Fruit Hill Farm Blog

Bolting refers to when a plant rather rudely decides to enter its flowering stage before we would like it to. Essentially, it has come to the conclusion that it is time to produce seed, and energy previously flowing into leaf growth is diverted to this task. As a result, the leafy part of the plant, which we were more than...

The first fruit to ripen in summer - and the most popular - strawberries are everyone’s favourite. Strawberries are a  member of the rose family and aren't really a fruit or a berry but the enlarged receptacle of the flower. First cultivated in ancient Rome, strawberries are now the most popular berry fruit in the world. Planting Strawberries Strawberries are best planted...

We all absolutely loved Aileen from Antrim's entry for this months How Does your Garden Grow feature - not only is it lovely to see the change and growth in her garden over time, but we all loved her inventive way of trying to keep the rabbits away!! Congratulations Aileen - we hope you enjoy spending your €50 voucher for...

Muriel from Greystones in Co.Wicklow is this months featured garden. It's great to see such a variety of plants and produce growing in a small garden and it's obvious that Muriel and her family get great use and enjoyment from their garden. We hope you enjoy spending your €50 voucher for Fruit Hill Farm and that your potatoes produce a good yield!

Ravishing radishes; quick and easy to grow they are often the first spring crop.  With their delicious crunchy texture and peppery taste they are real delight after the dull months of winter. How to grow tasty radishes Sow indoors from late winter or sow directly from late spring through to early autumn. Radishes can be planted from as early as...

Purple Sprouting Broccoli -  a great vegetable to grow in your garden.  Has a long harvest seson from February to April - the lean time when there is little fresh produce. How to Grow and Harvest Purple Sprouting Broccoli (PSB) Sow seeds in small pots or a nursery tray.  Can aslo be sown outside in a seed bed. Once the...

Deirdre from Doonbeg in West Clare is our featured garden for April Congratulations Deirdre and thanks for sharing the story of your garden with us - and such lovely pictures! It sounds like you have put a lot of work into your garden and are now reaping the benefits of all that hard work. we hope you enjoy spending your...

What's not to like about nettles! Urtica dioica  - the humble stinging nettle is a wonder plant and every garden should have a patch. Nettles in the garden Stinging nettles support more than 40 kinds of insects, for whom the sting can form a protective shield against grazing animals. Many nettle patches hold overwintering insects which swarm around fresh spring...

Olivia from Carrigaline is our featured garden for February Congratulations and a BIG thank you go to Olivia for sharing her story and pictures of her lovely garden with us. It's great to hear about the great variety of plants she is growing and the story of how she has created her garden and the problems she has  encountered and...

Peter from Meath is our featured garden for February We love that Peter has transformed his garden from a waterlogged field to a haven for pollinating insects. Well done Peter and we hope you enjoy spending your €50 voucher for Fruit Hill Farm "It started 38 years ago as a waterlogged acre field, devoid of any vegetation apart from some...