653 results

  • Watering Plants with Rainwater

    Watering Plants with Rainwater

    ‘Rainwater harvesting’ can refer to something as simple as leaving a barrel out to collect rainwater or to comprehensive systems that provide water for household usage (shower, toilets a ......
  • Water Wise Gardening

    Water Wise Gardening

    ‘Water wise’ gardening is a common term in areas of the world that experience long periods of drought, or minimal rainfall. Gardeners who live in these areas often have to adapt to the c ......
  • Automatic Garden Watering Systems

    Automatic Garden Watering Systems

    Having some kind of automatic system set up to irrigate your plants is beneficial for a number of reasons: It frees you up to take care of other garden tasks, as you no longer have to traip ......
  • How to Water Your Garden by Hand

    How to Water Your Garden by Hand

    When it comes to watering the vegetable garden, convenience and automation has a lot going for it, but it’s not the be all and end all. Being a gardening ‘luddite’ whose weapon of ......
  • What type of Water is best for plants?

    What type of Water is best for plants?

    Water is one of the most crucial building blocks for plant growth. The rest of the ‘Big 5’ consists of oxygen, light, favourable temperature and nutrients. Interestingly enough for the purpose of thi ......
  • When is the Best Time to Water Plants?

    When is the Best Time to Water Plants?

    Whether learning by experience or by reading up, you’ll soon come to realise that - for the most part - there are no hard and fast rules for gardening. This applies to irrigation as well. Sure ......
  • Vegepod Self Watering Raised Bed

    Vegepod Self Watering Raised Bed

    The unique selling point of the Vegepod is that it combines some of the benefits of raised bed gardening with those of growing under cover or in a container. You can create a  microc ......
  • Can I Grow Vegetables Indoors?

    Can I Grow Vegetables Indoors?

    We recently decided to tackle some of the gardening FAQs that we get asked most frequently on this blog. Can I grow vegetables indoors? is one of those questions that pops up all the time and the sho ......
  • How Can I Heat My Greenhouse For Free in the Winter?

    How Can I Heat My Greenhouse For Free in the Winter?

    With rising energy bills being the reality these days, many people will want to avoid the expense of trying to heat a greenhouse by using storage or paraffin heaters etc. There are some alterna ......
  • Bolting: Why Vegetables Bolt and What You Can Do to Avoid It.

    Bolting: Why Vegetables Bolt and What You Can Do to Avoid It.

    Bolting is when a plant flowers prematurely before going to seed. This can happen with annual or biennial crops, and it's usually bad news for the gardener. Going to seed means that the plant is div ......
  • Can I Save My Own Vegetable Seeds?

    Can I Save My Own Vegetable Seeds?

    Saving your own vegetable seeds in order to plant them again the following year (or even later) is a very worthwhile and rewarding activity - make no mistake. It’s something that has been pract ......
  • Gardening Tips for Hot Weather

    Gardening Tips for Hot Weather

    It's hardly worth me pointing out that it's been hot and dry at this stage of the game, but as weather conditions have such a big impact on the garden that's what's foremost in my mind. I think we h ......
  • A Guide to Garden Irrigation

    A Guide to Garden Irrigation

    Irrigation is essential to the development and healthy growth of most garden crops; however, it can be very easy to overdo it. Individual plant needs may differ, but there are some general principle ......
  • The Quickcrop Garden Irrigation System

    The Quickcrop Garden Irrigation System

    The Quickcrop Garden Irrigation System can be adapted to suit a range of vegetable garden design layouts using a selection of connectors, hoses, valves and timers which can be arranged and connected ......
  • A guide to polytunnel irrigation

    A guide to polytunnel irrigation

    This might seem like an odd time of year to talk about irrigation, but if you are thinking of adding a watering system to your polytunnel or greenhouse then now is the time to get it done. Irri ......
  • Greenhouse Irrigation

    Greenhouse Irrigation

    One of the key differences between growing plants inside and growing them outside in your garden is that indoor plants don’t benefit from rainfall. As such, irrigation becomes even more importa ......
  • How to Install a Drip Irrigation System

    How to Install a Drip Irrigation System

    Drip irrigation is a very efficient method for watering your plants, whether they are in vegetable beds, containers, or inside a polytunnel. However, the overall layout of a drip irrigation system c ......
  • How to Irrigate your Garden During a Hosepipe Ban

    How to Irrigate your Garden During a Hosepipe Ban

    I took the above photo on Friday morning on the last day of my holidays. It shows Gurteen bay in Co. Galway on another gloriously sunny day. For the first time ever the weather went my way: with nea ......
  • Maintaining a Garden Pond

    Maintaining a Garden Pond

    Maintaining a garden pond fosters a healthy ecosystem, providing the suitable environment for fish and plants to thrive. It's important to practice regular maintenance routines, which can inv ......
  • How to make your own Olla Pots for Eco-Friendly Garden Irrigation

