REQUESTS FROM members of the public for information on how to grow their own vegetables to help beat the recession has led Teagasc to publish a practical guide on the subject.
A Guide to Vegetable Growing is a response to the huge rise in the number of queries received by the agriculture and food development authority.
Stephen Alexander, a Teagasc vegetable specialist at Kinsealy, Co Dublin, who has written the booklet, said both the authority and the Department of Agriculture had noticed a “major upsurge” in calls for information.
“Most of these calls were not from farmers but from the general public, even though there were some calls received from farmers as well.
“Up until about 20 years ago most farmers had a vegetable patch at their homes but that now has also changed and few farmers grow their own vegetables.”
The publication will be available from later this week on the Teagasc website (www.teagasc.ie) and from some Teagasc offices.
Among those taking recent interest in vegetable-growing internationally was US first lady Michelle Obama who began digging up a patch of the White House lawn last month to plant varieties of vegetables for family and state dinners.
Mr Alexander said: “People should be aware they can take a large amount of food from a very small area, and this can save the average family a great deal of money annually.
“A well-managed garden is an asset to any family, and is a very healthy past-time for those managing it. If you use the freezer you can keep vegetables from the summer to help get through the winter.”
He said the quantities of vegetable grown would naturally depend on circumstances and if there was only a small area available preference should be given to items where freshness was especially valuable.
He suggested those with a small area should concentrate on growing lettuce, cauliflower, spinach, parsley, peas and beans.
“If there is a bigger area the aim should be to grow at least a dozen vegetables in addition to the ones I have mentioned. Try cabbage, onion, carrot, beetroot, rhubarb and early potatoes.”
He said the publication would also be useful to farmers, many of whom were now leasing out allotments to urban people who want to grow their own vegetables.
The cost of growing vegetables was very low and could best be measured in terms of “sweat and effort” plus the cost of seed and fertilisers.
The booklet gives a large number of tips such as running drills or lines north and south if possible as plants shade each other less and receive maximum sunlight.
It suggests that perennial vegetables such as asparagus, rhubarb, seakale, horse radish and other crops which remain in the one place should be planted to one side so as not to interfere with the cultivation of annual crops.
The publication also specifies the depths soil has to be dug to prepare the earth, how it should be managed and how crops should be rotated to get the best results.
It contains tips on how to use plastic waste sacks to prevent the growth of weeds, and gives information on when vegetables should be planted and harvested and what crop should be planted in their place.