Prison officers in Portlaoise feature in Laois gardener's new RTÉ TV series

A Midlands Prison gardening project run by prison officers in the Portlaoise jail is set to feature in the new season of a popular TV series on gardening co-presented by a Laois woman.

Home Grown returns to RTÉ One with a brand new third series in March celebrating Irish horticulture. It's co-presented by Kitty Scully from Vicarstown and Colm O'Driscoll.

Once again they travel the country in search of stories that highlight the best in the Irish horticulture. The producers say the seven-part eco friendly series goes behind the scenes at Ireland's largest horticulture festival Bord Bia Bloom, highlights the resilience and ingenuity of Ireland's horticulture industry, looks at the intrigues of creating habitats for animals, and explores other stories that inspire growth and connection such as a project in Portlaoise.

In fact, the Leinster Express / Laois Live can reveal that the series opens in Laois at the prison complex in Portlaoise according. MORE BELOW PICTURE.

Pictured: Home Grown presenter Colm O'Driscoll with Midlands Prison Work Training Officers John Donoghue and Kieran Gavigan.

It sees Colm go behind the walls of the Midlands Prison in Portlaoise and talks to Work Training Officers Kieran Gavigan and John Donoghue about a unique horticulture programme that has been thriving for the past ten years.

He learns about the prison's horticultural education programme that aims to teach prisoners gardening skills and provides a sense of purpose and rehabilitation through education.

Kitty grew up on a mixed organic farm in Laois where she picked up a love of eating and growing good food. She went on to work on organic farms and gardens around the world from managing a market garden for nuns in North Cork, to spearheading the evolution of the kitchen gardens in Airfield Estate in Dublin.

She currently writes a regular column for The Irish Garden Magazine and The Farmers Journal. She also co-ordinates the Organic Growers of Ireland Network and is Head Grower on a private estate in her home county.

She spoke about the upcoming series.

"With twenty years experience in Ireland's horticultural sector, and my third season working on HOME GROWN, I continue to be amazed by the industry's ongoing growth and innovation. This season the sheer diversity of horticulture in Ireland truly stood out. From the grandeur of historic castle gardens, meticulously maintained for generations, using time-honoured techniques, and inspiring inner city parks landscaped using repurposed materials; to cutting-edge rooftop gardening projects harnessing AI driven robotic weeding technology to maximise efficiency and shorten food supply chains.

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"The series highlights not only how horticulture shapes our daily lives, through food, public spaces and biodiversity, but also how every citizen plays a role in protecting and enhancing this dynamic, yet often overlooked, industry.
This season is a powerful reminder that horticulture is woven into every aspect of our world," she said.

Another programme in the series will see Kitty meeting Limerick brothers John and Colm Galvin of Living Woodlands, based in Tipperary. They who are using an adaptive version of the internationally recognised Miyawaki Method of afforestation and ecosystem to build complex and biodiverse living woodlands. MORE BELOW PICTURE.

Home Grown presenter Kitty Scully investigates apples Irish people like to eat.

In another episode Kitty meet to Michael Gaffney, Acting Head of Horticultural Development at Teagasc who identifies the types of apples Irish people want to buy. Kitty also meets Fruit Research Officer Alberto Ramos Luz to learn about the data and insights driving this project.

Finally, Colm visits the Dawros Gallery and Garden near Kenmare in County Kerry, which he describes as "one of the most impressive private gardens in Ireland". 

Home Grown is produced by InProduction TV & Scéal Creative Ltd. and is sponsored by Bord Bia. The first episode screens on Wednesday, March 5 on RTÉ One at 8pm.