Nature Photography - Bees

Photographs of bees pollinating captured by Alex in our centre garden today.

 

Gardening with Aideen - World Bee Day 2020

For more info go to:  www.pollinators.ie

Gardening with Aideen - Planting Sunflowers

Hi Everyone

Let’s keep up the CTC Sunflower Growing Competition!  This is a lovely gardening project to work on over the weekend!

Most supermarkets are selling seeds so who ever goes shopping ask them to get a pack for you. 
What you will need:

• Pack of sunflower seeds - approx. €3.00  
• Good garden soil or compost
• Containers or pots:  Any pots or containers you can find ie yogurt / ice cream cartons and put a drainage hole in the bottom.  – do this safely!
• Clear plastic bags
• Water

What to do:
1. Fill the containers to the brim with compost or good textured soil from the garden.  Give the pot a tap down to settle the soil.

2. Make a small 1.5cm deep hole in the centre of the pot and pop in the seed.  Cover the seed lightly with soil and then water.  In bigger pots put 2 -3 spaced apart.

3. Place the pots on a tray to catch the water and put them some were warm like a window sill.  To really start the germination, place a plastic bag on top of the pot.  This will keep them warm and gets the seed to germinate.

4. Don’t forget to water every few days.

5. Seedlings should take 14–21 days to germinate.  Once they start looking strong remove the plastic and soon you can start moving them out doors to a nice sunny part of your garden or yard. They can now be transplanted into bigger containers or straight into the flowerbeds.

Take photos at different stages and hopefully by July you should have some Big Happy Flowers.
Enjoy and always wash our hands!!  Aideen

Gardening with Aideen

Hi All

If you feel like some light exercise and mindful relaxation, after being stuck at home, try and get out into your garden or yard and give it a Spring Clean!!

Here are a few ideas that you could do at home and you don’t need any fancy tools but do wear gloves and old boots or wellies.

- Always wash your hands after and work safely.

- Have a look around and see what tools you can find: a brush, spade, old kitchen fork and knife, box to put leaves in etc…

- Take a BEFORE PHOTO AND PLAN your to do list.

- Make sure you include loads of cups of tea and biscuits breaks!

The following are a few ideas you could do depending on the area:

• Give the area a good sweep and pick out all bits of rubbish that are not for the compost bin.
• Using an old knife dig out the weeds and dirt in any paving or tarmac.
• Rake or just hand pick all those sticks the birds have dropped and put them in a box. They are perfect for lighting the fire.
• Pull and cut back any dead leaves but make sure you have your gloves on.
• If you have a lawn it’s a good idea to punch holes in it with a garden fork to loosen the compacted soil from all the rain and let the air into the roots. 
• Likewise dig and loosen any compacted areas and let the air back in to the soil.
• If you have a lawn mower only top the grass.  Note: Do not start your lawn mower without its first service of oil, spark plug cleaning etc.  Check the safety guidelines and manual.

The BEST BIT is now you can sit back and relax and admire all you’ve done!!!
(If you are An Gaisce trainees please record on your Record Sheet and take a before and after photo!)

Enjoy 😊

Aideen

Gardening

Aideen and the trainees were planting some bulbs and tidying up the garden for the Winter

Planting Flowers

We have a beautiful selection of plants and flowers planted to the front of the centre these include Begonia's, Alyssum's, and Lupinus.

Planting Flowers

Yesterday Patrick and Andrew planted flowers in the beds and into pots at the back of the centre.  The backyard looks lovely and summery in this beautiful weather!

Gardening on a sunny day.

Patrick and Andrew in the garden today.

Gardening - Planting Vegetables

On Friday we started working on our vegetable beds at the back of the centre. We planted Carrots, Onion, Potatoes, Lettuce and cabbage into our raised beds. Due to the cold weather we had to plant them a bit late this year.   Our cherry blossom tree which is out the back is in bloom. The tree starts to flower as soon as the leaves fall in autumn and blooms in spring,

CTC Garden Progress - Week 2

This week I took out all the old plants and vegetables from the raised beds and hoed the soil for new plants and vegetables to be planted. it looks a lot tidier now. it is very cold at the moment for setting any vegetables with frost at night.

CTC Garden

My name is Patrick and I am a computer trainee at Sligo CTC. As part of my An Gaisce this week I started working on tidying up on our planter beds from last year. These are located at the back of the building. They are very over-grown and need to be cut back. I enjoy getting outside and working on the garden.

Our Garden

Some photos of the raised beds situated in our smoke-free yard, the herbs and plants have flourished over the summer break! 

Our Vegetable Garden

The herbs and plants in our garden at the back of the centre are starting to grow!

Gardening at CTC

Flowers at Sligo CTC

Flowers planted by Aideen and trainees are blossoming beautifully in front of the centre

Planting flowers and gardening

Aideen and the exploring options trainees were improving the look at the front of the centre this week.  They waited for the spring plants to die and then cut them back for the new summer plants. Some of these plants are Trailing Fuchsia, Geranium, Pentunias, Violas and many more.  They used organic bedding compost for all their work.

Exploring Options trainees doing some gardening at the centre

The finished result