compost – Bealtaine Cottage, Ireland

compost, Eco-Living, Ecology, Food, Garden, Gardening, Growing Food, Nature, Uncategorized

Using Seaweed in the Garden

Posted on July 11, 2016July 11, 2016 by Colette O'Neill

After so much rain during the past few weeks, it was a relief to have a relatively dry day! You may remember that last week I visited the Atlantic shoreline to harvest some seaweed to use on the garden. The strands to the south of Sligo town have piles of loose seaweed here and there along the beaches.

Always only ever take the loose stuff…don’t pull seaweed from stones as these form habitats and are essential to the ecology of the seashore!

In the end I managed about three big bags of seaweed and headed home with my foraged booty!

The first thing I do is to spread it on the gravel around the cottage and allow the rain to wash out excess salt.

After about a week, I start to spread the seaweed around established plants in the garden and tunnel.

The seaweed acts as a wonderful feed and a weed-suppressing mulch!

One of the best things about growing food in the garden is the opportunity to use local and near resources that are free to be foraged or collected…seaweed is an organic fertiliser! Seaweed is washed in by the tide, so is easy to forage!

Only ever take what you need!

It can be used straight away too by the way!

It’s packed with Potassium and Nitrogen, bot wonderful for the garden!

In the next blog, over at Bealtaine Cottage Good Life, I will explain how to make Liquid Seaweed Manure…along with lots more pics of the vegetable beds mulched with seaweed and how this feeds the plants!

https://bealtainecottage.com/bealtaine-cottage-good-life/

Abundance, agriculture, Bealtaine Cottage, biodiversity, Birds, compost, Ecology, Eden, Edible Gardens, food forest, Lifestyle, Nature, Organic Garden, Permaculture, Uncategorized

Permaculture Food Forest in Ireland

Posted on March 29, 2016March 29, 2016 by Colette O'Neill

The leaves are just beginning to bud and appear.

Bees are busy at work here in the gardens of Bealtaine Cottage…without them this would be a place of hunger.

But, it’s not…instead it boasts food for all and more to come.

This is what a food forest looks like as the sap rises and life returns.

These are the gardens of the goddess, Mother Earth in all her splendour and abundance!

And here is today’s video…

All the videos I upload are free from advertising, so you can enjoy watching…

Please consider supporting Bealtaine Cottage

Bealtaine Cottage, compost, Country Living, Culture, Earth, Eco-Living, Ecology, Gaia, Lifestyle, Permaculture

Your Power, Your Choice!

Posted on August 22, 2014September 1, 2015 by Colette O'Neill

Solar panels!

Many permaculture garden visitors ask me why I have no solar panels?

My stock answer is that I cannot afford them…but that hides all the other reasons why solar panel are not high on my wish-list of add-ons to Bealtaine Cottage!

I see the issue in much more simple terms…frugality!

Over the past ten years of developing Bealtaine Cottage, I have successively scaled back on my use of electricity.

From getting rid of many of my original electrical appliances and refusing to replace those that have given up along the way, I have the equivalent of a roof load of solar panels!

We are a wasteful society that is easily swayed towards consumerism, failing to take responsibility for our waste, when there is NO AWAY…just Mother Earth!

Studies in America, for example, have shown that 20% of all electricity produced is wasted. (Dr Helen Caldicott)

This is interesting as Nuclear power represents 20% of all the electricity produced!

The correlation between what we waste and our environmental concerns can be very revealing!

According to statistics produced by the WWF “Power plants typically only turn about 30% of the energy input into usable electricity.
We are losing up to 75 % of the energy in the fuel at the start of the process. Energy companies could do much better – combining power and heat production can lift efficiency to over 70%.”( http://wwf.panda.org/about_our_earth/aboutcc/cause/wasting_energy_eff/ )

In a detailed study in 2001, the International Energy Agency (IEA) found that from 3% (Switzerland) to a scarcely credible 13% (Australia) of residential electricity used in OECD countries was standby.

“I was amazed when I first learned the dimensions of standby power,” said Robert Priddle, IEA executive director. “In my own home, appliances that I thought were ‘off’ were actually consuming considerable power.”

You have immense power…the power to choose!

Your power to consume is there as a choice.

It is MY DESIRE to have a wind turbine and solar panels, but it is MY CHOICE to live lightly with Mother Earth.

Understand power…but more importantly, understand YOUR power!

***************************************

Bealtaine Cottage is free and has over 850 blogs, as well as over 3,500 photographs.

