Tales from North West Garden Show

Gareth pictured with 'NWGardenSHow dreamteam'

I had a great time at the recent North West Garden Show in Castlefin in County Donegal. This is very much my local show, its only about 20 mins from my own house. The Castlefin show is now in its 5th year and attracts visitors in the region of 20,000 people...so not only is it local but its an important regional event, indeed its the biggest gardening festival outside of Dublin (Bloom in the Park) and Belfast (Garden Show Ireland).

I had the pleasure of not only being the #socialgardener, in partnership with Kelco Communications, but I also was hosting some Kitchen Garden workshops and Ask The Expert sessions with Hans, David and Jane. In addition I spent the rest of the day floating around, chatting gardening at the various show gardens, nursery stands and display areas....so a really enjoyable day.

Thanks to the 175 people who participated in my kitchen garden workshops and to the many thousands of people who came along to the show itself...

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Allotment area - venue for Gareths workshops

Gareth with young Eoghan O'Neill from Clady

Gareth with Jane, Lee Gooch and Kevin Galliagh

Gareth and Jane McCorkell being asked to try out some machines which were on display from Letterkenny Tool Hire, one of the exhibitors at the show.

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Gareth with Brian and Lee Gooch

Also at the show was Brian McDermott, a colleague of Gareths from BBC Radio Foyle. Here Gareth is chatting wild food with Brian and Lee Gooch. Gareth had taken Brian on a wild food walk through the hedgerows around the Castlefin complex, Brian then was then put to the challenge of utilising these wildfood finds in the cookery theatre.

Gareth was joined on the Ask the Expert Panel with Hans Wieland from the Organic Centre, Jane McCorkell and David Perry - Horticulturist with Kee's Garden Centre in Laghey.

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Gareth with Hans, Jane and David Perry

Promoting the Donegal Garden Trail