Contibuted by Ritamary, Plot 21 Apis Mellifera Mellifera – Native Irish Bee, aka the Black Bee. Photos courtesy of Tony , ‘Bees on the Powerstown Hive’ At the end of May/beginning of June, we received a gift of a nucleus colony (a nuc) of wild native Irish bees from a very experienced local beekeeper! You … Continue reading Plot Bee Continues…
Good news allotment holders! Powerstown are to welcome some new and very helpful plot holders in the near future. Powerstown committee has been working on this for some time, and we are really excited about it. You may have noticed the new fencing beside the pump house? This is Plot Bee in the making. We … Continue reading Plot Bee – Coming to Powerstown soon!
Contributed by Ritamary, Plot 21 Yes, that is the title of a famous grammar book, showing the perils of wrong punctuation. This description of a Panda’s dining habits, with its carelessly positioned comma, gave an altogether wrong impression of the much loved Panda! But fear not, this blog is not going to grill you … Continue reading Eats, Shoots and Leaves!
Our allotment course ended last Monday. It was information packed, a very good experience, and the time flew. Many thanks to our tutor Elaine, who spent so much time preparing the lessons especially for us veg and fruit lovers. The good news is, Coolmine will be presenting the course again next year, so if you … Continue reading GIY Course & Organic pest control
Courtesy of Trisha, Plot 38 Gooseberry Chutney 1 litre/2 pints of green gooseberries 275g/ 10oz sultanas 1 onion 1 litre/2 pints vinegar 40g /1 1/2 oz ground ginger 40g /1 1/2oz mustard seed 75g/3oz salt 225g/ 8oz sugar 7.5g/1/4oz cayenne pepper 15g/1/2oz turmeric Chop the gooseberries,sultanas and onion;put into the preserving pan with the vinegar,ginger,mustard … Continue reading Homemade preserve recipes
Have you ever thought about growing your own fruit and vegetables but do not know how to start?Have your ever bought vegetables that did not last any length of time, even when stored in your fridge?Then you could be benefit from taking a course in growing your own. Powerstown Allotments Association are holding an eight week evening course … Continue reading Powerstown Allotments Association presents an evening course in fruit and vegetable growing
The availability and use of chemicals in gardening is coming under more and more scrutiny in recent years. While organic gardening was a popular trend in previous years, this trend as begun to develop in to a more conservation focused method of gardening. Many commonly used garden chemicals are slowly being removed from shelves as … Continue reading Benefits of Pyrethrum
Beets are in general a hassle free plant to grow. You can grow beetroot seeds in most soil conditions and in a short space of time you can enjoy a harvest of baby roots or, if you are willing to wait a further week or two, feast on large 8 to 10cm spherical roots. Because … Continue reading How to prevent Beetroot from going to Seed
Lily Barclay - Senior writer - bbcgoodfood.com 1. Perfect pasta Who can resist a comforting bowl of pasta? Quick, cheap and popular with kids this is the perfect dish to use up the humble courgette. Cheese & tomato pasta bakes can be made in bulk and frozen so are perfect for busy families and carbonara-style … Continue reading Top 10 things to do with Courgettes
Want to use up a glut of courgettes in your allotment? This is a tried and tested cake in my home, loved by vege-phobes, and freezes very well! Ingredients 120g softened unsalted butter 125ml sunflower oil 100g caster sugar 200g soft brown sugar 3 eggs, lightly beaten 130ml milk 350g plain flour 2 tsp baking … Continue reading Courgette cake
