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John from Antrim is our featured garden for January!

We don't often get to see our customers gardens so it is a treat to get to see what you are growing and where you are growing it! John sent us these great photos along with his story of how  he started out gardening and details of what he grows in his Dad's garden. We were delighted to receive John's photographs and his description and we hope the €50 voucher will help keep his garden growing!

"I qualified in horticulture in 2010 from Greenmount college in Antrim. I then did 4 months work experience in Blarney Castle gardens where I learnt quite a lot. it was an inspiring place to work everyday. We used the mulch 'strulch a lot in the gardens and I order it from Fruit Hill Farm normally once a year. I have used it in the herb garden and herbaceous border to keep the weeds at bay at improve the soil. This is my dads garden which i have built myself over last 6 years. I live in an apartment but my dad lets me do whatever I want in his garden.

My dads garden is actually in a street called Fruithill Park, Belfast. Maybe that's why I was drawn to the Fruit Hill Farm website........I try to use organic methods as much as possible. I think the best organic methods I have used are good compost and feeds (nettle and comfrey tea). I have added plenty of raised beds as its easier to maintain and the edges can be used as seats. The garden includes fruit trees, raspberries, strawberries, gooseberrys, black currants, blackberries. I still have to build a frame for the fruit cage.

There was a problem with part of the garden flooding several times a year, but I built a large sump which has 90% fixed the problem.( I have shown photo of flooding in one of the pics.) it does still flood on a rare occasion but the sump has helped a lot.

The easiest crop with best yield is always courgettes and raspberries. I feed all the vegetables with organic liquid seaweed which I have also bought from your website. My next plan for the garden is to build a bin tidy/logstore with a green roof. Theres always plenty to be done."

If you'd like to  win a €50 voucher for Fruit Hill Farm and have your garden featured in the How Does Your Garden Grow section of our website CLICK HERE for full details on how to enter