It's natural to think an Irish vegetable garden contains potatoes. After all, the Irish potato famine of the 1840's is a history book icon. The truth is vegetable gardening in Ireland isn't too different from elsewhere. Gardeners on the Emerald Isle deal with weather and battle pests and diseases like the rest of us. Often, these issues determine which Irish vegetables can be successfully grown and harvested. So, let's take a look at what Irish gardening is really like.
Vegetable Gardening in Ireland
Microclimates on the Emerald Island can vary from region to region, but generally the weather is moderate. Temperature extremes aren't an issue for vegetable gardening in Ireland, but abundant rainfall and soggy conditions are problems Irish gardeners must overcome.
Not surprisingly, the most common vegetables found in Ireland gardens are cool season crops. These include broccoli, cabbage, carrots, lettuce, parsnips, and scallions. Cucumbers and tomatoes are popular summer crops. In addition to these familiar plants, here are several Irish vegetables that U.S. gardeners and others might find interesting:
- Claytonia – This heart-shaped leafy green grows well in the shade. The succulent claytonia leaves are high in vitamin C and are a welcome addition to winter salad and stir-fry. Pick the young, tender leaves as needed since this prolific self-seeder doesn't store well.
- Corn Salad – Successive gardening techniques keep the nutty flavored corn salad greens ready for harvest throughout the mild winter months. The ten week maturity time doesn't deter the snails from sharing the harvest, so setting out beer traps is a necessity in the Irish vegetable garden.
- Courgette – Don't let the name fool you, a courgette is the French term for a zucchini. Usually harvested when they're pencil sized, these are an Irish vegetable garden staple.
- Mibuna – This easy-to-grow oriental green is more tolerant of winter cold than summer heat. The spear-shaped and mustard flavored mibuna leaves can be used in salad, soup, and stir fry. Harvest repeatedly as a microgreen or allow the plant to attain mature size.
- Mizuna – Another popular Irish gardening oriental green, mizuna has a serrated leaf and a mild, mustard flavor. It can also be grown and harvested as a microgreen. Plant this one in a shady corner of the garden as it doesn't require full sun.
- Oca – An ancient crop cultivated by Incas, Oca is a blight resistant root tuber. The bushy plants produce enlarged rhizomes in a variety of colors including yellow, orange, and deep red. They have a lemon flavor when eaten raw. Cook the tubers like potatoes for a nutty tasting side dish.
- Perpetual Spinach – A perennial leafy green with a milder flavor than spinach makes this plant a favorite in the Irish vegetable garden. A member of the beetroot family, perpetual spinach, also known as chard or leaf beet, is incredibly hardy and can be harvested year-round. Use it in the same manner as annual spinach.
- Swede – A slower growing relative of the common turnip, swede (rutabaga) is one of the most popular vegetables found in Ireland gardens. This yellow fleshed root veggie takes five months to reach maturity. It's best to dig and store roots before winter to prevent spoilage from soggy soil.
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FAQs
Not surprisingly, the most common vegetables found in Ireland gardens are cool season crops. These include broccoli, cabbage, carrots, lettuce, parsnips, and scallions.
What vegetables are native to Ireland? ›
Vegetables grown and eaten in Ireland included onions, chives, cabbage, celery, wild garlic and leeks. Fat-hen (Chenopodium album) is often found on pre Norman archaeological sites and appears to have been an important part of the diet, as it still is in Northern India.
What are the most common Irish vegetables? ›
A wide range of vegetables are grown in Ireland, the most popular being cabbage, carrots, broccoli, swedes, cauliflower and parsnips. Harvesting of vegetables takes place every week of the year but the main season of production is from July to March.
What are the local vegetables in Ireland? ›
Now, let's look at what's in season in Ireland. During winter, vegetables like Brussels sprouts, carrots, parsnips, and fruits like apples and pears are in season. Spring brings us asparagus, radishes, and strawberries, while summer offers vegetables like courgettes, tomatoes, and peppers.
What is the national vegetable of Ireland? ›
But is there a single national vegetable? Leeks are Welsh. Potatoes are associated with Ireland.
What crops do Irish farmers grow? ›
Apart from the cereal crops, Irish farmers grow maize, beans, peas, oilseed rape, beet and potatoes. Potato growing in particular has become very intensive, with just 12,200 hectares grown. There are 540 growers who plant more than five hectares each and around 200 specialised growers account for 75% of production.
What is the staple vegetable in Ireland? ›
Potatoes are still a staple at most mealtimes, with traditional dishes remaining popular. Colcannon is a classic, comforting mash of potatoes, cabbage (or kale) and butter (or cream), flavoured with spring onions.
What is the Irish vegetable? ›
Some vegetables native to Ireland include potatoes, cabbage, turnips, carrots, onions, and leeks. These vegetables have been traditionally cultivated and consumed in Ireland for centuries.
What is the most important crop in Ireland? ›
grass– because it represents the most important crop in Ireland at present, and underpins the entire livestock industry.
What fruit and vegetables are in Ireland? ›
We grow apples, strawberries and other berries in Ireland. Apples can be used in baking, to drink as juice or in sauces. A vegetable is part of a plant that we eat. The most popular crops grown in Ireland are potatoes and mushrooms.
Shamrocks and Good Luck
To this day, Irish people traditionally wear sprigs of plants they identify as shamrocks, usually pinned to a lapel or hat, on St. Patrick's Day in remembrance of the Saint's teachings.
What vegetable grows best in Ireland? ›
Not surprisingly, the most common vegetables found in Ireland gardens are cool season crops. These include broccoli, cabbage, carrots, lettuce, parsnips, and scallions. Cucumbers and tomatoes are popular summer crops.
What food plants are native to Ireland? ›
Seasonal Foraging Favourites:
- Spring Surprise: Wild Garlic, Three-cornered Leek, Dandelion, Nettles, Primrose, Garlic Mustard, Ribwort Plantain, Curly Dock, Hawthorn, Wood sorrel.
- Summer Berries: Wild strawberry, raspberry, bilberry,
- Autumn Sweetness: Rosehips, Elderberries, Hawthorn berries, Hazelnuts.
All farmers at the time, and often the city poor too, lived mainly on bread or potatoes. These were not their only food, but represented the vast majority of their calories.
What plant is native to Ireland? ›
Our most common native trees include oak, ash, hazel, birch, Scots pine, rowan and willow.
Are carrots native to Ireland? ›
Some vegetables native to Ireland include potatoes, cabbage, turnips, carrots, onions, and leeks. These vegetables have been traditionally cultivated and consumed in Ireland for centuries.
What is Ireland's natural vegetation? ›
Irish woodlands are typically dominated by ash, oak, birch, hazel and, on wetter soils, alder. There are two species of oak in Ireland, pedunculate oak and sessile oak, as well as the hybrid between these two species.
