Kitchen Garden Forum

I have just read in the local newspaper that GIY (Grow-it-Yourself) Ireland, a new not-for-profit initiative is sweeping the nation and Patrons include Darina Allen and a local lady, Joy Larkcom.

The first local meeting to me is to be held in Clonakilty on November 16th and Joy Larkcom will give a presentation and talk focusing on "The where, the what and the how of vegetable growing" and it is expected to last about an hour and a half.

Do you think it will be worth going?

Anyone interested or wanting more info can visit http://www.giyireland.com

Regards, Gerry.

If it was near me I would go!

Hi Gerry,
Joy Larkcom is one of the world authorities on growing vegetables and I would jump at the chance if I were in your shoes.
With her behind the venture it is sure to go far.
JB.

Hi Gerry

How lucky you are to get a chance to meet Joy - don't miss it!

Hopefully this is an initiative which will spread further. There are so many people coming on board in the GIY movement now in their gardens and allotments, many of whom know very little about the basics, which is always a recipe for discouraging people at an early stage. Anything which helps them improve their success rate would be welcome.

Thanks, all, for the advice. I will of course go and am looking forward to it. I'll keep you posted.

Regards, Gerry.

It was a great evening. Joy Larkcom was very interesting and she and her husband brought loads of comfrey roots to hand out.
The owner of the hotel, where it was held, announced that he had bought a few acres and all the hotel veg was grown on it (or should that be in it). They did however have a few acres more than they need so he is going to make a car park, install a large polytunnel and a large shed, divide it up into allotments with water on tap and let them out for the "price of a pint per week".
Regards, Gerry.

Gerry - now that's what a call a real initiative. Wouldn't it be great if other commercial enterprises in our community with some land to spare adopted a similar attitude?

Hi Primrose,
You would think that it would be easy to turn a field into an allotment but sadly Local Authorities make it so awkward that owners simply find it too much hastle and don't bother any longer.
JB.

As I understood it JB changing from an agricultural field to an allotment site is not actually classed as a change of use because it is still used for growing stuff.
Not really any different to the farmer turfing the horse out, ploughing and planting cabbages.
It is when you start getting lots of sheds, or, the approach of every plot fenced to seven feet with corrugated iron which I have seen in Whitby, that you get planners drawn in by neighbours annoyed at the scrap yard look.

Exactly Peter,
When the LA want professional drawings of what it is going to be, how many plots, plan of plots and put the good Lord knows how many restrictions on what can or cannot be done it is just simply not worth the hassle. The reason being that the onus is on the owner of the site to be responsible of what his/her tenants do. I find this unacceptable.
In the past I have had so much interference from the LA that now I am retired I do not expect to have to deal with them again. I have a site which is ripe for an allotment and when I approached the Parish Council
informally they said the site was too big for the area and they would recommend to the planning authority to reject any application I make.
The trouble here is that in rural areas most properties have sufficiently large plots of land to accommodate their own vegetable areas.
JB.

What happens if you went down another route and "simply invited a group of friends to come in and help you with cultivating a patch of your land"? Or am I being totally naive in thinking that the local authority would still expect you to apply for planning permission?

In the case in question the hotelier approached he Local Council and outlined his plans and they said "Fine, go ahead".

He intends to fence each site and originally he intended putting a polytunnel on each site, but then realised that this would make them too expensive so went to one big tunnel for everyone to share.

I must say such common sense is rare here.

Regards, Gerry.