Bealtaine Cottage Good Life is a mere 12 euros per year and allows me a small income, to keep doing what I love doing most…writing about Mother Earth and photographing her.

To subscribe, a small donation of 12 euros per year, will add your name to the subscriber list.

Click on button below to join the website…

Abundance, Bealtaine Cottage, biodiversity, compost, Culture, Current Affairs, Eco-Living, Ecology, Edible Gardens, Food, Gardens, Growing Food, Inspiration, Ireland, Life, Permaculture, Self-Sufficiency

From the Fringe…

Posted on July 14, 2014July 14, 2014 by Colette O'Neill

The start of the week in this sacred place, where edges meet and overlap…a cooling, calming morning.

Yesterday was a day of visits and creating bouquets to take with me.

The gardens are flourishing and birthing beauty all around me, so there was much to gather and choose from.

This is the tenth year using the roll of cellophane bought for me by my eldest daughter all those years ago as a leaving London present!

Small investments can and do go on giving!

Walking the gardens this morning, after the rain, with the earth scents rising all around me, it was a delight to see the apples well on their way to a grand harvest.

I continue to drink the apple juice saved as frozen juice from the harvest last year.

The “poor” land here has given me more food than I can cope with…a continuing surplus builds year on year.

In this tenth year, it is no longer a surprise that the main stream media has steered clear of permaculture, for the truth of biodiversity undermines the huge Agri-business pushed by governments and those in power.

Permaculture has been pushed out to the fringes of society by ignoring the outcomes of such an approach.

This is why I write and photograph and film and keep putting it out there.

I don’t mind being ignored, but Mother Earth WILL have her voice heard and those tuning in are rising in numbers to a point where the mainstream media will have to take notice or end up being overtaken.

The compost heaps continue to rise toward the sky, dropping back down to earth as they bio-degrade.
Newly planted beds promise a rich return all Autumn and well into the Winter.
Natural Spring water flows in abundance from an aquifer that is unabused by demanding “flush it away,” toilet cisterns.

There is no away and besides which, water is sacred!

Why use clean water to flush our human waste into the rivers and oceans…no way, there is no away!
Taking care of people means taking care of the Earth…how simple is that philosophy to put into practice?

Not if you are a corporation or a politician on the make and take, for there is no money in caring, just an abundant, real economy!

Our abiding relationship is with Mother Earth.

It is the only physical relationship which surpasses all others in this life.

If we imagine our world as a tapestry, then where are you on the stitching?

Where do you want to be on the weave?

Here’s a thought: one of the biggest and most powerful supermarket chains in the UK and Ireland spent a small fortune on creating this advertising slogan, “Every Little Helps!”

Own it!

Abundance, compost, Country Living, Eco-Living, Edible Gardens, Food, Growing Food, Herbs, Permaculture, Self-Sufficiency, Smallholding, Summer

Post Midsummer Polytunnel Gardening at Bealtaine Cottage

Posted on July 6, 2014July 6, 2014 by Colette O'Neill

Second-phase food production is under way as from this week.

Midsummer has passed and many harvests are home or under-way.

This week has seen me clear the tunnel, spread lots of compost afresh on the beds and begin planting for the next phase of crops.

As I cleared the tunnel and collected masses of seeds and seed-heads, I was thinking about the crops I would plant.

Number one on my list is Kale; one of the great foods, especially in juicing.

Regular intake of Kale juice keeps health at a peak.

Soil is the most important aspect of good food.

The food takes up the essential minerals and goodness in the soil and turns these into health-giving good food.

This was a good time to prune the Peach Tree and remove about half of the Nectarines and feed the tree.

I left some of the herbs in place and moved the rest into pots and outside beds.

“The soil is the great connector of lives, the source and destination of all. It is the healer and restorer and resurrector, by which disease passes into health, age into youth, death into life. Without proper care for it we can have no community, because without proper care for it we can have no life.”
― Wendell Berry, The Unsettling of America: Culture and Agriculture

“The ultimate goal of farming is not the growing of crops, but the cultivation and perfection of human beings.”
― Masanobu Fukuoka, The One-Straw Revolution

“Organic is something we can all partake of and benefit from. When we demand organic, we are demanding poison-free food. We are demanding clean air. We are demanding pure, fresh water. We are demanding soil that is free to do its job and seeds that are free of toxins. We are demanding that our children be protected from harm. We all need to bite the bullet and do what needs to be done—buy organic whenever we can, insist on organic, fight for organic and work to make it the norm. We must make organic the conventional choice and not the exception available only to the rich and educated.”
― Maria Rodale, Organic Manifesto: How Organic Farming Can Heal Our Planet, Feed the World, and Keep Us Safe

All the Poppy heads are now harvested, providing a massive amount of Poppy Seed…great in cooking and baking!

