Paddy Gleeson is the Woodie’s DIY resident Horticultural consultant. Formerly of Teagasc, Paddy is also a judge on the popular RTE Gardening Series “Super Garden”.
Paddy qualified in Horticulture from the National Botanic Gardens over 40 years ago, Glasnevin and has a degree from UCD. He was the Teagasc national nursery stock advisor for over 25 years, during which time he lead the development of the modern Irish nursery stock industry. He is now special horticultural advisor and consultant to Woodies DIY and Garden Centres where he is regarded as one of the country’s foremost experts in plants. His superior plant knowledge and passion for using plants of all varieties and forms will inspire others to use plants to create beautiful and functional gardens that can be enjoyed year-round
I have been GIYing ever since I started my horticultural career in the National Botanic Gardens and UCD
Where do I GIY?
I like to GiY in my back garden and now that my children have grown up and moved out, I like to pass on some of my skills assisting them grow a range of vegetables and herbs in their small gardens and on their patios and balconies.
Why do I GIY?
As an outdoor person all my life, as well as my interest and love for all forms of plant life, I have always been in close contact with mother earth. Nurturing of food from the `garden to the plate` has given me the pleasure and enjoyment of both growing and eating tasty vegetables packed with nutrients.
What do I grow?
When I started working as a horticultural advisor with County Kildare Committee of Agriculture in the early seventies promoting and encouraging householders to grow your own, I grew a wide range of vegetables practising what I preached. Today I confine myself to a range of herbs, leafy salad crops, potatoes and sweet corn.
My favourite vegetable to eat/grow
I went for the month of September to Oregon, USA in 2000 looking at the nursery stock industry. Every evening we had a sweet corn cob picked freshly from the garden. The varieties at home never seemed to match that taste. In recent years the new `sugar enhanced ` varieties have a sweetness that makes them my favourite vegetable.
My least favourite vegetable to eat/grow
My least favourite vegetable is cabbage. Growing up in Tipperary, cabbage and bacon was invariably on the dinner menu. What the pigeons did not get to first I had what was salvaged almost every day until I left for student life in Dublin.
My favourite GIYing moment each year
My favourite time in the garden each year is late spring. Seedlings are beginning to emerge and there is always an air of confidence that the year will bring a rich harvest.
My most useful gardening tool (and why)
I always used a rotovator to cultivate the garden. It makes the work easy and produces a fine tilt for seeds.
What do you know now about GIYing that I didn`t know last year
After so many food scares this year people want to be more informed about what they are eating. GIY gives you complete control.
My finest hour in the veg patch
My finest hour in the vegetable patch was in Bloom 2012 where the Woodie`s horticultural team designed and demonstrated a vegetable show garden that was both visually appealing and easy to replicate.
Ella McSweeny with Paddy Gleeson, Shane Maher (GIY person 2012) and Michael Kelly, CEO of GIY Ireland
