Gardening – Page 9 – thegreenerdream

Ballaghaderreen Community Garden.

October 20, 2017October 12, 2018mariamayfleming

We are fortunate and very excited to be to part of the creation of a Community Garden in our closest town, Ballaghaderreen. A few months ago we were proud to be invited as members of the committee and since then we have been working as part of a team to realize our shared dream. We are very happy as a piece of land has been kindly offered for our use by Duffy’s Supervalu. Work has started and we are meeting up every Sunday afternoon with a bunch of likeminded individuals to get our hands and wellies dirty but also to share laughs and cups of tea. We are always looking for more volunteers and you can find information about it on the Ballaghaderreen Community Garden Face Book page.

Our conservatory one year on.

October 11, 2017March 6, 2019mariamayfleming

It has been a year since we built our conservatory and now we are not sure how we ever managed without it. Every morning we drink tea in there and when we have guests it is the place we are most likely to congregate in.

Healthy neglect…

October 7, 2017mariamayfleming

Last month other commitments pulled us away from the garden. Apart from us harvesting apples, raspberries and vegetables, the land was left to its own devices for the duration of the month. On the very last day of September we walked around the different areas to get a few pictures for this blog and we realized that the land had not suffered at all in our absence. Sure, it looked a bit untidy and overgrown on the surface, but underneath it was healthy, alive and brimming with wildlife. Maybe that is the biggest lesson we have learnt from looking after and developing our land over the last few years. A forest garden, mimicked on young natural woodland but full of edible and other beneficial plants, is a very forgiving place. Nature has a marvellous way of doing what is best for the land and when you start to work with nature and not against her fantastic things can happen. We wanted more frogs, newts and other wildlife so in addition to our stream we added two ponds. Because of this the slug population is being kept small and is not the major problem it was for the first couple of years.

Kale perfection

September 30, 2017mariamayfleming

Sometimes it can be a bit tricky to cook and preserve your crops in a way that everyone in the family enjoys. This year we have found ourselves with a lot of kale. This super green has numerous health benefits but is not very popular, at least in our house, when steamed or stir-fried. We have been doing some research and cooked up a few batches with different flavourings, in the hunt for perfectly crunchy, delicious kale chips. Here in Ireland they would probably be known as kale crisps though.

August in the forest garden.

September 3, 2017mariamayfleming

September has arrived and with it a slight change in the air. The mornings are colder with lots of dew glistening on plants and spider’s webs and the colours are slowly changing in the garden.

A journey through time at Brigit’s Garden

August 28, 2017mariamayfleming

We have wanted to visit Brigit’s Garden in County Galway for over a year, and a sunny morning last week we decided that it was time. It is a special place, inspired by Ireland’s Celtic past and partially designed by Mary Reynolds who is our favourite Irish garden designer. She believes just like we do, that it is time to go down a different path, one where we start giving back to the earth instead of always taking. You can read more about Mary and her work here.

Far away but close to home

August 16, 2017mariamayfleming

We believe the best kind of gardens mirror their creators and echo the owner’s interests and passions. Like a green haven that has the power to evoke feelings in the visitor and where creativity is limitless.

High summer

August 9, 2017mariamayfleming

After spending two lovely weeks in half of our family’s native country Sweden, we returned home to a garden full of life. There has been lots of rain while we where away so everything has put on massive amounts of growth, the flowers, vegetables and grass is all looking verdant and lush. It is nice to come back after half a month away and realize that the garden has not suffered at all in our absence. It is one of the positives we can experience from living in a climate with few droughts and no extreme changes in temperature. We think it can also be put down to the fact that we mulch all our plants well with cardboard, straw and just about any organic matter we can get our hands on. This makes for a sustainable eco system in the garden where less intervention is needed to keep the balance right.

A cherished day.

July 23, 2017July 23, 2017mariamayfleming

Last year in July we had the privilege and joy to share our home and garden with some long anticipated visitors. You can read all about that visit in this post. Josie is a member of our family that is 18 years old and autistic. For about six years she has been attending an outreach service where she spends time with other young people with additional needs. Together they cook, go to the cinema, go horseback riding and do many other things.