Paul's Permaculture Stories Ireland

May Orchard Update – Bumper Fruit Crop Forecast for Ireland in 2025

22/05/202522/05/2025 Paul Lynch1 CommentOrchardapple, apple tree, cork, drought, fruit, fruit crop, May, orchard, permaculture, sustainability

A-May-zing weather for fruit trees God bless the spells of bitter cold, snow and frost we had during the winter and God bless the beautiful calm, warmth and sunshine this spring. I expect that most gardeners couldn’t fail to notice the widespread, spectacular flowering of both domesticated and wild fruiting trees this year. Gardeners and non-gardeners alike traveling about the countryside will have been greeted with an almost exotic display around each corner from the hawthorn trees laden in white. With the limits of brilliant white exceeded, an abnormal fraction of the May trees have changed clothes this year and blossomed in pink instead, as if they couldn’t wait longer and ripened themselves instead of setting fruit. Fruit tree “chill hours” requirement Even that winter cold spell – now a distant memory – was good for the trees. Proper cold winter weather has a role in regulating the apple tree Continue Permaculture Story

Flood and Drought Resilience in Wales and Ireland

01/05/202501/05/2025 Paul Lynch1 CommentHorticulturedrought, farming, flood, horticulture, ireland, irrigation, keyline, keyline design, Lantra, permaculture, ponds, resilience, sustainability, vegetable growing, wales

I was delighted to present at a recent Lantra Wales “Farming Connect” webinar titled: “Making Your Horticulture Enterprise Drought and Flood Resistant”. The event was free of charge courtesy of Lantra and the Welsh Government.

Making Your Horticulture Enterprise Drought and Flood Resistant – Free Webinar!

10/04/202510/04/2025 Paul LynchLeave a commentUncategorizedcontour, drone mapping, drought, Farming Connect, flood, Food security, keyline, keyline design, Lantra, permaculture, ponds, resilience, sustainability, water storage, yeomans

I’m delighted to present at a Lantra Wales “Farming Connect” webinar titled: “Making Your Horticulture Enterprise Drought and Flood Resistant”. The event is free of charge courtesy of Lantra Wales. The event will take place at 12.30pm on Tuesday the 16th April 2025. I’m looking forward to maintain and grow my Wales Permaculture Connection and to listen and learn from the other presenters. Event listing and how to book: https://wales.business-events.org.uk/en/events/making-your-horticulture-enterprise-drought-and-flood-resistant Flood and drought Resilience Webinar Details This is the event description on the Business Wales Event Finder: “In a time of accelerating climate change, this webinar aims to address the vital techniques we might use to make our farms resilient in the face of both flood and drought. We aim to move beyond the paradigm which frames water management as a problem, to one which recognises water management as an opportunity; we will discuss ways of using living systems and Continue Permaculture Story

Energy Resilience Workshop March 10th 2025

07/03/202507/03/2025 Paul Lynch1 CommentUncategorizedcork, energy, energy resilience, gteic, ireland, Muscraí, Muskerry, off-grid, permaculture, renewable energy, skills, solar

Energy resilience workshop I am delighted to give a talk and workshop on the topic of energy resilience on the 10th March 2025 in Ballingeary Co. Cork. Energy workshop topics This workshop is complimentary courtesy of Comharchumann Forbartha Mhúscraí Teoranta, which is a community development co-operative operating in the interest of the Muscraí Gaeltacht area in Co Cork. More info here: https://muscrai.org/ Energy resilience workshop details The workshop will commence at 7.30pm at the Gteic co-working office hub in Ballingeary, Macroom, Co. Cork, Ireland. Workshop Venue: Páirc Ghnó Bhéal Átha an GhaorthaidhCo. ChorcaíP12 PX22 Energy workshop poster Irish Language Sustainability and Resilience Wisdom The workshop will be bilingual, in Irish and English. Most of the verbal presentation will be in Irish with most of the visual presentation in English. This way we aim to cater to users of both official languages and foster an environment where Irish can be learned Continue Permaculture Story

Climate and soil conditions for orchards in Ireland

06/03/202507/03/2025 Paul LynchLeave a commentOrchardapple pruning, climate and soil, cork, microclimate, orchard

Recently I finished an orchard pruning job near Cork. Most of my pruning work is on domestic scale orchards that I manage in a day, but sometimes there are bigger orchards that need a few days, or even a week to get into shape. This orchard had nearly sixty trees and was located in a garden on the outskirts of the city. The site was on a gentle ridge high up on one of the many rolling hills to the south of Cork city, with a northerly aspect. There was little wind shelter to the site save from the landform itself. Many of these conditions are not ideal – the wind exposure, the aspect and the fact that some of the trees were planted too close together. As regards health however, the trees were overall in the better half of orchards that I have tended to in County Cork. Climate Continue Permaculture Story

