Portnoo Market Garden’s Barrie Quinn ready for Ardara book launch
Barrie Quinn releases debut memoir and gardening guide ‘Homegrown - A pair of hands. A patch of earth. A philosophy for living’
The inspiration behind the Portnoo Market Garden, Barrie Quinn, has invited people to attend the launch of his debut book, Homegrown, at Ardara’s Nesbitt Arms on September 10.
Quinn, whose business has over 770,000 followers on Instagram, has been described as one of the “most renowned regenerative growers in Ireland” and told Donegal Live that if even a “handful of people” were encouraged to start growing their own food, “then it was worth all the hours sitting at the kitchen table writing.”
‘Homegrown’ is a part-memoir and is the story of how Quinn left his job in construction to follow his dream of becoming a market gardener using sustainable practices.
He explains how healthy soil is essential to creating healthy food, inspiring people to join the movement to fix our broken food system, to reconnect with where our food comes from and to take control of what we eat.
The book is also a practical guide for people who want to start growing and includes extensive advice and tips on growing your own food the regenerative way, no matter the size of your space.
Explaining the plans for the book launch, which begins at 7pm, Quinn said: “We are going to have Four Masters from Donegal Town selling the book on the night.
“I will be signing books, which is an odd feeling. We also have an MC for the evening, the ‘Donegal Daddy’ Michael Brennan. We are going to have a chat and interview, and we are going to do a Q&A.
“To round off the evening, my own band, Duck Street Jam Band, will be playing throughout the evening, and I will be jumping up for a few socials with them.”
Releasing a new book shows how far Quinn has travelled, from when he began the Portnoo Market Garden project in 2020.
He said: “I was a hobby gardener and I got a real passion for growing, in a specific sort of way which is chemical-free.
“I had the opportunity to garden in the commercial way, and started to build a garden. I was able to move from a backyard gardener to a commercial grower who grows enough vegetables to supply 10 shops for a good part of the year, locally independent-owned shops. It is all grown in ways that protect the environment and help produce really delicious and nutritionally healthy foods.”
Along with being a part-memoir, the book also focuses on ‘Your Home Garden’ and ‘Get Growing.’ Chapters which assist the gardener with getting the best out of their gardening efforts.
Being an advocate of the Grow Your Own movement and wishing to pass on his love for growing healthy, fresh vegetables, was one of Quinn’s motivations for writing his debut book and guide.
He commented: “I know it doesn’t work for everyone, but I really love to encourage people to grow their own food.
“First of all, you are eating healthy food, making a connection to what we have lost through convenience and supermarkets. I have always wanted to encourage people to grow food, and then I thought, ‘Why not tell the story too?’ of the journey and all the ups and downs I went through with the experiences.
“That is the first half of the book, and the second half of the book is showing people how they can set up their garden, the equipment they need, how to prepare a growing area, and 12 types of vegetables, a really in-depth guide to each of them.
“I don’t want to go down the route of 40 or 50 vegetables, which a lot of books would do. I thought we should focus on the staples of Irish food that people do eat. A lot of mistakes that beginner gardeners make are growing too much and growing what they don’t eat.
“In the book, I have touched on things that people overlook in terms of the chemicals used on our food. I think we have become very lost in the way we shop and eat, and it is aimed at opening the eyes and encouraging some people to maybe get up and have a go at growing their own food. If we can encourage a handful of people to do that, then it was worth all the hours sitting at the kitchen table writing.”
The early responses to ‘Homegrown,’ said Quinn, have been “encouraging and positive.”
He said: “Because it is a unique concept, a mixture of a memoir, even if I am a bit young for a memoir, the journey, plus the how-to book. The people who have read the book are sending back really positive feedback, so it is wonderful.”
The Donegal book launch for Barrie Quinn’s ‘Homegrown - A pair of hands. A patch of earth. A philosophy for living’ takes place at the Nesbitt Arms in Ardara, on Thursday, September 10, from 7pm.