Quotable quote: “I suppose I love it more than I hate it. The main concern for vegetable growers today is, to get big or get out. You need bigger quantities to make it work – the day of the small grower is long gone.”

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Full series: My farming week