In this weeks episode of Master My Garden podcast I am joined by Klaus Laitenberger to talk about vegetable growing. Klaus shares his tops tips for success. We talk about organic growing, the importance of soil, answer listener questions and much more. 

Klaus Laitenberger is the author of three vegetable gardening books. He was the Head Gardener at the Organic Centre in Co. Leitrim and restored the gardens of Lissadell House in Co. Sligo. He is a regular contributor to the Irish Garden magazine.

Klaus also works as a gardening consultant and gives lectures and talks nationwide on growing food.  His books have attained excellent reviews from other horticulturists and top gardening newspaper & magazine writers and other gardeners alike.

You can get in touch with Klaus through the following channels
Website: https://greenvegetableseeds.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/KLaitenberger
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/klauslaitenberger/?hl=en
Nutfield presentation:https://youtu.be/zM9qhGze4Ts

There will be a blog post on this episode very soon on my website. This blog and previous blogs along with all podcast episodes are be available on my website
https://mastermygarden.com/
If you are enjoying the podcast it would be great if you could leave a review on Apple podcasts its good to know people are enjoying and getting something from the podcast.  

If there is any topic you would like covered in future episodes please let me know, you can find me on Master My Garden social channels
 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mastermygarden/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mastermygarden/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/tweetsbyMMG
or email [email protected]

Until the next time 
Happy Gardening
John   

Support the show

If there is any topic you would like covered in future episodes, please let me know.
Email:  [email protected]   

Check out Master My Garden on the following channels   
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mastermygarden/ 
Instagram @Mastermygarden https://www.instagram.com/mastermygarden/  
 
Until next week  
Happy gardening  
John  

In this weeks episode of Master My Garden podcast which is part two of the two part series all about growing your own fruit. I talk to Thomas English from English's Fruit Nursery, this weeks episode is all about top fruit, the best varieties, tips for planting and so much more. We talk about apples, pears, plums and much more. The English's nursery catalogue is one of my favourite gardening booklets to browse and is packed full of useful information.

You can find English's fruit nursery on their website enter you address and they will send you their catalogue.
Website: https://www.englishsfruitnursery.ie

There will be a blog post on this episode very soon on my website. This blog and previous blogs along with all podcast episodes are be available on my website
https://mastermygarden.com/
If you are enjoying the podcast it would be great if you could leave a review on Apple podcasts its good to know people are enjoying and getting something from the podcast.  

If there is any topic you would like covered in future episodes please let me know, you can find me on Master My Garden social channels
 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mastermygarden/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mastermygarden/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/tweetsbyMMG
or email [email protected]

Until the next time 
Happy Gardening
John   

Support the show

If there is any topic you would like covered in future episodes, please let me know.
Email:  [email protected]   

Check out Master My Garden on the following channels   
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mastermygarden/ 
Instagram @Mastermygarden https://www.instagram.com/mastermygarden/  
 
Until next week  
Happy gardening  
John  

In this weeks episode of Master My Garden podcast which is part one of a two part series all about growing your own fruit. I talk to Thomas English from English's Fruit Nursery, this weeks episode which is part one is all about soft fruit, the best varieties, tips for planting and so much more. The English's nursery catalogue is one of my favourite gardening booklets to browse and is packed full of useful information.

You can find English's fruit nursery on their website enter you address and they will send you their catalogue. 
Website: https://www.englishsfruitnursery.ie

There will be a blog post on this episode very soon on my website. This blog and previous blogs along with all podcast episodes are be available on my website
https://mastermygarden.com/
If you are enjoying the podcast it would be great if you could leave a review on Apple podcasts its good to know people are enjoying and getting something from the podcast.  

If there is any topic you would like covered in future episodes please let me know, you can find me on Master My Garden social channels
 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mastermygarden/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mastermygarden/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/tweetsbyMMG
or email [email protected]

Until the next time 
Happy Gardening
John   

Support the show

If there is any topic you would like covered in future episodes, please let me know.
Email:  [email protected]   

Check out Master My Garden on the following channels   
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mastermygarden/ 
Instagram @Mastermygarden https://www.instagram.com/mastermygarden/  
 
Until next week  
Happy gardening  
John  

In this weeks episode of Master My Garden podcast I talk to Anne Verdoes who works for iBulb. iBulb is part of the organization Anthos, they represent the companies that trade in flower bulbs and nursery stock products. iBulb is the promotion organization for the flower bulb industry, perennials, garden roses and the green city for a sustainable Europe.

 On behalf of our member companies we are possible for the worldwide PR and advertising.

I specifically wanted to talk to somebody from the Netherlands as it is the home of Tulips and this episode is all about Tulips. We talk about the story of the Tulips, we learn about the size of the tulip industry in Holland. We also talk about the what are the types of tulips and top tips for success.

