Need advice on what vegetables to grow in Dublin

silentrust

Hi all,

Englishman (Yes, sorry for centuries of oppression) just moved to Dublin with my girlfriend who is a fairly avid gardener. We have a pathetically small garden but are in the process of converting some old pallets into vertical gardens which we can place around the walls to maximise the space we have.

Good food to grow this way is pumpkins, squash, beans and most berry plants - just wondering how viable these are to grow here though in Dublin's climate?

So far our experiments with herbs have been moderately successful. Chives are thriving, parsley is fairly sickly but managing but basil died altogether.

Would also love to know if anyone knows of a place in the city selling hydroponics supplies.

redser7

Hi. Everything you can grow in the UK you can grow here. This is a good site, read her diary entries down the right ...
http://nickykylegardening.com/

silentrust

redser7 wrote: »

Hi. Everything you can grow in the UK you can grow here. This is a good site, read her diary entries down the right ...
http://nickykylegardening.com/

Thank you! :-)

spygirl

Currently we have lettuce, strawberries, chives (our basil died too), beans peas, spinach,beetroot, spuds, black berries, onions,radish and carrots on the go in our Dublin garden. It's tiny but so far they are all still going, most of these we grew with little trouble last year despite the weather.it's all interplanted with flowers and shrubs as well.Give everything a bash and see what comes up. If you could grow it in the uk should be ok here as well. That said have never had a tomato plant that lived very long in mine.Happy growing

silentrust

spygirl wrote: »

Currently we have lettuce, strawberries, chives (our basil died too), beans peas, spinach,beetroot, spuds, black berries, onions,radish and carrots on the go in our Dublin garden. It's tiny but so far they are all still going, most of these we grew with little trouble last year despite the weather.it's all interplanted with flowers and shrubs as well.Give everything a bash and see what comes up. If you could grow it in the uk should be ok here as well. That said have never had a tomato plant that lived very long in mine.Happy growing

Thank you so much Spy Girl, we're looking at planting carrots, radish and onions in the ground at the moment and trying to do squash, beans and pumpkins vertically - the manual I have suggests growing the latter in a greenhouse first in pots then putting outside as we move into July - which I know worked in the UK but as you say you don't know until you give it a bash! Do let me know how yours are turning out! :-)

david75

Hey
Go to urban plant life on cork street. It's the only garden centre in the city centre, has a huge range of everything you need and very helpful staff. Think have what you're looking for in past the herb section.

silentrust

david75 wrote: »

Hey
Go to urban plant life on cork street. It's the only garden centre in the city centre, has a huge range of everything you need and very helpful staff. Think have what you're looking for in past the herb section.

I really can't thank you enough for this David, just checked their website and they sound ideal, will plumb them for ideas!

david75

No probs. ask for Sam. Tell him Dave sent you:)

lordstilton

Get up and grow just off caple st does hydroponics supplies

silentrust

lordstilton wrote: »

Get up and grow just off caple st does hydroponics supplies

Thanks Lordstilton, I am very intrigued by their Aquaponics system - has anyone had any experience with this? The idea of using the waste water from a fish tank to irrigate the soil which in turns cleans the water seems rather neat to me.

My Potatoes

There are a number of headshops in Dublin selling hydroponics, e.g. Nirvana.

I would suggest growing the vegetables you eat most, or those that cost the most. And potatoes, of course.

silentrust

My Potatoes wrote: »

There are a number of headshops in Dublin selling hydroponics, e.g. Nirvana.

I would suggest growing the vegetables you eat most, or those that cost the most. And potatoes, of course.

Thanks My Potatoes, we're planning on trying to do potatoes in grow bags as well as squash, pumpkins, onions and radishes, hopefully we'll get some results, would love to hear your success stories.

My Potatoes

silentrust wrote: »

Thanks My Potatoes, we're planning on trying to do potatoes in grow bags as well as squash, pumpkins, onions and radishes, hopefully we'll get some results, would love to hear your success stories.

Grow bags? If you're talking about those long flat-ish ones, e.g. http://www.burford.co.uk/new-horizon-organic-giant-grow-bag.html, I wouldn't try to grow potatoes in these. Too shallow.

