taking the 'self' out of self-sufficiency

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Taking the ‘self’ out of ‘self-sufficiency’!

Welcome to the homepage of GIY Ireland. GIY groups are local food growers networks that recreate the camaraderie of allotment growing for back-garden vegetable growers by getting them together on a regular basis to learn from each other and exchange tips, war-stories and produce.

GIY membership is free and open to people interested in food growing at all levels, i.e. from growing a few herbs on the balcony to complete self-sufficiency, from beginners to old hands.

Our plan is to establish a GIY group in every town and county in Ireland. On this site you will be able to find out more about the joy of ‘growing it yourself’, communicate with GIY’ers nationwide and locate GIY groups in your area.

GIY Ireland is a not-for-profit organisation which promotes and facilitates back-garden food growing. It also acts as a national umbrella organisation to keep local GIY groups connected. The organisation was launched on the 12th of September 2009 in Waterford and is supported by Social Entrepreneurs Ireland.

Update - 8th March
Greetings GIYers! What a wonderful weekend of weather - cold nights and frosts are causing us problems still but there's good heat in the sun by day and a definate feeling of spring in the air. After a frantically busy GIY Week in the last week in Feb (in which we started an incredible six new groups), things have settled down somewhat but we did have some activity over the weekend. GIY Ireland's Ciaran Walsh was at a community food event in Fota House with some of the Cork GIY groups, while Michael Kelly gave a talk on GIYing at the Ennis Book Club Festival. Watch out for a feature about GIY Ireland on Duncan Stewart's Eco Eye on RTE 1 tomorrow (Tuesday 9th) at 7pm. A video of our previous outing on RTE 1 - Ear to the Ground - is available on the You Tuber page. There is also (we believe) a feature on GIYing in Tina Leonard's Smart Consumer column in this Thursday's Irish Independent. On the website, check out the articles page for new features by Dorcas Barry, Denise Dunne and Michael Fox. We have also added new discussion groups on living willow and (hic!) homebrewing. Happy growing!
GIY Week - 20th February

Interested in growing your own vegetables for the first time this year but not quite sure where to start? Or are you already growing your own, and would like to connect with other growers?

Ah yes the 2010 season spreads out before us like a blank canvass ready to be filled with veggie-growing triumphs, and GIY Ireland is celebrating spring with a national schedule of events to mark our first ever "GIY Week" (February 20th to 27th).

Established just last September, there are already over 55 GIY groups around Ireland with over 3,500 GIYers involved.

Part of the AONTAS Adult Learner’s Festival 2010, GIY Week will see groups reaching out to potential new members by hosting talks and meetings; garden visits; seed, tool and plant swaps; demonstrations and growers meitheals.

Events include:

  • GIY patron Diarmuid Gavin at launch of GIY Terenure (in Rathgar Junior School, 8pm Tuesday)
  • GIY Patron Clodagh McKenna (in Fingal Town Hall, Swords Thursday, 7.30pm)
  • GIY Ireland Founder Michael Kelly at launch of GIY Drogheda (Boyne Valley Hotel, Monday, 7.30pm)
  • “Meitheal" to build raised beds and provide training in growing vegetables being run by GIY Balbriggan in the Refugee Centre Mosney (Thursday 25th Feb)
  • GIY meeting and tour of Carraig Dulra with Suzie Kahn(Sat 20th)
  • Cookery demo by Liz Moore (Westenra Hotel, Monaghan on Tuesday)
  • New group launches in Edenderry, Ballinasloe and Mountmellick
  • Michael Kelly at launch of GIY group in AIB Bank Centre in Ballsbridge as part of the GIY in the Workplace programme (1pm Tuesday)
  • “Meitheal" at a new edible community garden in Dunmore East (noon, Saturday 20th)
  • Green Learning Event at Tipperary Institute, Thurles (Tuesday)
  • Discussion on favourite GIYing tools and seed sowing at GIY North Meath (Tuesday)
  • Seed swap and talk on composting at GIY An Spideal (Wednesday)
  • Seed sowing demo at GIY Clontarf (Thursday)
  • Seed swap and talk on sustainable living at GIY Clonmel (Thursday)
  • Seed sowing demo at GIY Athy (Thursday)
  • Meeting of GIY Dundrum at Airfield (3pm, Saturday 27th).