“Someday we shall look back on this dark era of agriculture and shake our heads. How could we have ever believed that it was a good idea to grow our food with poisons?”
― Jane Goodall, Harvest for Hope: A Guide to Mindful Eating

“All the human and animal manure which the world wastes, if returned to the land, instead of being thrown into the sea, would suffice to nourish the world.”
― Victor Hugo, Les Misérables

compost, Cottage, Country Living, Eco-Living, Garden, Inspiration, Ireland, Nature, Permaculture, Smallholding, Trees

Easiest Ever Compost Toilet

Posted on July 1, 2014July 8, 2016 by Colette O'Neill

The post you’ve all been waiting for…the Bealtaine Cottage Compost Toilet.

Easy to install and simple to use.

No running outside on cold mornings to tramp across wet grass to use the toilet!

This is located in the bathroom…not quite a bathroom though as I took out the bath and installed a shower instead!

There’s still a little bit of tweaking to be done to finish the project off to a high standard, like decorating the wall where the cistern used to be and making a wooden surround with a small door, but as you can see, it is simple and attractive.

This is the material used for covering one’s toilet.

It is grown here at Bealtaine Cottage, shredded in the shredder and smells nice and pine fragranced, as it is cut from evergreen trees in the gardens.

This material is also anti-bacterial.

There is absolutely no bad odour!

So what happens next?

The bucket is taken to a corner of the garden, tucked in behind a Willow fedge, and then emptied into a large bin. The bins have holes in the bottom so all liquid is drained out slowly.

This system uses five such bins on a rotation basis.

After about a year, the contents have turned into sweet-smelling compost that I use around trees in the lower gardens.

This compost is not used in the productive gardens as I have adequate vegetative compost on site in the vegetable and fruit gardens.

Besides…the trees thrive on the waste produced here at Bealtaine and in return, I have plenty of wood for my stove…cycle complete!

…and the Arum Lilies seem to like it!

In the course of life here at Bealtaine Cottage, there is really no need for a septic tank…flush it away?

There is no away!

If you liked reading this, why not Like, Comment or share with others on Twitter, FaceBook or email to a friend! Blessings XXX

If you enjoy all the stuff shared from Bealtaine Cottage on FaceBook, Youtube, Podcast, Twitter and this website…

Bealtaine Cottage, biodiversity, Climate, compost, Ecology, Garden, Inspiration, Ireland, Organic Garden, Permaculture, Roscommon, Seeds, Sustainable Living, Trees, Woodland

Little Pots of Magic…She Stirs…

Posted on May 10, 2014May 10, 2014 by Colette O'Neill

The decision, once made, gathers energy and slowly, slowly begins to move…like a baby discovering it can crawl!

And so it begins…the first small movements of the Forest of Bealtaine, barely perceptible, but felt and experienced.

The Forest of Bealtaine is emerging through seed…seeds collected, saved and sown into pots of Bealtaine compost, that will travel with them, to their final destination, here, somewhere, in Mother Ireland.

Where in Mother Ireland I do not know, but, somewhere on this land bereft of the comfort of cover and canopy, open to the growing harshness of rain, that once fell soft like dew…for the changing weather patterns and climate are taking their toll!

And so She grows!

Today the rain falls heavy and my visitors from Dublin have gone.

The heavy rain assures me we need forest…for we are the rocky outcrop of a failing empire

There is no mistake in that word…for it is She with a capital letter, She with a need to grow and nurture.

The land we have collectively failed…our governments collecting carbon taxes whilst fracking the bowels of Mother Earth!

The failing Empire of the EU paying Irish farmers to rip out trees, so land can be mapped out for Google Earth Maps!

And all so politicians and bureaucrats can peer and measure and post out cheques…

But what use is money to a people living on a land being ravaged by Climate Chaos?

But here at Bealtaine, the Goddess, the Mother, our Earth is nurtured for in her womb is cradled Eden, waiting to be birthed.

And Bealtaine is one of many birthing places, for the Mother is us and we are her…there is no separation.

And in these little pots of hope, She grows, and slowly, barely noticeable to visitors, the magic begins to manifest.

