Jane Powers has decided it's time to join her local gardening club
Tomatoes with stems. Dish of five. Ripeness to count.
I have never competed in a horticultural show, but the fantasy of winning the above category with my best tomatoes wanders through my head sometimes, as does the idea of one day romping home in first place in Cut Flowers. Annuals. One vase. Or even in Peas. Ten pods on a plate. The way to turn this dream into reality, says John Warren, chairman of North Dublin Horticultural Societies Association, is to enter the novice or members-only section of a horticultural show, where the competition is not as stiff as in the open classes. (It's also essential to learn the lingo: class is the correct term for each category, such as those mentioned above. And classes are group-ed into sect-ions.)
Warren knows all about winning prizes, by the way: from his first win, in 1977, for three onions on a plate to the exhibitor-of-the-year award that he has won for each of the past seven years from the 10 groups that make up North Dublin Horticultural Societies Association.
But first things first. I'm not even a member of my local horticultural society, which seems a singularly stupid omission on my part. Like many gardeners, I belong to several Irish and international organisations, but what use are they when it comes to advice on the soil in my little corner of Co Dublin? And can they tell me the best place to find stable manure locally? Or when to expect the last frost of the year? What experience do they have of the snails that multiply like rabbits in the granite walls that surround many of the gardens in my neighbourhood?
My local garden club is sure to have information that is more pertinent to my soil, my climate, my granite walls and my snails than a bigger, less proximate organisation. There are more than 100 such regional fellowships throughout the island, each one a wonderful repository of experience, expertise, memories and lore specific to its area.
But garden societies are an endangered species. Many were founded in the 1940s and 1950s, during the "Emergency" and in its aftermath, when food was in short supply - and the best way to get it was to grow it. But, now that whatever food you want is just a supermarket trip away, there's no urgency to grow it (although you'll never get as fresh or as toothsome food as that which you grow yourself).
Gardens, moreover, have shrunk, or are being put to uses other than growing. As Ignatius O'Brien, chairman of St Brigid's Horticultural Society in Finglas, laments: "Instead of front gardens now, you have a parking lot." And often, with both partners in a family working, people feel they've no time or energy for gardening. "They come home after being in a long queue on the M50, and they're exhausted."
So the sad truth is that horticultural societies are declining, as older members die off and younger gardeners fail to enlist at the other end. Anne Hanafin, show secretary of Clontarf Garden Society (whose 50th Autumn Show features in the photographs on these pages), says: "We've lost so many exhibitors, and they're not being replaced." And she points out that she sometimes overhears non-competing visitors muttering at shows: "I could do better than that!"
The obvious retort to that is, well, why don't you? She is far too polite to utter it, but it could be a novel way to attract new members. And as most garden clubs charge an annual subscription of €5-€15, it's relatively inexpensive to take up the challenge.
Even though joining a garden society is not just about competition, if you're that way inclined you'll find that it's fierce and fun, and, if your children are so minded, there are sections in which they too can compete (and inject some much-needed new blood). All organisations host lectures, workshops and garden visits, and there's always a convivial cup of tea somewhere along the way where plants, cuttings and advice can be exchanged.
Which is why, by the time you're reading this, I'll be a member of my local society.
HOW TO FIND A CLUB NEAR YOU
The Royal Horticultural Society of Ireland is a vast all- Ireland garden club, as well as being the umbrella organisation for dozens of local horticultural societies. Contact it to find a club near you. Or, if you are thinking of starting your own garden society, you might consider affiliating to the Royal Horticultural Society of Ireland, to benefit from its enormous fund of knowledge and experience. In addition, its lecture scheme offers expert speakers at a subsidised rate. There are a number of independent garden clubs also, but these are harder to root out. Your local garden centre may be able to help with contacts.
The Royal Horticultural Society of Ireland is at Cabinteely House, The Park, Cabinteely, Dublin 18. Call 01-2353912 or visit www.rhsi.ie
VEG OUT
There's still plenty of time to start an entire vegetable garden from seed. You'll be eating salad crops in a matter of weeks. And if you're diligent you'll have produce to display in the novice section of your local society's autumn show.
Sow the following in small pots or large modules indoors in a bright warm place: courgette, cucumber, French beans, runner beans, sweetcorn, pumpkin, squash. Plant outside after the last frost (about May 1st in mild areas, May 31st in cold areas and May 15th everywhere else - but don't blame me if the weather disregards the dates).
The following may be sown outdoors, directly into the soil (follow the advice on the seed packet for depth and spacing): broad beans, beetroot, purple sprouting broccoli, Brussels sprouts, savoy cabbage, broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, chard, kale, leeks, lettuce and other salad leaves, onion sets, spring onions, parsnip, peas, radish, spinach, swede, turnip. Keep a very wary eye on young seedlings, and protect them from slugs and snails.