Solar panels cleared of snow

Snow is Nice for Off-Grid Winter Jobs

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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

Professional apple pruning Ireland

Winter Orchard Pruning Season is Open!

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With the first proper freeze of the winter come and gone the winter orchard pruning season is well and truly open in Ireland. I tend to the orchard care needs of customers in Cork and Kerry, and sometimes further afield in counties Limerick and Clare. My interest in the care of fruit trees goes back to over 20 years ago when I was a curious teenager and I have tended to hundreds of orchards since turning professional back in 2016. Some pruning jobs involve a few small trees in a domestic garden while other jobs can involve tending to centuries old orchards on the grounds of old estates. Holistic Orchard Care While there are general rules and concepts that apply to all apple trees, each one is also a unique individual with its own personal history. Because of this I treat each one according to its own circumstances, history and Continue Permaculture Story

Macroom Food Festival

Good Vibes at the Macroom Food Festival

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At the end of September local organisers invited me to speak at the Food Festival in my home town of Macroom in County Cork, Ireland. I was delighted to be back in the Town Hall in Macroom. I played table tennis here with the Macroom Table Tennis Club on Friday and Saturday nights for many years from the late 90s, but like many minority sports clubs in Ireland it has been dormant in recent years… anyway back to the good vibes! The Good vibes forum was part of the Macroom Food Festival and hosted stalls and talks from local sustainability and health practitioners in our local town hall. Majella O’Riordan from Dandelion Health had a stall next door so could catch up and compare notes during the day. I took several pointers from her amazing stall that I will try out next time. The speakers each only had 15 minutes Continue Permaculture Story

Permaculture Events: Macroom Food Festival and Permaculture Festival Wales 2024

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It’s busy in the vegetable garden, I’m finishing summer orchard pruning for customers across County Cork and new permaculture design projects are coming in. I’ll also be speaking at two sustainability related events over the last two weekends of September – busy time! Macroom Food Festival 21st -22nd September 2024 First up is the Food Festival in my home town of Macroom in County Cork, Ireland. I’ll have a stall with permaculture information and business leaflets and will be on a panel with other food sustainability experts at the Good Vibes forum on Saturday the 21st in the Town Hall 10am to 1pm. It’s a cool weekend and lovely to have Macroom town square busy with people enjoying themselves. https://www.macroomfoodfestival.com/ Festival of Permaculture Wales 27th – 29th September 2024 The following weekend I’ll be off to Wales to the Welsh Permaculture Gathering at Three Pools Farm near Abergavenny. I’ll be Continue Permaculture Story

Summer Pruning Espalier Apples and Pears in Ireland

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I was working locally today pruning some pear and apple espalier trees. What are espalier fruit trees you might well ask? Espalier Fruit Trees Espalier fruit trees are a restricted form of fruit growing that trains the trees to grow in a two-dimensional vertical plane. Usually there is some form of post and wire structure built before tree planting to tie the tree to as it grows. This results in a compact two-dimensional tree that in theory is easier to harvest from. In the Irish or UK climate it is a system often used against a south or west facing wall to take advantage of an the warmer, more sheltered microclimate created there, or along a path to take advantage of more regular attention and easier access that the trees will get on a highly frequented walk-way. Basic Espalier Fruit Tree Advice My basic advice for people who want espaliers Continue Permaculture Story

Permaculture Summer Pruning & Orchard Care Course, Sat 27th July 2024

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I’m looking forward to running another pruning course this weekend! There are still some places so please get in touch if you are interested. Here are the details: Summer Orchard Pruning Workshop 2024 Orchard Summer Pruning Workshop Details Saturday 27th July 10am -16.00pmBallingeary, Co Cork Join Paul Lynch for a workshop on the theory and demonstration of orchard care from a permaculture perspective, focusing apple pruning. Here is an article introducing the subject: https://permaculturedesign.ie/orchard-pruning-cork/ Course topics: Bookings & Information To guarantee a place on the course contact paul@permaculturedesign.ie for bank transfer details and directions to the venue. Or ring 089 2553096 for enquiries. About the course leader: Paul is a professional permaculture teacher designer and orchardist based in West Cork, Ireland. Paul’s teacher bio: https://www.permaculture.org.uk/user/paul-lynch Permaculture orchard pruning – photos from previous courses Here are some photos from the 2022 summer pruning and orchard care workshop at the Ansa Permaculture Continue Permaculture Story