She stirs, awakens and is…

Abundance, biodiversity, compost, Country Living, Edible Gardens, Food, Frugal Living, Garden, Growing Food, Inspiration, Life, Permaculture, Seeds, Self-Sufficiency, Summer, Sustainable Living, Uncategorized, Vegan, Vegetarian

A New Way of Living

Posted on May 8, 2014May 8, 2014 by Colette O'Neill

Food production can be a problem for many people who have little or no access to land.

There are many who live in conditions where even a balcony is a precious space.

I have spoken before about the ways in which access to growing space can be achieved, through allotments, community gardens and the like, but here is something which may prove to be an inspiration, a new way of looking at food, both growing it and eating!

As an aspiring Vegan, (sometimes I miss the mark!) and dedicated grower and lover of all life, I have recently been converted to “Micro Greens.”

The concept is extraordinarily simple!

Seeds such as lettuce, peas, beets, etc., are sown and grown for about two weeks or less, before being harvested and added to dishes.

These Micro-Greens, it is said, contain up to 40% more nutrients than older, traditionally grown and harvested vegetables.

I can believe it!

Yesterday evening, I had a dish of cooked brown rice, mixed with Micro Greens, seasoned and drenched with the juice of half a fresh lime and this morning I feel a surge of energy!

Micro Greens can be grown on a window ledge, balcony, hanging basket…anywhere they can get a decent dose of light!

Growing Organic is easy to manage in small areas too!

Little or no problem with slugs and availability all the year around!

For me, the days of packaged salad of any kind are over and the tiresome task of cooking greens are almost over…adding raw makes more sense in every aspect of preparing and eating food!

All you need is a tray, or pot of compost, seeds and water!

So, there you have it…a new way of living…simple, easy and kind to Mother Earth!

And the fun part? Now you can enjoy seeing some of your vegetables run to seed, like this Mizuna in the Potager Bed!

Here are just some of the seeds you can grow Micro Salads from…

Arugula

Broccoli

Brussels sprouts

Cabbage

Cauliflower

Kale

Mustard greens

Radish

Red cabbage

Turnips

Watercress

Basil

Chervil

Chives

Coriander

Fennel

Lemon Balm

Mizuna

Rocket

Sage

Chard

and many more…

(Both the Light Catcher and the Bird Box were gifts, made by Nick O’Neill…aren’t they lovely?)

Happy growing!

Blessings from Bealtaine Cottage XXX

Bealtaine Cottage, biodiversity, compost, Cottage, Culture, Current Affairs, E.U., Eco-Living, Food, Garden, Growing Food, Home Made Wine, Inspiration, Life, Lifestyle, Nature, Permaculture, Seeds, Self-Sufficiency, Smallholding, Sustainable Living, Trees, Wildlife

EU Pimping Monoculture Failure!

Posted on March 12, 2014March 12, 2014 by Colette O'Neill

Mist prevails as the earth slowly heats, releasing some of the water absorbed during the wettest winter on record here in Ireland.

The air is still and birdsong echoes through the foggy dew…

The first of the seeds are now sown in a big fish box in the tunnel, made from thick, white polystyrene, once marked out for the dump but rescued and up-cycled here at Bealtaine Cottage…perfect for seeds and young plants!

There’s a digger at work on the hill of Ballyfermoyle, I hear it’s machinations echoing through the misty morning.

Young trees and bushes are being torn up and tossed aside, in an effort for land to be measured by the EU on Google Maps.

Less tree cover shows more grass and it is grassland that the EU are paying farmers here in Ireland to grow.

More grass, more meat, more export, more globalization…you know the story!

And so, the Earth is losing more habitat in a land that cannot feed it’s own people…Ireland is heavily reliant on imported food!

Another famine lurks around the corner, as monoculture food systems are the order of the day, financed and controlled by the EU bureaucrats, blinkered up to the eyeballs with bullshit!

In this land of plenty there is little food grown around this area.

EU sponsored, subsidized and pimped Monoculture prevails!

*********************************

Bealtaine Cottage has built up a Permaculture Seed Bank.

If you want to see a list of available seeds, this link will take you there…

http://bealtainecottage.com/seeds-from-bealtaine-cottage/

Seeds from Bealtaine Cottage in Ireland are posted all over the world…the donation remains the same no matter where you live, even Outer Mongolia!

Bealtaine Cottage is also on YouTube…with over 110 videos about Permaculture, planting, growing and living.

There are over 600 blogs in the archives on this site.

As an Ark for Nature, trees and wildlife, the smallholding of Bealtaine Cottage receives no grant aid from the EU, as only farm animals, monoculture and set-aside are grant-aided!

