Organic
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Practical ways to help the Bees
In Ireland, there are 98 different species of bee. There is the honeybee (a managed pollinator) 20 bumblebee species and 77 solitary bee species. In 2006 scientists published a Red List of Ireland’s Bees. It showed that one third of our 97 wild bees are threatened with extinction and ufortunately a third of all bee species in Ireland could be extinct by 2030. This problem can’t be solved simply by increasing the number of honeybee hives. Bumblebees make their nests on the surface of the ground or just underneath, often in long grass, bracken, or at the -
Love your soil - learn about soil conditioners
Is your soil good - or bad? Does it have a good diet, can it hold its drink? Could it quite simply just be better – well behaved, good crops, good drainage and structure etc. Most soils can be improved both in nutrient content and in structure by following good gardening practices. Soil that is in good heart will be free-draining, easy to dig, have a crumbly texture and a healthy earthworm population. How to improve the condition of your soil Gathering leaves for leaf-mould Add organic matter as a soil conditioner. Compost and strawy animal manures provide -
Klasmann organic compost for reliable results
Unfortunately, not all composts are created equally and unfortunately you only discover this when you have poor germination. Valuable time has been lost and there will be no early tomatoes or cabbages. As with all things in life you get what you pay for - cheap compost=poor results. The only way to get consistent and reliable results is to use a consistent and reliable compost. In our experience the only compost that delivers consistency, traceability, reliability time after time is Klasmann-Deilmann. What’s so great about Klasmann? Good strong plugs with -
Ladybirds in the garden - the benefits they bring and how to identify them
Ladybirds (or ladybugs if you prefer) tend to be more prominent after a spell of hot weather like we have just had, and we have noticed that we are fortunate enough to have some in our garden. If you are not familiar with Ladybirds larva you may be inclined to think that it is a pest that you should think about getting rid of. However having ladybirds in your garden is of great benefit to any organic gardener as they help to eliminate destructive pests like aphids, mites and scale insects. How to identify Ladybird Eggs The female ladybird will lay 10-50 eggs on a -
Regenerative Gardening: Looking after the invisible!
I was fortunate to meet Alex Podolinski in the late 90's at a meeting in Camphill Duffcarrig in Wexford. He is a Biodynamic pioneer and basically the founder of Australian Biodynamic farming as it exists now. He was also one of the first people to recognize that plants have two types of root systems, one for the uptake of water, which supports the transpiration process; and much finer white "hair roots" which are the feeder roots. In artificially fertilized systems the latter are often impaired or even destroyed as most of the nutrients in such a system are supplied in -
Visit to Livos (What I did for my Holidays)
We have been stocking the Livos range of non toxic paints and wood treatments for some years now. As far as we know, Livos are the world’s first manufacturer of natural paints. The company was born in 1974 when a group of hippyish scientists and technicians began researching the use of plant compounds (phytochemicals) to create high quality paints and wood treatments which are as safe and clean as possible. Last week I visited the factory in Germany to learn more about some of the products, how they are produced and their ingredients. The word 'factory' -
The Dangers Neonicotinoid Insecticides hold for our bees and other wildlife
Neonicotinoids are a class of neuro-active insecticides chemically similar to nicotine (The name literally means “new nicotine-like insecticides) Neonicotinoids – first introduced in the mid-1990s – are the fastest growing and most heavily used class of insecticide, and account for roughly 25% of the global agrochemical market. They have become increasingly popular as insects (especially aphids) have developed resistance to other insecticides. How do neonicotinoids work? Neonicotinoids are designed to target the insects nervous system causing havoc with the -
2018 Organic Seed Potato Catalogue
Potato season is here! View and download the PDF of our 2018 Catalogue of Organic Seed Potatoes by clicking on the link below. Fruit Hill Farm organic seed potato brochure 2018 We now have an even larger selection of Blight resistant varieties along with some interesting gourmet varieties for those of you that want something a bit different. View the full selection available on our online store var -
What are certified seed potatoes?
Cerified seed potatoes are seed that has been certified for purity and freedom from disease by the Dept of Agriculture. Each seed crop is inspected to confirm the identity of the variety, to ensure that it meets the minimum level of varietal purity and that it meets certain plant health and pest infection standards. The Irish Department of Agriculture where the first official body in Europe to establish a Seed Potato Certification Scheme in 1918. This ensured variety purity and disease and virus freedom. You should only buy seed potatoes that are
