The farming world took centre stage last week with tens of thousands of people descending on Cuffesgrange for the Ploughing Championships. I’d intended going out to have a look and finding a few offbeat facts for this column, but the hourly radio reports of two to three hour traffic hold-ups put me off.
The bus seemed to be the easiest way to get there, or a helicopter if you could afford it. There seemed to plenty of takers for this form of transport, I haven’t heard as many choppers in the air since the film, “Apocalypse Now.” In the end I decided I wasn’t in the market for a new Combine Harvester and I‘m not listening to any more financial or investment advice, so I left it to the farming folk.
I did have a small agricultural, or more accurately, horticultural problem that I might have got some advice on out there. I bought a plastic basin containing three tomato plants out at the Car Boot sale a few months ago. “Just keep them well watered and you’ll have a grand crop by September” the seller told me as I headed off with my purchase. The three plants had set me back 50 cents, including the basin, as my seller pointed out.
I’ve taken his advice and watered them regularly, I’ve bought tomato feed and a grow bag. The instructions on the bag say not to put the plants into it until white flowers appear, but three months on there’s not a sign of a flower even though they are now about three feet tall.
Do tomatoe plants have a sex life?
Is it possible that my tomato plants are all male, or all female and that’s the reason there’s no sign of any flowers on them yet? This gardening isn’t my strong point, the only thing I’ve been successful at growing is Chives, but the old ‘facts of life’ talk that told us all about the birds and the bees and the flowers and the trees comes to mind. There was no mention of tomatoes in those talks, but maybe they need the bees to pollinate them as well. I think the bees have all departed for another year so it’s time to throw the plants into the compost heap and stick to the shops whenever I get the urge for a tomato sandwich.
If my tomato plant seller is reading this he can have his plastic basin back. I’d also like to meet the fella that sold me the set of rods for unblocking the drains that day. One of the rods came apart on my first time to use them and I’m now left with a length of rod stuck in the drain.
A good read
I may have missed out on the Ploughing Championship, but I got my rural fix out in Graiguenamanagh at the weekend when I visited the annual “Town of Books“ Festival. The “Feile Freaney” traditional music festival was also taking place, so there was a great buzz around the town and in the pubs and restaurants.
The sun shone all day Saturday and there was a Mediterranean feel to the town with people dining outdoors on both sides of the river, with the sound of the local Brass Band in the background. The book sellers seemed to be doing a great trade with stalls and tents packed with books on every subject under the sun. Actually there was one topic that I couldn’t locate, “How To Grow Tomatoes In A Plastic Basin.” I did find a book on greenhouses, but strangely enough tomato growing wasn’t mentioned in it.
The rise and rise of the coffee bean
Who would ever have predicted it, even ten years ago, that we would have more outlets selling coffee than beer in our towns and cities. Kilkenny is no exception, in the last few months alone I’ve sampled good coffee in a whole bunch of new coffee shops including Mocha, Café 1, Mugshot and Gooseberry Lane. Maybe I should try growing coffee beans in that basin next year.
The latest addition to the coffee trail is Esquires on High Street, just opposite the town hall. Richie Mackey, former manager of Dempsey’s pub in John Street, has done a fine job in redesigning this building, with some striking paintings by Ross Stewart, Aisling Smith and Peter Brennan adorning the old stone walls.
This is a great spot to take a window seat on any of the three floors and watch the Kilkenny world go by. If you’re lucky you’ll catch sight of Mayor Pat Crotty striding purposefully into his office in the town hall. Ah yes, you can just sink back into the comfortable couches, forget about the recession for a while and sip a delicious cappuccino knowing that Kilkenny and the world is in safe hands with Pat and his team in charge.
