3rd Sept 06 Sunday

Growing Awareness
Growing Awareness is a food and farming group.
The aim of which is “ to ensure that everyone has access to food grown and produced in a way that restores respect for the earth, respect for food and respect for farmers and growers.” They run sustainable food and farming workshops and farm walks throughout the year and distribute a free newsletter.

I attended one of their workshops today run by Madeline McKeever at her home and garden on Turk Head. The topic was Seed Saving. Madeline herself sells seeds she has saved from her own garden as ‘Brown Envelope Seeds'. First thing the nine of use got around the table with a cup of tea and introduced ourselves (as it turned out Jenny from Skibbereen Walking Group was there and there and so was Bill the husband of Bridget who is in the Patchwork Group). Most people had gardens and grew their own veg and some already did some seed saving and one guy grew on a more commercial basis as he has a heath food shop fro which he sells his veg.

Then we worked through the hand out Madeline had created for use going through pollination, cross pollination, hybrids and then onto saving seeds from peas, beans, brassicas (cabbage, broccoli etc) tomatoes, lettuce, the cumber family (inc squashes, melons and gourds), onions, leeks, potatoes, carrots parsnips…

After the theory and demonstrations during which people chipped in which theory own queries, problems and tips we went for a walk around Madeline’s garden and polly tunnel. Its was somewhat idyllic to be walking through rows of veg in the bright sunshine so close to the sea but it was the polly tunnel that really impressed me; aubergines, gourds, peppers and two rows of various types of tomatoes many so ripe they begged to be eaten, enormous tomatoes, tiny pebbly cherry ones, wrinkly ones, yellow tomatoes red tomatoes orange tomatoes tigery ones and open with black tops (Black Crimea variety). I picked a few of the little cherry variety so sweet and juicy that I defy anyone to prefer confectionary to them. We then we handfuls of varying tomatoes went and had lunch (out in the sun out course) after we were thoroughly sated on our bounty it was back to learning.

The day itself was not just enjoyable and a learning experience but gave me a real drive towards grown my own veg, something have always wanted to do but am currently restricted to herbs and chillies on my windowsill. But now I am designing my own polly tunnel and determined my next move will be to place with a garden where I will grown a list of edibles and long as my arm and perhaps dabble in creating my own varieties!

Growing Awareness
18 Newbridge Park
Coronea
Skibbereen
Co. Cork

Tel: 028 23889
Email: info@growingawareness.org
http://growingawareness.org/

Madeline McKeever
Tel: 028 38184
Email: madsmckeever@eircom.net