Your donation helps remedy that…

Bealtaine Cottage, Climate, compost, Crafts, Dogs, Edible Gardens, Garden, Inspiration, Permaculture, photography, Spring, Trees

A Day in Early Spring

Posted on February 3, 2014February 3, 2014 by Colette O'Neill

Juicing is a great way to ensure one has the maximum of vitamins and minerals and this is something I do every day.

It’s also a reason to keep greens growing all the year around, as even small bits can be added to the juicer and vital vitamins extracted.

I’ve used some small bits of Kale that have escaped the frost and storms.

There is no waste in Permaculture, just compost and more vegetables growing! Compost is the food needed to grow food!

Slowly, slowly the Willow is cut and stacked…time is running out as the buds thicken! Baskets, Fedges and Obelisks are standing here!

These beds are fairly sheltered and continue to produce Kale, which is processed in the juicer.

Fine Willow used in basket weaving waiting to be harvested. The gardens look colourful all the way through Winter, as the stems of Willow, Dogwood, Ash and Birch are revealed.

So much rain has fallen here in Ireland this Winter and now, in the early days of Spring, the flooding has begun to dominate the landscape. Here at Bealtaine cottage I spent much time in the early days digging out drains and water channels, as well as keeping them maintained over the past ten years…and it has paid off, as you can see from the lower pond. The water runs free, out into the streams and rivers that take it to the Atlantic Ocean.

In sheltered areas all over the gardens the ferns have remained green, though a little bit droopy. The winter was mild and warm, with plenty of rain!

This is the beginning of the wood pile for next winter. It comprises of coppiced logs of Birch, Ash and Hazel. The twiggy bits are thrown into the back of the pile as they make wonderful kindling! These logs may be small, but are perfect for a small wood-burning stove!

I’ve been stocking up on straw recently, as this makes great mulch around the garden helping to suppress weeds and line paths.

Green Beech hold their leaves right through Winter, adding even more colour and shelter to the gardens!

And look who’s keeping an eye on me as I type…my loyal Jack!

Bealtaine Cottage, compost, Garden, Inspiration, Ireland, Life, Permaculture

A New Era at Bealtaine Cottage

Posted on January 9, 2014January 10, 2014 by Colette O'Neill

Smoke rises into a clear blue January sky.

The birds are singing like it’s Spring and black ice covers the road by the gate. My friend Michael is here this morning to finally remove the toilet and install my compost loo.

The septic tank is, from today, a grey water tank!

I have been using the compost system for the past year, keeping the flush toilet for visitors, but this is the time to finally say goodbye to a system that no longer makes any sense!

Those who visit, or stay at Bealtaine Cottage, will experience a neat loo, that is both efficient and hygienic, adding to the environment rather than being a source of pollution.

I shall write a blog and post pics of the new loo in a few days time…

Meanwhile, there are signs of life all the way through the permaculture gardens, with Daffodils pushing up through the more sheltered earth under the Beech trees.

The sun is not yet high enough on the horizon to reach the paths in the Bog Garden, many of which will remain frozen for weeks to come.

In the sheltered parts of the woodland, Ferns remain green and quite lush.

Many keep their life until new fronds unfurl in late Spring.

The Willow continues to be cut, tied and stacked in the barn.

Many of the Fedges will need to be pruned before Spring and vigorous new growth that follows.

This Fedge borders the stream that runs from the Spring Well.

Many of the Bird Boxes around the gardens will need to be water-proofed with whatever I have to hand…usually a coat or two of gloss paint.

This does not seep into the wood and so does not harm nestlings in the box.

Many thanks for the continuing support for the work of this Bealtaine Cottage website.

Blessings

Abundance, Autumn, Bealtaine Cottage, Buddha, Climate, compost, Edible Gardens, Garden, Growing Food, Inspiration, Permaculture, Self-Sufficiency, Sustainable Living, Vegan

The Permaculture Loop of Plenty!

Posted on September 20, 2013September 21, 2013 by Colette O'Neill

Harvesting continues from the Potager beds.

It’s worth noting that theses productive little beds, built near the back of the cottage, straight onto gravel, have no soil in them whatsoever!

Soil is precious here in North Roscommon and the land is rushy and wet, so I filled the beds with home-made cold compost and shredding…I continue to build up the structure with shredding, made in my little electric shredder!

The beds carry a lot of food in them still, due to the close planting system I use…as food and flowers are harvested, other plants spread themselves out and the gaps are quickly filled with seasonal planting.