Orchard Pruning Workshop Story

24/02/202524/02/2025 adminLeave a commentOrchardapple pruning, cork, ireland, orchard, orchard pruning course, permaculture, skills, sustainability

Winter and early spring is a busy time for the permaculture deisgner and orchardist. Besides running sustainability and pruning courses there is always a list of new pruning customers to tend to. It is also the period of planting bare root trees, orchards and hedging for design customers. I’m finally getting a chance however to write about the recent winter orchard pruning workshop here at the Ansa Permaculture Design headquarters, also known as my home and garden in West Cork. On a sunny frosty morning in February I was delighted to teach a small group including one student travelling all the way from Germany! Orchard pruning workshop topics The pruning workshop covered the following topics: Why prune at all; the natural shape of an apple tree; the purpose of grafting; its effects and side-effects; summer pruning vs winter pruning; vegetative and fruiting wood; orchard guilds and design considerations; pollination; tools Continue Permaculture Story

Pruning Apple Trees in Kerry

24/01/202504/02/2025 Paul LynchLeave a commentOrchardapple pruning, apple tree, ballyvourney, ireland, kerry, killarney, orchard, permaculture, pruning

This week I went on a lovely orchard care adventure pruning fruit trees in the beautiful town of Killarney, County Kerry. Its that time of year when there can be several new inquiries for orchard care on a given day and when there are smaller jobs somewhat in the same area I naturally plan to do them in the same trip. Ballyvourney Apple tree Pruning on the way to Kerry First up was a job pruning a large vigourous mature apple tree in a garden in Ballyvourney County Cork. Ballyvourney is a large village at the northern end of the Muskerry Gaeltacht, and its a beautiful place. It was on the main N22 road from Macroom to Killarney until it was recently bypassed. West of Ballyvourney the land rises up into the Derrynasaggart mountains and the lovely Lee valley is left behind as you head for the county bounds and Continue Permaculture Story

Orchard Pruning Workshop 8th February 2025

17/01/202517/01/2025 Paul LynchLeave a commentOrchardapple pruning, cork, ireland, orchard, orchard pruning course, permaculture, skills, sustainability

I’m delighted to announce another winter orchard pruning workshop in County Cork Ireland on Saturday the 8th of February. I’ve provided professional orchard care to hundreds of customers caring for thousands of trees since turning my lifelong interest in orchard care into my vocation back in 2016. I will teach you the exact same theory and techniques that I use to care for home, farm and old estate heritage orchards across Cork and the wider Munster region. I will teach the workshop at Ballingeary, in West Cork. Directions provided on booking. Workshop price is E80 and if you would like 10% off of this then make sure you are a subscriber to my newsletter and always be in the know when new workshops are announced! Subscribe for 10% off sustainability Courses here. Winter Orchard Pruning Workshop Details Saturday 8th February, 10am -16.00pmBallingeary, Co Cork Join Paul Lynch for a workshop Continue Permaculture Story

Snow is Nice for Off-Grid Winter Jobs

06/01/202506/01/2025 adminLeave a commentUncategorizedcork, grafting, home-brew, off-grid, permaculture, snow, solar power

It’s deep winter in Ireland and the countryside is covered with a blanket of snow. In the winter months freezing weather isn’t uncommon in Ireland but it is usually accompanied with dry weather and clear skies and disruption is therefore usually minimal. Cold weather with snow and ice however is a relatively rare phenomenon in Ireland and may occur for brief spells only once or twice a year in the low lying parts of the country, if at all. I’ve had a nice winter break visiting family and friends and have had time reflecting on the year gone by and intentions for the year to come. So it’s time to get busy again! Hawthorn Wine Besides general everyday cleaning and tidying I had a job hanging over from last year – straining out the batch of Hawthorn wine I set brewing last year. I don’t brew much these days except Continue Permaculture Story

Subscribe for 10% off Sustainability Courses!

23/11/202404/12/2024 Paul LynchLeave a commentUncategorizedcork, discount, ireland, permaculture, permaculture course, permaculture workshop, subscribe, sustainability skills

I am delighted to announce a 10% discount on all sustainability courses and workshops for my growing list of email subscribers! As a subscriber you will also be the first to know when I announce new course dates.