Sgt Pepper 64

My Potatoes wrote: »

Grow bags? If you're talking about those long flat-ish ones, e.g. http://www.burford.co.uk/new-horizon-organic-giant-grow-bag.html, I wouldn't try to grow potatoes in these. Too shallow.

You just turn then upwards. I think he knows that

silentrust

My Potatoes wrote: »

Grow bags? If you're talking about those long flat-ish ones, e.g. http://www.burford.co.uk/new-horizon-organic-giant-grow-bag.html, I wouldn't try to grow potatoes in these. Too shallow.

Hi My Potatoes,

The grow bags I found on eBay are actually quite deep - do you think these will do?

My Potatoes

Oh yeah, they're grand, those planter types. I was thinking of the other types often used for salad crops.

mcgovern

silentrust wrote: »

Hi My Potatoes,

The grow bags I found on eBay are actually quite deep - do you think these will do?

Just an fyi, you'll often find these in the €2 shops.

silentrust

mcgovern wrote: »

Just an fyi, you'll often find these in the €2 shops.

Thanks mcgovern,

I was wandering around Dealz with the after half last week and was very impressed at how garden friendly they seem to be.

Word to the wise though. We bought a small fork and towel to till the hard Irish earth only for them to bend into useless jumps of metal after a few minutes of attacking weeds. It seems you do get what you pay for sometimes! :-D

silentrust

My Potatoes wrote: »

Oh yeah, they're grand, those planter types. I was thinking of the other types often used for salad crops.

Thanks chief, I am still a little nervous but I suppose if you don't try you'll never improve!

bushi

hi guys

I was often wondering, what is the benefit of growing your own potatoes, other than for the kicks of it - I'd rather use the precious space, to plant fruits, berries (blue/currants/goose/vertical strawberries, etc.), or even fruit trees - I think it is much more cost-efficient (and more benefits to a grower - in terms of return/savings, and nutritious values). Potatoes are just too cheap, to be worth the sweat, IMHO! I mean, in the same space required for a small fruit tree, capable of giving you some 100 apples/season++ (about 1-2 square meters, and I think it is well possible to grow some other stuff under/around it, although I just have lawn down there), how much potatoes one can realistically harvest, in your experience (using intensive tricks is allowed, like grow bags etc ). Will it be worth it, as compared to, say, 15-20 trays worth of apples, costing 2+ Euro each to buy?

...or is it just that Irish heritage in ya's

cheers!

silentrust

bushi wrote: »

hi guys

I was often wondering, what is the benefit of growing your own potatoes, other than for the kicks of it - I'd rather use the precious space, to plant fruits, berries (blue/currants/goose/vertical strawberries, etc.), or even fruit trees - I think it is much more cost-efficient (and more benefits to a grower - in terms of return/savings, and nutritious values). Potatoes are just too cheap, to be worth the sweat, IMHO! I mean, in the same space required for a small fruit tree, capable of giving you some 100 apples/season++ (about 1-2 sqhttps://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/newreply.php?do=newreply&p=84805808uare meters, and I think it is well possible to grow some other stuff under/around it, although I just have lawn down there), how much potatoes one can realistically harvest, in your experience (using intensive tricks is allowed, like grow bags etc ). Will it be worth it, as compared to, say, 15-20 trays worth of apples, costing 2+ Euro each to buy?

...or is it just that Irish heritage in ya's

cheers!

Hi bushi,

Naturally I can't speak for everyone on the forums but my reasons in a nutshell are as follows:

- My entire garden is given over to growing different foodstuffs so I like the splash of colour from seeing potatoes in a grow bag from their pretty flowers.

- I am a survivalist so do not grow food just to save money but because I want to be as self sufficient as possible. The potato is not only very versatile in terms of meals but can be used to ferment alcohol (vodka and schnapps) ; of course I'm speaking hypothetically, distilling alcohol is illegal in Ireland!

Sgt Pepper 64

bushi wrote: »

hi guys

I was often wondering, what is the benefit of growing your own potatoes, other than for the kicks of it - I'd rather use the precious space, to plant fruits, berries (blue/currants/goose/vertical strawberries, etc.), or even fruit trees - I think it is much more cost-efficient (and more benefits to a grower - in terms of return/savings, and nutritious values). Potatoes are just too cheap, to be worth the sweat, IMHO! I mean, in the same space required for a small fruit tree, capable of giving you some 100 apples/season++ (about 1-2 square meters, and I think it is well possible to grow some other stuff under/around it, although I just have lawn down there), how much potatoes one can realistically harvest, in your experience (using intensive tricks is allowed, like grow bags etc ). Will it be worth it, as compared to, say, 15-20 trays worth of apples, costing 2+ Euro each to buy?

