The Woodland Cottage

It is Lughnasadh, the last great festival of the Celtic Calendar! The year is tipping towards an end as Samhain marks the beginning of the new year… There has been much change here at Bealtaine Cottage as the canopy of trees has merged to form what is now truly a woodland. This evolution has happened at just the right moment in time as we have witnessed a terrifyingly hot summer and drought…the woodland gardens have come through the worst unscathed…no loss on anything! Beauty now lies between the stones of the great circle. I have flowers to plant here and…

Goddess Permaculture 39…Exposed!

May 28, 2017May 28, 2017 Categories: Bealtaine Cottage · Books · Country Living · Earth · Eco-Living · Ecology · Edible Gardens · Frugal Living · Gaia · Garden · Goddess-Permaculture · Good Life · Ireland · Lifestyle · midsummer · Nature · Organic Garden · PermacultureTags: A Cottage and Three Acres · Colette O'Neill · ecology · Goddess-Permaculture · Ireland · one woman · Permaculture · permaculture images21 Comments

Thirty nine photographs of the Goddess at her best, as we rise towards Midsummer…a mere twenty four days away! An abundance of fruit, flowers and vegetables, captured this morning on film, images from a small part of the three acres of Bealtaine Cottage, in the west of Ireland…all growing on this “poor” agricultural land. I won’t take up too much of your time with words, for I would rather you simply enjoy the images, as I have done whilst drinking my morning coffee and walking the land. Many thanks to Majella and Derek who brought me the beautiful little Oak…

Goddess Permaculture and what it looks like…

December 10, 2016December 10, 2016 Categories: Bealtaine Cottage · goddess · Goddess-Permaculture · Organic Garden · PermacultureTags: garden · goddess · growing · Ireland · one woman · open gardens · Permaculture · Planting trees · recycling · smallholding · sustainable living in ireland · tunnel · vegetable8 Comments

In between making soup and working in the gardens today, I’ve made this screen show for your enjoyment… The Bealtaine Project is a full-time labour of love for Colette O’Neill, aiming to encourage and support those wishing to live more sustainably “with” rather than “on”” Mother Earth. To this end, Colette writes, photographs, films and podcasts regularly every day in multi media form. If you enjoy all the stuff shared from Bealtaine Cottage here and on FaceBook, Youtube, Pinterest and Twitter…why not consider a small donation.

Permaculture Learning Opportunity

October 16, 2016November 12, 2016 Categories: Gardens · Lifestyle · Organic Garden · Permaculture · Permaculture in IrelandTags: Ireland · learn permaculture · Permaculture · stay permaculture · sustainable living course · week stay14 Comments

Bealtaine Cottage was conceived, designed, planted and worked by one woman, Colette O’Neill, over twelve years, on some of the poorest land in the North west of Ireland…all North-Facing! Colette is now offering, for the first time, a series of week long, intensive learning programmes here at Bealtaine Cottage. ONE WEEK OF INTENSIVE PERMACULTURE A unique opportunity to stay for a full week at Bealtaine Cottage and experience life in Ireland’s oldest self-funded, financially independent Permaculture Smallholding. You will learn: Winemaking Seed-saving Using Wool in Permaculture Fertility without animals Creating a Woodland Building an easy compost toilet system Fedging Using Willow…

Free For All!

August 1, 2016August 1, 2016 Categories: Bealtaine Cottage · care for the earth · Country Living · Inspiration · Organic Garden · Sustainable LivingTags: compost activator · cutting back woodland · free fertiliser · good bacteria · natural fertiliser · pee in a bucket · soil enhancer · urine as fertiliser · woodland regeneration19 Comments

It’s been a long and lovely day, filled with wonderful garden visitors, followed by some serious cutting back and clearing over near the tunnel. However, before I begin, I must say that I’ve been reading the comments on the Bealtaine Cottage Magical Gardens site on FaceBook and feel compelled to make a very important comment, for all to read… The lovely Bridget Birkner had this to say about her garden… “Colette, my dear sweet friend. You know I started this year as my first year with Goddess-Inspired Permacultre Gardening and Food Forest since moving here some months ago, but being…

Cottage Garden Style

May 23, 2016May 23, 2016 Categories: Bloom · cottage style · Country Living · Garden · Ireland · Organic GardenTags: bloom · cottage garden · create a garden · easy gardening · fairies · garden · Ireland · natural · Permaculture · sustainable garden · trees · veranda13 Comments

There was a full moon last night. Sammy-Bear couldn’t make up his mind whether he wanted in or out. Previous to this photo I had opened the back door for him twice to go out, whereupon he ran around to the front of the cottage and jumped up on the window sill, as you can see here! It’s always a strange time when the moon is full. I’m sure you each have stories about weird happenings at this time! This May moon has cast it’s brightness over Ireland, presiding over an extraordinary time of growth. All around the cottage there…

Permaculture Food Forest in Ireland

March 29, 2016March 29, 2016 Categories: Abundance · agriculture · Bealtaine Cottage · biodiversity · Birds · compost · Ecology · Eden · Edible Gardens · food forest · Lifestyle · Nature · Organic Garden · Permaculture · UncategorizedTags: Apple-tree · Bealtaine cottage · blackcurrants · Blackthorn · cherry tree · compost · earth · Food Forest · garden · growing camomile · harvesting seed · Ireland · jostaberry · Lime tree · Permaculture · saving seed · smallholding · sweet chestnut tree · woodland7 Comments

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 is also for…

As Evening Descends…

March 13, 2016March 13, 2016 Categories: Bealtaine Cottage · Eco-Living · Eden · Garden · Gardening · Gardens · Growing Food · Organic Garden · Permaculture · Permaculture in Ireland · Permaculture Ireland · UncategorizedTags: birdsong · fruit gardens · potting seedling · potting up strawberries in hanging baskets · recycling · tunnel · using moss in baskets · veggie gardens · west of Ireland18 Comments

Towards the end of a perfect day at Bealtaine Cottage. The gardens are looking well tended as the evening descends. Strawberries have been potted up in hanging baskets and seedlings rescued from the gravel around the cottage and potted up. These will make fine plants for the Summer ahead! And…all the while…the birds sing! Please consider supporting Bealtaine Cottage

How To Build Your Own Polytunnel!

November 17, 2015November 17, 2015 Categories: homesteading · Organic Garden · Permaculture · polytunnel gardening · UncategorizedTags: all year round growing · build your own polytunnel · design own tunnel · garden · polytunnel · smallholding · tunnel1 Comment

The polytunnel at Bealtaine Cottage has stood for eleven years, retaining it’s structure extremely well and providing all year round space for growing food. The plastic remains “as tight as a drum,” as any visitor to Bealtaine Cottage gardens will attest to. In this blog I will endeavour to give you simple instructions on how to build your own polytunnel from scratch, as was done here… To read more, go to Bealtaine Cottage Good life website at… https://bealtainecottage.com/bealtaine-cottage-good-life/