Anne describes how to do lasagne planting of bulbs and shares her tips for success in pots.

We also discuss the great website and social channels for Flowerbulbs.com which promote bulbs and provide information and inspiration for gardeners for growing bulbs links to all below.

Flowerbulbs.com
Website: www.flowerbulbs.com/630/everything-about-flower-bulbs
Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/flowerbulbs.comDiscoverFlowerBulbs/
Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/flowerbulbsdotcom/
Pinterest:https://nl.pinterest.com/Flowerbulbsmakeyoubloom/
Twitter:https://twitter.com/flowerbulbscom?lang=en

There will be a blog post on this episode very soon on my website. This blog and previous blogs along with all podcast episodes are be available on my website
https://mastermygarden.com/
If you are enjoying the podcast it would be great if you could leave a review on Apple podcasts its good to know people are enjoying and getting something from the podcast.  

If there is any topic you would like covered in future episodes please let me know, you can find me on Master My Garden social channels
 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mastermygarden/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mastermygarden/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/tweetsbyMMG
or email [email protected]

Until the next time 
Happy Gardening
John   

Support the show

If there is any topic you would like covered in future episodes, please let me know.
Email:  [email protected]   

Check out Master My Garden on the following channels   
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mastermygarden/ 
Instagram @Mastermygarden https://www.instagram.com/mastermygarden/  
 
Until next week  
Happy gardening  
John  

In this weeks episode of Master My Garden Podcast I talk to Juanita Browne who is an author, nature enthusiast and works as a co-ordinator for the All Ireland Pollinator plan. Juanita recently produced a fantastic booklet in conjunction with Laois Heritage Council called Gardening for biodiversity. This is a free booklet which is available to download or can be posted out to gardeners through the heritage officer in your local council offices. We speak at length about biodiversity in the garden and the different aspects of biodiversity covered in the booklet.

We also talk at length about the All Ireland Pollinator plan which is a fantastic initiative that has run from 2015 to 2020 trying to tackle the issue of the reduction in pollinators. What is great about this plan, is that it approaches the issue of reduction in pollinators numbers with a positive actionable plan that targets many different target groups. The areas covered under the plan include farming, councils, parks departments, gardens, large sites, businesses and community groups. A new plan from 2020 onwards is soon to be released and promises to build on the success of the first plan.

Juanita also talks about some books she has written including a children's nature book focussing on Irish animals called "The great big book of Irish wildlife" which sounds like a great read.

you can find Juanita her work at the below links

Website Nature Nerd https://www.naturenerd.ie
Website National Biodiversity Data Centre https://www.biodiversityireland.ie
Website All Ireland Pollinator Plan https://pollinators.ie
Facebook Bio Data Centre https://www.facebook.com/BioDataCentre/
Twitter Bio Data Centre https://twitter.com/biodatacentre

There will be a blog post on this episode very soon on my website. This blog and previous blogs along with all podcast episodes are be available on my website
https://mastermygarden.com/
If you are enjoying the podcast it would be great if you could leave a review on Apple podcasts its good to know people are enjoying and getting something from the podcast.  

If there is any topic you would like covered in future episodes please let me know, you can find me on Master My Garden social channels
 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mastermygarden/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mastermygarden/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/tweetsbyMMG
or email [email protected]

Until the next time 
Happy Gardening
John   

Support the show

If there is any topic you would like covered in future episodes, please let me know.
Email:  [email protected]   

Check out Master My Garden on the following channels   
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mastermygarden/ 
Instagram @Mastermygarden https://www.instagram.com/mastermygarden/  
 
Until next week  
Happy gardening  
John  

In episode 034 of Master My Garden Podcast I talk to Niall Hatch of Birdwatch Ireland. It's a great chat we talk all about, how to feed wild birds in your garden, nesting boxes, gardening to attract wild birds, the great work Birdwatch Ireland do and much more.

About Birdwatch Ireland:
We are the largest independent conservation organisation in Ireland. The primary objective of BirdWatch Ireland is the protection of wild birds and their habitats in Ireland. From our boardroom to our staff and our branches, we are passionate about what we do.

What We Do

In order to fulfil our motto of protecting birds & biodiversity we:

– Carry out extensive scientific research and survey work into Ireland’s birds.
– Operate applied conservation projects and manage a network of reserves nationwide.
– Prepare and advocate policies to protect and conserve Irish birds and their habitats.
– Promote the importance of wild birds and biodiversity through field education, dedicated media and to the national media.
– Build on existing partnerships with NGOs, with Government departments, the European Commission and farming organisations, and to establish new partnerships with other sectors.

Much of our work depends on volunteers and on our branches who are actively involved in survey, education and awareness-raising initiatives and are most familiar with local conservation issues. We take part in a number of Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) forums, such as the Sustainable Water Network (SWAN), Environmental (Ecological) NGOs Core Funding Ltd (EENGO), Working and Educating for Biodiversity (WEB) and the Irish Uplands Forum (IUF).