Garlic will be planted out over the weekend in this bed.

Loads of material is then transported over to the growing compost heap…and so the cycle of life continues in a wonderful loop of plenty!

The huge Sunflower head will yield a generous amount of seeds…I use these in Oat Smoothies, an important part of a healthy diet.

Rudbeckia, Marigolds and Evening Primrose continue to bring colour and delight to the Potager Beds as they’re cleared, providing food for many visiting insects.

There is a good amount of herbs around the edges of this bed.

They like the micro-climate afforded them by the stones, as well as the good drainage.

Apples continue to plump out, surviving the storm of last weekend by virtue of the fact they are all very sheltered.

This is an important aspect to growing apples in the west of Ireland, as many storms blow in from the western seaboard at a terrifying speed, decimating fruit production that’s in any way exposed!

Today is a fine day with clear skies and strong sunlight…this will help the tomatoes in one of the baskets to ripen, the salad tomatoes! it’s such a pleasure to be outdoors on days like today…one of the last flings of Summer as she goes on her wilful way!

The hips of the Rosa Rugosa hang heavy over the path.

“The season of mists and mellow fruitfulness,” continues…

If you would like to support the work of the Bealtaine Cottage Permaculture website, Youtube (ad-free) videos and Open Gardens project, please feel free to…

or visit the Etsy shop and purchase a hand-made or vintage product.

Bees, biodiversity, compost, Edible Gardens, Frugal Living, Garden, Inspiration, Ireland, Lifestyle, Organic Garden, Permaculture, polytunnel gardening, Seed-Saving, Self-Sufficiency, Sustainable Living, Tea, Wild Flowers

Black Bees, Compost and Rocket Stoves

Posted on July 5, 2013July 5, 2013 by Colette O'Neill

Nasturtiums, Lobelia, Petunia, Sweet William, Perlagonium, Valerian and Night Scented Stock are jostling for space near the back door.

Abundance reigns supreme in the gardens, as seen here in these lovely old-fashioned roses that lead the way up to the new orchard.

Bees are in a frenzy over the Cotoneaster.

This is a strange bee with a black bottom half.

The black bit appears shiny.

Do you have any idea what kind of bee this is?

All this buzzing guarantees lots of food for the birds over winter!

Another lovely bee working hard here at Bealtaine Cottage this evening.

The evening is very still and warm…perfect for all the insects that work in the gardens.

Lots of stone and wood piled up and ready for the workshop tomorrow.

These beds are very abundant and productive, considering the shallow depth and intensive planting…the weather is promised good for tomorrow!

Lysimachia Punctata is in full bloom.

This cable table has sat in the garden for eight years…great garden furniture for free!

The Redcurrants are almost ready to harvest.

This is the new rose arch…first year and doing well.

The Blackcurrants are ripening and will be ready for harvesting very soon.

Sunflowers and lots of seeds getting ready for harvesting in the tunnel in these Potager raised beds.

As I harvest the compost started last summer, a new compost heap is started.

Friday evening at Bealtaine…the rocket stove is boiling the kettle for another pot of tea…could it get any better?

I wonder what the equivalent saving on electricity this little contraption affords?

Would this be equal to a few solar panels?

Just a small matter of washing the cups…have a great weekend everyone!

Books, Cats, Climate, compost, Current Affairs, Dogs, Earth, Gaia, Garden, Life, Lifestyle, Permaculture, Summer, Sustainable Living

The Great Disruption

Posted on June 4, 2013June 4, 2013 by Colette O'Neill

Planet Earth is a closed system.

Most politicians and all governments simply do not understand that fact!

There cannot be infinite economic growth!

The world has limited resources, yet humankind is governed by an extractive mentality, encouraged by those in power to continue extracting the Earth’s resources, regardless of the cost to the next generation…never mind future generations!

The problem is so big, that it requires one to change everything about the way one thinks, lives and interacts with the world.

The problem with our current thinking and those who lead us further into the mire, is that denial is the natural response.

Those young enough now will look back on this era when food and energy prices soared, as the world population surged.

The time when tornadoes ploughed through cities, killing and devastating people and homes and sometimes whole communities.

A time when floods swept away life and homesteads, as droughts wrecked harvests, while governments aided and abetted the corporations that sought to control our food.

A time when populations were displaced by continuous disasters that those in government did little to avert or help communities recover from!

Those alive will ask, “what were they thinking?”

”The only answer can be denial,” argues Paul Gilding, Australian environmentalist and former executive director of Greenpeace International.