For more information on GIY Week activities click on "Meetings" in the navigation menu.

Update of the Week - 12th February

Thank Crunchie it's Friday! We have some exciting news to round up the week - GIY Ireland is delighted to welcome Woodies DIY on board as our lead sponsor for 2010. Part of the thrill for us in having them on board (apart from the much needed funding that it brings), is that it gives us (a) the opportunity to potentially reach hundreds of thousands of people around Ireland with the GIY message (they have over 40 stores nationwide) and (b) access to the experienced horticulturalists that work in their stores. And of course, they are an Irish company which is very important to us too.

On the technology front, this week we sent out our first monthly e-zine to registered members. We hope you liked it. Don't forget to check out the "Tip of the Day" discussion group for daily GIYing tips and the articles page for articles on seed sowing (by Jim Cronin and Hans Wieland), growing parsnips (Michael Fox) and the Grower's Calendar for March and April. Don't forget that you can now upload You Tube videos on the site - do a tour of your veggie patch and show the rest of us what it's like, or upload some footage of a GIY meeting or meitheal.

Forecast is good for the weekend - so get out in that garden. Those weeds won't hoe themselves!! Bon Weekend.


1 hour(s) ago
Troy File posted a discussion topic "greenhouse covering" in the group Garden Structures:
Hi, I'm living in Cork and building a greenhouse and am looking for corragated pvc or clear twinwall polycarbonate sheeting etc to cover it in...
any ideas where I can get my hands on some??

2 hour(s) ago
Rebecca Thorn posted a comment on Painted Horses's blog entry:
If you have loads in each pack my advice is don't plant them all and swap what you don't use with other GIY-ers in your area...that way you get more variety for no extra cost.

3 hour(s) ago
Kate Minnock posted in the group discussion topic "Seed Swap":
swap-a-sod for some seeds....anyone...? i'm looking for a sod of grass (to fill a suitcase!) 57cmx37cm please. I live in Bray near the dart station but dont have a car so if anyone near by could swap-a-sod for some seeds that'd be great! (its fo...

3 hour(s) ago
Siobhain Gordon posted a comment on Painted Horses's blog entry:
Have you seen the albums there are photos of spuds chitting and step by step photos of spuds been planted in bags I think they might be of help happy plantingsiobhain

4 hour(s) ago
Livvy W posted in the group discussion topic "Remaining logged in":
Explains things perfectly, Thanks Aaron

4 hour(s) ago
John Hartigan created a new album: growing potatoes in bags

4 hour(s) ago
James Gogarty wrote a blog entry: My Veg Garden Week 3...

5 hour(s) ago
Margaret O'Brien created a new group: GIY Carrick-on-Suir

6 hour(s) ago
Garden Gate posted a comment on Painted Horses's blog entry:
OK.....this is the way I do it but it is not written in stone......potatoes - set them out in trays or egg boxes. Examine them and you will see one of the ends has dots or tiny shoots - place that end up. Leave in cool light room to 'chit' (sh...

7 hour(s) ago
Suzanne Smith posted in the group discussion topic "Buttercups!!":
Whoa Gary, good on you. I've spent the past 3 days in the garden creating new veg & flower beds etc, some of which are in the ground and I had forgotten how heartbreaking the buttercup can be.

9 hour(s) ago
Painted Horses wrote a blog entry: ok got some bulbs HELP, please...

9 hour(s) ago
Oliver Moore posted in the group discussion topic "media query re allotments":
Cheers guys for these two most recent comments (article nearing completion at the mo!)
GIY Tip Of The Week
Planning a Vegetable Plot In this week's tip of the week, brought to you by Woodies DIY horticultural consultant Paddy Gleeson, we are discussing planning a vegetable patch: Planning the vegetable plot It is always a good idea to put your plans and records on paper which will be very useful for the following year. Take the following considerations into ac...

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