BirdWatch Ireland is the trading name of the Irish Wildbird Conservancy, a company limited by guarantee. It is also a registered charity.

Website: https://birdwatchireland.ie/about-us/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BirdWatchIreland
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BirdWatchIE

There will be a blog post on this episode very soon on my website. This blog and previous blogs along with all podcast episodes are be available on my website
https://mastermygarden.com/
If you are enjoying the podcast it would be great if you could leave a review on Apple podcasts its good to know people are enjoying and getting something from the podcast.  

If there is any topic you would like covered in future episodes please let me know, you can find me on Master My Garden social channels
 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mastermygarden/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mastermygarden/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/tweetsbyMMG
or email [email protected]

Until the next time 
Happy Gardening
John   

Support the show

If there is any topic you would like covered in future episodes, please let me know.
Email:  [email protected]   

Check out Master My Garden on the following channels   
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mastermygarden/ 
Instagram @Mastermygarden https://www.instagram.com/mastermygarden/  
 
Until next week  
Happy gardening  
John  

In this weeks episode of Master My Garden podcast. I look at the benefits of Mycorrhizal Fungi a little know wonder amount gardeners. So, what is mycorrhizal?  Mycorrhizal Fungi occurs in nature and what it does is that it attaches to the roots of the plant and increases the root zone by a huge amount. The plant and the mycorrhizal then form a symbiotic relationship that stays with the plant throughout its lifetime. The mycorrhizal gives the plant water and nutrients and which it needs for healthy growth and it takes from it what it doesn't need so the relationship benefits both. Mycorrhizal is so far little know by gardeners and I get asked, what are the benefits of mycorrhizal ? and they are many but some are.

• Increases the root zone of plants 
• Helps plants find food and nutrients 
• Increases drought resistance
• Reduces mortality rate of plants
• Particularly beneficial for barefoot planting 
• Reduces the need for fertiliser 
• Helps plants establish quicker 
• Increases yield on fruit and veg crops 

The type I use is RHS Rootgrow and I have used this in all planting for a number of years now. I view it almost like an insurance policy for your plants. So its really beneficial and should be used in all planting. Over the next few years as scientists find out more and more benefits become more known it will become an essential addition to all planting

There will be a blog post on this episode very soon on my website. This blog and previous blogs along with all podcast episodes are be available on my website
https://mastermygarden.com/
If you are enjoying the podcast it would be great if you could leave a review on Apple podcasts its good to know people are enjoying and getting something from the podcast.  

If there is any topic you would like covered in future episodes please let me know, you can find me on facebook Master My Garden https://www.facebook.com/mastermygarden/
Instagram @Mastermygarden https://www.instagram.com/mastermygarden/
or email [email protected]

Until the next time 
Happy Gardening
John   

Support the show

If there is any topic you would like covered in future episodes, please let me know.
Email:  [email protected]   

Check out Master My Garden on the following channels   
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mastermygarden/ 
Instagram @Mastermygarden https://www.instagram.com/mastermygarden/  
 
Until next week  
Happy gardening  
John  

In this weeks episode of Master My Garden podcast which is an open garden feature. I talk to Jimi Blake Huntingbrook Gardens. Jimi has one of the largest and most diverse collections of plants in Ireland and the gardens did not disappoint they are fantastic from start to finish in a brilliant mix of colour, unusual foliage and distinct structural planting. We walk through the gardens and talk about the gardens and also about Jimi's online courses, and in person classes which sound really interesting.

About Huntingbrook: Situated on the sunny, south-facing flanks of the Lamb Hill in the foothills of the lofty Wicklow mountains, Hunting Brook garden is the boldly idiosyncratic creation of Jimi Blake, the noted Irish horticulturist, teacher and plantsman who first came to prominence during the 1990s as the head gardener of the historic Airfield Gardens in Dundrum, Co Dublin. 

At the heart of this excitingly contemporary Irish garden lies Jimi’s Wicklow home, a modest timber house that he built in 2002 and where he now lives with his two friendly dogs, Doris and Billy. Not just a home, the house is also the informal headquarters and classroom for the many different gardening and health and wellbeing workshops held at Hunting Brook, as well as the highly regarded plantsperson’s courses that he runs there twice a year. 

Hunting Brook is one of Ireland's largest private collections of plants and surrounding his home are many examples of the fiercely colourful and theatrically beautiful, large-scale planting combinations for which Jimi has become so well known. These fill Hunting Brook’s sunny beds and steep banks and tumble down along the edges of its curling pathways. 