Gilding writes about this crisis in a new book called The Great Disruption: Why the Climate Crisis Will Bring on the End of Shopping and the Birth of a New World.

”We are heading for a crisis-driven choice…

We either allow collapse to overtake us or develop a new sustainable economic model…

We will choose the latter…

We may be slow, but we’re not stupid.”

Abundance, Bees, compost, Food, Garden, Inspiration, Ireland, Organic Garden, Permaculture, Recycling, Trees

Orchards and Thunderstorms

Posted on May 17, 2013May 17, 2013 by Colette O'Neill

An update on the new orchard at Bealtaine Cottage…the mulch is holding well and the little fruit trees are all bearing leaves and a little blossom too!

The ground beneath the mulching is layered with seaweed.

A new path has been created using shreddings from the garden waste and stones dug out from the ground.

A membrane for the path has been cut from builders material, that was on it’s way to a landfill, before I hi-jacked it!

Blackcurrant bushes are ready to be planted underneath the trees and flowers beneath those.

The main drive is to ensure succession planting for the bees.

If this is put into place, then all will be abundant and fruitful!

Meanwhile other work is under-way…re-planting the Potager beds and spreading compost.

Perennial poppies are about to open…these are red and white flowers and quite unusual.

And all this despite the early summer thunderstorms and incessant rain!

Wind Spiral on Willow arch in the permaculture gardens today

Geranium , Bamboo and Willow holds back the Ground Elder…there seems little point in trying to get rid of it as planting equally insistent plants appears to hold it in check!

Yellow Dogwood in the evening sun at Bealtaine Cottage

The evening sun illuminates the gardens and all is still…the prelude to further thunder storms apparently!

Cotoneaster caught in the glare of the evening sun in the permaculture gardens at Bealtaine Cottage

Have a lovely weekend and enjoy the sunshine!

Birds, compost, Garden, Growing Food, Inspiration, Organic Garden, Permaculture, Smallholding, Summer, Trees

Easiest Ever Compost

Posted on May 2, 2013May 2, 2013 by Colette O'Neill

Compost is made in two ways here at Bealtaine Cottage.

The first is what most people would imagine is the only way…certainly the one favoured in all the gardening books…where everything is kept neat and stacked and covered and turned and generally fiddled about with!

Yes, I have one of those heaps on the go and yes it works great…if one is in a hurry for the finished product; rich, crumbly, dark and nutritious food for plants!

However, I have just begun to uncover my lazy compost…where I have done zilch in terms of work, throwing all the garden wastes into an ever-expanding mound of general untidiness!

Pushing back the top layer of waste and flinging it back into the mound on the far-side, I uncovered this superb compost yesterday!

Vegetable beds are being topped up as wheel-barrow after wheel-barrow is pushed around the gardens.

Looking at the amount of seedlings and young plants here in the tunnel this morning, the copious amounts of compost being uncovered will be much needed!

Total effort:minimal!

Result: brilliant!

Pick a corner and get stacking!

Today’s video…just listen!

****************************************

Bealtaine Cottage is also on YouTube…with over 102 videos about Permaculture, planting, growing and living.

Over 535 blogs from Bealtaine Cottage in the archives here.

Donations are always welcome.

Thank you!

Thank you for supporting this blog

Walking Between Worlds ~ Preorder

This book represents a journey into the world of Ireland’s mystical people; the Tuatha de Danann, the people of the Otherworld, their mysterious origins, arrival in Ireland and final transmigration to the Sidhe…the Fairies! This book is currently being prepared for print here in Ireland and will be posted from the last week of August. This is a special preorder facility, ensuring your book will be posted in the first delivery on August 28th 2020. Price includes all P&P Worldwide!

€28.00

Bealtaine Cottage Calendar 2020 NOW REDUCED!

This calendar celebrates the magic of Bealtaine and the evolution to a Sanctuary for Life. The Hare was viewed by the ancient Celts as being the link between this world and the Otherworld-a supernatural world which is directly linked to nature. The Hare is known for being able to run between our world and the 'Otherworld'. Shapeshifters are widely known in Ireland to take on the form of the Hare. This is told in the famous story of the Celtic warrior Oisín. The Hare guards both the entrance to and exit from, the Fairy Wood at Bealtaine. The Calendar, which features over 50 photographs and all the Celtic festivals, includes Postage and packing WORLDWIDE and can be posted on your behalf as a gift, from Bealtaine Cottage, Ireland. (Pre-orders now accepted) WAS: 16.50€ INCL P&P NOW: 13.50€ INCL P&P

€13.50

Bealtaine Cottage Guide to the Deep Midwinter

A little Yuletide book filled with colour photographs, recipes, reflections, lore, poetry and mirth to guide you through the wonderful days ahead. Fifty pages of sheer delight from Bealtaine Cottage to you. The book is fully bound and can be posted direct as a gift. Price includes P&P worldwide. Bealtaine Books and Maps are printed in Ireland and posted from Ireland to support the people of Ireland.

