Bantry Community Garden

07/04/2026

Hi Connacht - News - Community gardens are being highlighted as a vital part of Ireland’s future food security, as Community Gardens Ireland...

27/03/2026

The 2025 Horticulture Census is open until March 31st.

All growers in Ireland who sell horticultural produce are invited to take part.

This annual census has been developed in conjunction with the Horticulture Industry Forum and the Central Statistics Office, to help build an accurate picture of the horticulture sector and inform national policy and supports for growers.

📅 The closing date is March 31, 2026.

The census can be found on the DAFM website - see link below


Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine Central Statistics Office Ireland

27/03/2026

The Hungry Gap is the in-between-seasons period after winter vegetables but before the availability of early spring crops - typically March to early June.

Today, we can buy almost any fruit or vegetable at any time of year. But the Hungry Gap is a reminder of the natural seasonality of food. It encourages us to think about where our produce comes from, how far it travels, and the environmental impact of importing out-of-season crops.

There are a few ways to help fill out this time of year, including careful storing, overwintering or perennial crops & more. Check out our blog post for some ideas and a list of what's in season in Irish spring.

👉 https://www.fruithillfarm.com/info/2026/03/the-hungry-gap/

25/03/2026

Last week between about 6.30pm Weds 18th March and midday the next day someone went into the poly tunnel in the community garden and knocked over tables, broke a chair, tipped over a bin and, most seriously, destroyed seedlings.
We obviously do not like this but we tidy up and carry on.
We reason that either someone is annoyed with us and this was their way of expressing it, in which case please come and talk to us directly and see if we can resolve it or this was just someone venting anger, in which case, we can see lots of reasons someone might be angry right now but please don’t take it out on us or the garden, we are both trying to do our best.
Anyway, that said and now that maybe we have a few people’s attention this is what we really want to talk about:
We are a group brought together with a shared interest in Nature, plants and growing some of our own food.
Our philosophy is based on care for Nature, mutual aid and shared responsibility.
We think that local food sovereignty is very important with the world the way it is. And we think that we are a long way from being even food secure.
We expect interruptions to food and resource supply chains in the near to medium future and we are working to minimise the shock from this.
We would like more of our community to join in on this.
We are a small group of volunteers operating on a shoe string so we can only do so much.
We encourage people to think about what local food sovereignty might look like and how you could contribute to this.
Please share your ideas under this post.
Better still please drop into the garden, talk to us and have a look around. Maybe some of what we are doing will inspire you. Maybe you will find a way to get involved or work alongside us.
Some of the ideas we have considered that would need more input to come to fruition include:

A garden meitheal group
Collectively owned equipment and spaces like fruit presses, seed saving gear, tools etc
An organised growers network in the town that collaborates on growing and sharing food and saving seeds
A skill share network
Community composting and recycling systems..........
Thanks very much for reading. We look forward to meeting on the soil.

02/03/2026

2026 is the International Year of the Woman Farmer

At Rooted in Strength, organised by An Talamh Beo, women farmers from across Ireland made one thing clear:
Food security isn’t enough. We need food sovereignty.

Ireland exports most of what we produce — and imports most of what we eat. That system is fragile.

Across the country, women are building something different:
🥕 Small market gardens feeding local towns
🥛 Micro-dairies selling direct
🌿 Farms centred on soil health & biodiversity
🐑 Regenerative livestock systems
“We are passionate about soil health, holistic animal care, biodiversity and climate action.”

This isn’t about going big.
It’s about more small producers, in more places.

Know your farmer. Know your food 👩🏻‍🌾💚💪🏼

21/02/2026

What happens when the food system falters?

15/01/2026

FREE ! bagged fresh woodchip suitable for paths ( probably too fresh for beds). Can be collected from the play park car park or you can bag your own from pile at main gate. Please return bags to red pot so they can be refilled. Happy gardening:).

20/12/2025

Sending out a massive thankyou to all the wonderful people who supported the Community garden fundraising this year.
Special thanks to Ouwvane Falls staff and also to DJ Squian and mates.
Thanks also to the amazing and talented visual artist Aoife Casey whose photos of the event can be found here
https://aoifecaseyphotography.pic-time.com/-ccgig/gallery...
Everyone's input means the garden has been able to clear a backlog of running costs and enabled financial security for 2026.
We are looking forward to some fun projects and lots of growing for the coming year and as always, all are welcome to join in the fun.

Throwing good parties to raise money for good projects.
What's not to like there?
Watch this space.

Thank you all again and a very Happy Solstice to you all.

03/12/2025

❓ Are you curious about a school that focuses on helping students learn how to learn?
❓ Do you want to find a new and exciting way for your child to learn that encourages independence, creativity and critical thinking?

💁 If yes, we invite you to take part in a virtual tour of our school on Zoom.
🔗 Join us on Zoom: ID 836 8099 6810

You'll get to see different areas of our school, including:

🔬 Our different rooms dedicated to eg. Music, STEM, Art, Self-study... ;

🔨 Our Workshop spaces filled with resources to discover and experiment;

🌳Our beautiful outdoor spaces for exploration and play.

💬 We will also have a helpful Q&A session where you can ask any questions about self-directed learning, democratic education, conflict resolution and community values. Our staff and students will be there to share their insights and experiences, so you can understand what makes our school a unique place for learning.

🙌 We are excited to meet you, share our vision for education, and show you the wonderful opportunities that await your child at our school. Join us on this journey to discover a new way of learning that focuses on community and individual interests!

11/11/2025

21/09/2025

Apple pressing day at the garden: About 20 people, 6 or 7 nationalities, 9 or 10 varieties of apples, at least 3 people called Rob, 2 presses, and as far as I know everyone had a great time making delicious juice to take away, building trust and community together and raising a few for for the garden. A little example of how much joy community gardens can bring to an area.

You know what else though? That was only a tiny fraction of the potential apple crop for this area. How many trees are there in the Bantry area? How many of them go to waste because we lack the organisation and infrastructure to properly make use of this land's abundance?
Imagine bigger presses and other equipment, set up in premises owned and run by community cooperatives properly subsidised and supported.
This type of thing and other activities aimed at increasing community food production and building connection need to become regular and ongoing events with properly funded organisations and individuals tasked to make sure that they happen. The global food system is unstable. We need to work together to rebuild local ones.