Adventure into the tunnel

I moved away from home to go to University in Galway, Ireland in 2009. There I discovered the wonderful world of plants and science, and from then on I endeavoured to become one of those romantic scientists quietly discover secrets about the natural world while traipsing around in the wilderness or in their pottering away in their garden shed. In 2013 I ventured slightly further afield to attend more plant-based university in Edinburgh. But as that marvellous year ended I found myself with a big dark horizon of nothingness, no aim, no job, with expensive bits of paper. So I found myself back home in September of 2014.

At home, in the back end of nowhere of East Clare, Ireland, the skies are thick, low and raining for most of the year. The road is half pot holes, half badly filled-in potholes with a stripe of grass growing up the middle of it, and forests (mostly plantations) loom up from every corner.

So we have a polytunnel at home, built when I was still in school (8 years ago, maybe?). I think its been very neglected for the past 2-3 years with not much care or management put into it as I think growing food is not a priority. Both doors at the front and back of the polytunnel have flown off this winter, and the beds are falling apart. There is a second smaller polytunnel too, which I think was built to grow things on from seed as there is a small potting table and a couple of small beds. It also has a grape vine which has wound itself about the place. Outside, where there is an area fenced off from the horses and other animals (it's a free-range situation) with some fruit trees (of which the only one I know is a Damson tree as it had a mega bumper crop this year!) and some randomly placed beds and tyres with unknown things in them. Everything is over grown, but thankfully no brambles or bracken.

The first thing I did was clear out all of the old tomatoes plants and weeds. This was very satisfying as it was so easy and looked like I did a lot with not much effort. But there was nettles hiding among all of these so they had to be dug out. And then the docks. Dock roots are tough! But the beds are now cleared except for some thyme, parsley and mysterious spinachy stuff.

After weeding

The main polytunnel before weeding

Next, the pot gathering. SO. MANY. POTS. And they were strewn everywhere! I’m still gathering pots, as I find them under overgrown grass or hiding in a tyre (along with mice, that was a surprise) or in buckets of water (with dead frogs, a horrible surprise). All the broken pots and other bits of plastic were all heaped into a pile and sent off to be recycled. Ah I wish I took a picture of all the bags full of broken pots, t’was a satisfying sight to see the back of them.

The pots were gathered and stacked. 

The first thing I planted this year was tulips. I went to Amsterdam in January and bought tulips on a whim (not really I spent AGES deciding whether I wanted them or not). But I felt I should give them a go even though I think it’s a bit late for them. I will update on the Amsterdam Tulips if any emerge.

I should probably stop rambling now and get down to some business. My plan for this garden and this blog is:

• 

  The Tulips from Amsterdam.
  Got my fingers crossed that
  they'll pop up soon

  to grow food that I love to eat
• to see if anyone else wants to read about this
• to be fulfilled in earthy, planty goodness and satisfaction
• to not be bored in housedaughterness
• to document how my garden grows 

I should say that although I will not be strictly growing an organic-based garden, I hope to keep it as chem-free as possible. If anyone has any advice as the garden progressed, please let me know. I’ve never grown anything before that wasn’t potting for my mum’s projects or a coo-ing over a houseplant.

First post done. Adventure begins.

Thanks for reading, 

Hannah