€15.00

In Search of The Goddess Rising

This is the second book in the Goddess Permaculture series from Colette O’Neill at Bealtaine Cottage, Ireland. In this book I explore the ancient landscape, mythology, literature and life around Bealtaine Cottage… in search of the Great Goddess. The price of the book includes all postage and packing to wherever you live in the world! Bealtaine Books and Maps are printed in Ireland and posted from Ireland to support the people of Ireland.

€22.50

Magical Mythical Map of Bealtaine Cottage and Gardens

Beautiful map created by the artist David Gascoigne, especially for Bealtaine Cottage. The picture shows one side of the map…it is printed on both sides, see the photos on this page. The price includes all Postage and Packing to wherever you live in the world! Bealtaine Books and Maps are printed in Ireland and posted from Ireland to support the people of Ireland.

€12.00

	Colette O'Neill on Magical Woodland Gardens Irela…
	Colette O'Neill on Walking Between Worlds ~ preor…
	sue-bell on Walking Between Worlds ~ preor…
	Dad, it's Liam on Magical Woodland Gardens Irela…
	Petra Moll on Walking Between Worlds ~ preor…

Share this:

Like this:

The leaves are just beginning to bud and appear.

Bees are busy at work here in the gardens of Bealtaine Cottage…without them this would be a place of hunger.

This is what a food forest looks like as the sap rises and life returns.

And here is today’s video…

All the videos I upload are free from advertising, so you can enjoy watching…

Please consider supporting Bealtaine Cottage

Bealtaine Cottage is also for you on…

“…the care of the earth is our most ancient and most worthy and, after all, our most pleasing responsibility. To cherish what remains of it, and to foster its renewal, is our only legitimate hope.” ― Wendell Berry

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Smoke rises into a clear blue January sky.

The septic tank is, from today, a grey water tank!

I shall write a blog and post pics of the new loo in a few days time…

Many keep their life until new fronds unfurl in late Spring.

This Fedge borders the stream that runs from the Spring Well.

This does not seep into the wood and so does not harm nestlings in the box.

Many thanks for the continuing support for the work of this Bealtaine Cottage website.

Blessings

Share this:

Like this:

If you would like to support the work of the Bealtaine Cottage Permaculture website, Youtube (ad-free) videos and Open Gardens project, please feel free to…

or visit the Etsy shop and purchase a hand-made or vintage product.

Share this:

Like this:

This is a strange bee with a black bottom half.

These beds are very abundant and productive, considering the shallow depth and intensive planting…the weather is promised good for tomorrow!

This cable table has sat in the garden for eight years…great garden furniture for free!

Would this be equal to a few solar panels?

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

An update on the new orchard at Bealtaine Cottage…the mulch is holding well and the little fruit trees are all bearing leaves and a little blossom too!

The ground beneath the mulching is layered with seaweed.

A membrane for the path has been cut from builders material, that was on it’s way to a landfill, before I hi-jacked it!

Blackcurrant bushes are ready to be planted underneath the trees and flowers beneath those.

If this is put into place, then all will be abundant and fruitful!

Meanwhile other work is under-way…re-planting the Potager beds and spreading compost.

Perennial poppies are about to open…these are red and white flowers and quite unusual.

And all this despite the early summer thunderstorms and incessant rain!

Geranium , Bamboo and Willow holds back the Ground Elder…there seems little point in trying to get rid of it as planting equally insistent plants appears to hold it in check!

The evening sun illuminates the gardens and all is still…the prelude to further thunder storms apparently!

Have a lovely weekend and enjoy the sunshine!

Share this:

Like this:

Compost is made in two ways here at Bealtaine Cottage.

Total effort:minimal!

Result: brilliant!

Pick a corner and get stacking!

Today’s video…just listen!

Share this:

Like this:

“…the care of the earth is our most ancient and most worthy and, after all, our most pleasing responsibility. To cherish what remains of it, and to foster its renewal, is our only legitimate hope.”
― Wendell Berry