Colette O'Neill… Author, Publisher, photographer. Creator of Goddess Permaculture.
The promise of peaches growing outdoors in the west of Ireland, another Bealtaine Cottage first! Blossom on these home grown trees, grown from seed, is looking good. So far, with only the first month behind us, this has been a remarkable Spring! New Bird Boxes have been added to the rich habitat, now in its […]
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It’s surprising just how much food is growing in the gardens of Bealtaine at this time of year, the time of scarcity…but far from it! There’s the makings of a decent salad, with Fennel, Japanese salads like Mizuna and others as well as a lovely edible garnish in the form of Pansy flowers. In other […]
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Happy to announce that the Bealtaine Cottage YouTube channel has not died and gone to Heaven…for Heaven is a place on Earth! The first video of 2016…enjoy…and don’t forget to leave a comment, like, or even SHARE!
Read MoreBill Mollison once said, “I teach self-reliance, the world’s most subversive practice. I teach people how to grow their own food, which is shockingly subversive. So, yes, it’s seditious. But it’s peaceful sedition.” Applying design to growing makes for good permaculture. As Ireland endures a wetter and wetter climate, constructing vegetable beds on the top […]
Read MoreThe growing season has begun, with Rhubarb sending forth strong pink stems despite the storms of recent weeks. Meanwhile, down in the Fairy Wood, ferns have kept their green in the shelter of the dell. Mosses grow bright in the sunlight and ivy twists and twirls around the Goat Willow. Lots of Goat Willow has […]
Read MoreStormy weather has given way to a sunny evening. The Red maple has caught the glow, offering glimpses of days to come, for summer seems close at hand. The spring has lingered and time seems out of step with expectation. One day it’s flooding and the next there’s a hurricane blowing! I heard someone say […]
Read MoreThe gardens came back to life with new leaves on the Photinia Blossom opened on the Nectarine tree in the polytunnel. Rhubarb seemed to grow in spurts overnight! Home made Blackcurrant wine was started as I began to empty the freezer. Lichens opened up in the warmth of the Spring days. Beautiful, delicate colours of […]
Read MoreHarvesting Rhubarb for the second time this year. The first crop was back in the middle of Spring. When that crop was picked, I manured the beds and allowed it to go on to develop a second flush. Once washed and chopped I lightly stew the rhubarb, then cool it and pack it into bags […]
Read MoreDisaster! Today was going to be about planting potatoes… It started off with digging the chosen patch in preparation for the sowing of the seed potatoes. Towards the end of the dig, the spade hit something rather tough… It turned out to be the water pipe which leads from the spring well on the hill […]
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