...or is it just that Irish heritage in ya's

cheers!

Even spuds grown in bags (saving space) just taste soooo feathery and light and melt in your mouth. Completely different from commercial grown and sprayed varieties.
Plus you get to grow ones you cant find in shops

Growing fruit and veg will never be profitable for home owners and cost more to produce for less product, but boy does it taste good, all the sweeter for having grown it yourself.
Plus the positive and healthy mental vibes it sents out you just cant put a price on.
Try themself and you will see. All you need is 3 seed spuds, a black bag and some soil and you will be hooked!

silentrust

Sgt Pepper 64 wrote: »

Even spuds grown in bags (saving space) just taste soooo feathery and light and melt in your mouth. Completely different from commercial grown and sprayed varieties.
Plus you get to grow ones you cant find in shops

Growing fruit and veg will never be profitable for home owners and cost more to produce for less product, but boy does it taste good, all the sweeter for having grown it yourself.
Plus the positive and healthy mental vibes it sents out you just cant put a price on.
Try themself and you will see. All you need is 3 seed spuds, a black bag and some soil and you will be hooked!

I certainly agree growing fruit and veg at home may require an initial cash injection but I think with time it can be viable commercially.

I personally use rescued pallet boards for planting but do buy compost as my own is taking a while to rot.

Once you have a surplus it's possible to trade for other essentials but admittedly this takes time!

evolving_doors

Cherry tomatoes are the way to go if you dont have a greenhouse etc. unless you get started pretty early (st. Patricks day) with the seed.... I harvested seeds from tomatoes two years ago and was quite surprised that they took off the following year..(choose the seeds from the best looking tomatoes!)..saved a packet (literally)..

kelvdon wonder peas are pretty good too, plant close together to save on having to have loads of stakes...they hold each other up better when packed together too.

They say not to go more than 3 years with same strawberry runner strain, but mine have been going for about 5 years now(not as prolific though)! I just havn't the heart to kill em off, actually dumped some haggard ones on a mound of soil and they grew even better than in pots!

silentrust

Armelodie wrote: »

Cherry tomatoes are the way to go if you dont have a greenhouse etc. unless you get started pretty early (st. Patricks day) with the seed.... I harvested seeds from tomatoes two years ago and was quite surprised that they took off the following year..(choose the seeds from the best looking tomatoes!)..saved a packet (literally)..

kelvdon wonder peas are pretty good too, plant close together to save on having to have loads of stakes...they hold each other up better when packed together too.

They say not to go more than 3 years with same strawberry runner strain, but mine have been going for about 5 years now(not as prolific though)! I just havn't the heart to kill em off, actually dumped some haggard ones on a mound of soil and they grew even better than in pots!

Sounds fantastic Armelodie, thanks! We actually have been growing cherry tomatoes in the greenhouse. Apparently tobacco thrives in the same conditions so it will be interesting to see how it pans out.

I am interested in vertical gardening and wonder if the wonder peas you mention would bear up under the circumstances as I have a space left in one shady corner of the garden. Will have a stab and let you know how it goes. :-)

Sgt Pepper 64

silentrust wrote: »

Sounds fantastic Armelodie, thanks! We actually have been growing cherry tomatoes in the greenhouse. Apparently tobacco thrives in the same conditions so it will be interesting to see how it pans out.

I am interested in vertical gardening and wonder if the wonder peas you mention would bear up under the circumstances as I have a space left in one shady corner of the garden. Will have a stab and let you know how it goes. :-)

http://easyverticalgardening.com/make-a-vertical-garden-frame/

http://www.rhs.org.uk/Gardening/Grow-Your-Own/Growing-in-containers/Inspiration-zone/Veg-on-walls

this is a really good one

http://www.verticalveg.org.uk/

good thinking, even though I have a large garden its mainly given over to the kids so vertical gardening could be another way to squeeze some use out of corners etc