Usher in the spring

Interested in growing your own vegetables for the first time, but not sure where to start?

Or already growing your own and want to connect with other growers? GIY (Grow it Yourself) Ireland is celebrating spring with a national schedule of events to mark the first GIY Week, from today until next Saturday. Established in September 2009, there are more than 55 GIY groups around Ireland. Part of the Aontas Adult Learners’ Festival 2010, GIY Week will see groups reaching out to potential new members by hosting talks and meetings; garden visits; seed, tool and plant swaps; demonstrations; and growers’ meitheals. Highlights include talks by GIY patrons Diarmuid Gavin and Clodagh McKenna, and a “meitheal mór” at an “edible community garden” in Waterford. For a full list of events, see giyireland.com.