Hidden at the bottom of a secret, shady gorge that lies just west of the house is the chattering mountain stream that gives Hunting Brook its name and which runs through it like an artery, tumbling its way over granite boulders and through a tranquil woodland that Jimi has begun to clothe with an understorey of choice shade-loving plants. From here, a zigzag of rough-hewn forest paths and a simple wooden bridge lead visitors across the stream, before winding steeply upwards into a sunny hillside and a wild meadow where a solitary Bronze Age standing stone keeps watch over the watery west Wicklow landscape.

You can find Huntingbrook
Website: http://www.huntingbrook.com
Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/HUNTING-BROOK-GARDENS-326862913473/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jimiblake_huntingbrookgardens/?hl=en

There will be a blog post on this episode very soon on my website. This blog and previous blogs along with all podcast episodes are be available on my website
https://mastermygarden.com/
If you are enjoying the podcast it would be great if you could leave a review on Apple podcasts its good to know people are enjoying and getting something from the podcast.  

If there is any topic you would like covered in future episodes please let me know, you can find me on facebook Master My Garden https://www.facebook.com/mastermygarden/
Instagram @Mastermygarden https://www.instagram.com/mastermygarden/
or email [email protected]

Until the next time 
Happy Gardening
John   

Support the show

If there is any topic you would like covered in future episodes, please let me know.
Email:  [email protected]   

Check out Master My Garden on the following channels   
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mastermygarden/ 
Instagram @Mastermygarden https://www.instagram.com/mastermygarden/  
 
Until next week  
Happy gardening  
John  

 In this weeks episode of Master My Garden podcast I talk to Adam Green who has been growing Daffodils commercially in Co.Waterford for 25 years. Adam shares what in his experience are the best Daffodil varieties. He talks about how deep to plant daffodils and how far apart they should be planted for maximum flower and display. We also hear the best varieties of yellow trumpets to grow together so that you can get flower from January right through to April/May. Its great to talk to somebody with so much experience in growing Daffodils. Adam is at the Milk Market in Limerick every Saturday where Killowen sell their ranges of apple juice, fresh cut flowers and much more.

There will be a blog post on this episode very soon on my website. This blog and previous blogs along with all podcast episodes are be available on my website
https://mastermygarden.com/
If you are enjoying the podcast it would be great if you could leave a review on Apple podcasts its good to know people are enjoying and getting something from the podcast. 
If there is any topic you would like covered in future episodes please let me know, you can find me on facebook Master My Garden https://www.facebook.com/mastermygarden
Instagram @Mastermygarden https://www.instagram.com/mastermygarden/
or email [email protected]

Until the next time 
Happy Gardening
John   

Support the show

If there is any topic you would like covered in future episodes, please let me know.
Email:  [email protected]   

Check out Master My Garden on the following channels   
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mastermygarden/ 
Instagram @Mastermygarden https://www.instagram.com/mastermygarden/  
 
Until next week  
Happy gardening  
John  

In this weeks episode of Master My Garden Podcast I am joined by Kevin Begley from Coolwater Garden. Coolwater garden is the third open garden feature on the podcast and although I haven't yet visited it sounds like a really interesting garden, unlike other open gardens it has no lawn or large herbaceous borders. Instead Coolwater features many native plants, a large pond area and a huge amount of alpine plants which have found their home in some of the 70 throughs and many containers in this garden which is open to the public all year apart from 2 weeks over Christmas/New year and is a garden I will certainly visit very soon. 

A small private garden set on half an acre, which is open 12 months of the year, by prior arrangement, to groups.  Distinctively different, Coolwater Garden, overlooked on either side by Skule Hill and Rockstown Castle, is designed for year round structure and shape. Its highlights contain a really cool water garden, a large number of landscaped Alpine troughs, covered Arid section, combe bordered with thyme running between two ponds, fern dell, juniper escarpment, Lewisia outcrop, Japanese Maple bed, bamboo, heath, etc, etc. Lizards, newts and frogs love the garden and have made it their home. Native stickleback fish explore for food in the water.

Website: https://coolwatergarden.com/about/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/coolwatergarden/
Twitter:https://twitter.com/kevjame?lang=en

There will be a blog post on this episode very soon on my website. This blog and previous blogs along with all podcast episodes are be available on my website
https://mastermygarden.com/
If you are enjoying the podcast it would be great if you could leave a review on Apple podcasts its good to know people are enjoying and getting something from the podcast.  

If there is any topic you would like covered in future episodes please let me know, you can find me on facebook Master My Garden https://www.facebook.com/mastermygarden/
Instagram @Mastermygarden https://www.instagram.com/mastermygarden/
or email [email protected]

Until the next time 
Happy Gardening
John   

Support the show

If there is any topic you would like covered in future episodes, please let me know.
Email:  [email protected]   

Check out Master My Garden on the following channels   
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mastermygarden/ 
Instagram @Mastermygarden https://www.instagram.com/mastermygarden/  
 
Until next week  
Happy gardening  
John