Grow it Yourself - March

One of the most incredible things about children is their innocence – they have (thankfully) almost none of the hang-ups that us adults are burdened with.

They approach life with a wide-eyed enthusiasm, devoid of cynicism or skepticism. They bring these same qualities with them when it comes to growing their own food. While we can be daunted by the complexity of growing veg, they view it as a tactile, sensory delight. They simply love new things to touch, smell and taste.

The difference between the two approaches can be best summed up thus: I was sowing apple seeds with my kids recently. In my mind I was thinking the following: “They will never grow. They’re probably the wrong variety. They haven’t watered them enough. If they do grow where am I going to plant them?” And the kids are just thinking: “Woohoo! We’re sowing seeds!”

At GIY we think that one of the key ways we can help to make home-grown food the norm is to make sure that our kids are taught about GIYing in school. Using the school garden as a ‘living classroom’ makes perfect sense. Kids love wriggly worms and getting their hands dirty.

They love sowing seeds and rummaging in soil. Teachers we’ve spoken to, tell us they love bringing the class outdoors and that it acts as a useful teaching aid for many aspects of the curriculum.

So we’re getting stuck in. Many of our GIY groups around Ireland are already doing Trojan work in their local schools providing advice and even manpower to help get kids growing.

We’re doing an exciting initiative called the Living Classroom with Bord Bia, SEED and the Blackrock Education Centre - the Living Classroom hub on our website will be a comprehensive, easy-to-use resource for schools that want to start a school garden.

And finally, we have launched a new campaign with Innocent to get Irish school kids to take the first step on their GIY journey by putting simple seed-sowing kits in to 500 Irish classrooms.

The schools will compete for a development prize and a trip to Bloom. Please let teachers in your local school know about it. Check out www.innocentdrinks.ie or www.giyireland.com for more. Happy Growing!

Things to do this Month - March

To Do

Continue to prepare ground – there is still time to prepare a plot to grow veg this year. Fork or rake over existing beds, breaking up large clods of earth. Cover new seedlings with fleece if a frost is due. Start your daily slug patrols and lay beer traps. Don’t let new-season weeds take over – get on top of them with weekly hoeing.

Sow

Indoors: lettuce, aubergine, peppers, cucumbers, celery, celeriac, sweet corn, basil, leeks, summer cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, parsley, courgette, French beans.

Sow outdoors or under cover: broad beans, red cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, spinach, kale, Brussels sprouts, onions, leeks, turnip, peas, radishes, early lettuce, asparagus. Plant your first early seed potatoes, as soon as weather conditions allow.

Harvest

This month you could be enjoying (from the ground and from storage) onions, leeks, parsnips, potatoes, some varieties of lettuce, mint, sprouting broccoli, kale, rhubarb, chard, the first of the spring cauliflowers and cabbage, and spinach (perpetual, spinach beet).


Recipe of the Month – Cauliflower Cheese with Salmon

This month sees the first spring cauliflower and this recipe from James Martin celebrates it in a big gooey, melty, delicious dish.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1 large cauliflower, cut into florets
• 50g butter
• 50g plain flour
• 450ml milk
• 2 organic egg yolks
• 1 tsp English mustard
• splash of Worcestershire sauce
• 150g cooked flaked salmon
• 125g cheddar cheese and 75g emmental cheese, grated

Preheat oven to 200C.

Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil, then add the cauliflower and cook for two minutes. Drain and place in a buttered ovenproof dish. Place the butter and flour into a saucepan and heat to melt the butter.

Cook, stirring for one to two minutes until lightly golden. Remove from the heat and gradually whisk in the milk to form a smooth sauce.

Return to the heat and simmer for two to three minutes. Remove from the heat and beat in the egg yolks, mustard and Worcestershire sauce.

Season with salt and pepper and flake the salmon into the sauce, stirring carefully. our over the cauliflower and top with the grated cheeses.

Place in the oven and cook for 10-15 minutes, until golden brown.

Serve immediately.

Tip of the Month – Sow Onion Sets

Onions are typically grown from ‘sets’ (a fancy name for baby onions) rather than from seed. Sets are usually planted from mid March to mid April, depending on the weather and will take approx 5 months to mature so if you sow this month, you will probably be harvesting in mid August.

To plant your sets: firm the surface of the soil and plant the onion sets 4 inches apart in rows 9 inches apart. Push the set gently down in to the soil, leaving the tip just showing above the surface.

If you have already bought your onion sets and are waiting for the weather to warm up a bit before planting, spread out the sets in a cool, well-lit place to prevent early sprouting. Onions can also be grown from seed but take a bit longer (but it's also a lot cheaper).


Grow Magazine: The 64-page GIY magazine, GROW is a must-read for anyone interested in growing their own food in 2012. Includes contributions from Joy Larkcom, Fionnuala Fallon, Kitty Scully, Hans Wieland, Darina Allen, Klaus Laitenberger and Joyce Russell. The magazine costs €4.50 and is available from our website.


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We are trying to get 100,000 people to take a pledge to grow something they can eat – take the GIY pledge at www.facebook.com/giyireland.

Michael Kelly is a freelance journalist, author and founder of GIY Ireland.

GIY’s vision is for a healthier, more connected and more sustainable world where people grow their own food. We bring people together in community groups and online to inspire and empower them to grow vegetables. There are over 100 GIY community groups and approximately 12,000 people involved in the movement around Ireland. GIY is a registered charity – CHY 18920.

For more tips, information and support visit www.giyireland.com.

© GIY Ireland 2012 – all rights reserved.