June in the garden is a good time. Everything is sown and thriving and gardeners take stock of their work so far. Work in the garden is never done. With the long spell of great weather we have had so far this month, watering is a big problem. It has to be done every day to keep plants growing. The weeds have to be constantly hoed out or they will go to seed very quickly. Slugs, bugs and caterpillars also have to be kept in check.

Soon we will be reaping some peas and beans. Our early potatoes are not as early as other years as 2018 got off to such a late start with the very bad spring we had. However, the setback doesn’t appear to have done too much damage.

Fruit quantities are looking good, with an abundance of blackcurrants, strawberries, and gooseberries. All will be ready to pick soon. Most are turned into jam and sold for charity. The rhubarb also has a good crop and with about 20 stools we donate it to Meals on Wheels here in Portarlington so nothing goes to waste.

This is the perfect time to sow a herb plot for use during the winter months. We have several different herbs in the garden, they are so useful in stews, giving a great flavour. All year round here in our kitchen we use quite a lot of chives. They are a great little herb and are closely related to onions.

They are full of calcium phosphorus, which is good for keeping our bones healthy. Try them in a potato salad, pasta or an omelette – delicious! Adding a handful of chopped chives enhances both flavour and colour. We also like them in mash and this is very easy to prepare. Peel the potatoes and cook them with a pinch of salt added. When finished, drain the water and add finely chopped chives. Serve piping hot with a slice of butter. This goes down a treat with most types of fish.

We’ve just cut back our bed of chives as they went to seed and set some lovely pink flowers. By cutting them back we will have some tender growth and fresh green chives very soon again.

Bord Bia was very lucky with Bloom in the Park as the weather was brilliant. The amount of work that goes into preparing the site and setting out the gardens is impressive. It seems to get better every year. The gardens were full of colour and I was pleased to see vegetables added this year in some of them. Jenny and I enjoyed our time there, meeting so many people interested in gardening. It was great to see young people interested in trying their hand at such a rewarding craft.

How the year has flown. Our next big day will be the Tullamore Show on 12 August, something to look forward to. In the meantime, enjoy the lovely summer weather. CL