    How to make your own Olla Pots for Eco-Friendly Garden Irrigation

    It’s always fun to learn about and experiment with a new gardening technique. Olla pots (and the unique way that they work) aren’t exactly new though, far from it. The use of olla (prono ......
  • How To Grow Tomatoes In Containers

    How To Grow Tomatoes In Containers

    Tomatoes can be grown in containers like pots, planters, growbags, and hanging baskets, they may not be the easiest plant to grow at home but they are definitely one of the favourites. There are many ......
  • How To Create a Wildlife Friendly Pond

    How To Create a Wildlife Friendly Pond

    Honestly, do you ever think about how weird it is that ‘pond life’ has become a derogatory phrase and insult, when actual pond life contains some of the most fascinating and beautiful cr ......
  • Xeriscaping and Drought Tolerant Plants

    Xeriscaping and Drought Tolerant Plants

    It might sound like a phrase from some futuristic sci-fi story involving androids and off-world colonies, but xeriscaping actually comes from the Greek word ‘xeros’, meaning dry. It’s the pract ......
  • How To Grow Oriental Salads

    How To Grow Oriental Salads

    Soil and Site Any moderately fertile moisture retentive soil is good. A sheltered semi shade position is ideal. Rotation Oriental salads are part of the brassica rotation Sowing Oriental ......
  • How to Grow Chilli Peppers

    How to Grow Chilli Peppers

    Unlike other countries in the world, we just don't get the weather to grow chilli peppers successfully outdoors. It is possible but the results and cropping levels aren't as good. From my own person ......
  • How To Grow Marigold

    How To Grow Marigold

    Marigolds are grown in gardens as natural insect-repellents. We grow them at Quickcrop to repel insects from our polytunnel. Marigolds are prolific annuals that can add color to any garden. You ca ......
  • How To Care for a Lawn

    How To Care for a Lawn

    A neat, well-maintained lawn is still considered a cornerstone of an appealing outdoor space. It provides a space for children to play, pets to chase after a ball or stick, or for you to chill in th ......
  • How to Make a Garden Pond

    How to Make a Garden Pond

    Like so many garden projects, designing a pond requires careful planning. There are many options to consider depending on use, size, shape, material and situation. A careful compromise of these fact ......
  • How To Clean Outdoor Furniture

    How To Clean Outdoor Furniture

    Outdoor or patio furniture makes for a great addition to your garden, allowing you to spend time in the fresh air with family or just sit and soak in the serenity. With some items of furniture ......
  • Office and Desk Plants

    Office and Desk Plants

    We would all like to bring a little bit of our garden to the office with us, wouldn't we? Offices can often be drab, somewhat sterile places where the sound of birdsong or buzzing pollinators is rep ......
  • Late April in the Quickcrop Garden 2021

    Late April in the Quickcrop Garden 2021

    We are now very close to being able plant out seedling plants outdoors or to be able sow directly in the garden soil. Please be aware, however, that despite the recent sunny weather, it has been a co ......
  • A Pretty Pickle

    A Pretty Pickle

    England, like any country, has its pro's and con's but I thought I had died and gone to heaven when I discovered many pubs over there are furnished with an enormous glass jar of pickled eggs at the e ......
  • Essential Greenhouse Accessories

    Essential Greenhouse Accessories

    It's one thing to have your greenhouse all set up, installed and ready to go for the new season. However an empty greenhouse is a bit like an empty house; you're best off getting some furnishings fo ......
  • Harvesting and storing peas.

    Harvesting and storing peas.

    Keep picking your peas! Peas can be harvested from July to September but you need to keep picking them to keep the new pods coming. It's an odd one because you're waiting for the pods to plump up wi ......
  • Organic Gardening

    Organic Gardening

    What is Meant By Organic Gardening? You will no doubt have often heard the term 'organic gardening'. What it actually means - or how strict the definition is - can be different for each individual....
  • All About Succulent Plants

    All About Succulent Plants

    Succulent plants make ideal indoor displays so are a great winter project (or present!) for anyone who its itching to do a bit of gardening. Plants are easy and fun to propagate with leaf or stem cu ......
  • Growing Fruit in Containers

    Growing Fruit in Containers

    So, the other week I had an email from a customer asking for advice on what soil mix to use for planting fruit trees in containers. It was a simple question which should have resulted in a quick r ......
  • How To Grow Sprouting Broccoli

    How To Grow Sprouting Broccoli

    Know Your Broccoli! In Italian the word broccoli means 'little sprouts'. It is part of the Brassica family of vegetables, which also includes cauliflower, cabbages, Brussels sprouts, ......
  • How to Grow Endive

    How to Grow Endive

    How to grow endive, a popular salad vegetable on the Continent there are two types: curly endive (chicorée frisée), which is more heat-resistant, and Batavian or broad leaved (escarole); there are ......
  • Essential Sauna Accessories

    Essential Sauna Accessories

    Once you have your home sauna set up, you may be wondering what else you will need to optimise your sauna bathing sessions. The answer is not a whole lot. Saunas are places to sit and me ......
  • How To Grow Fennel

    How To Grow Fennel

    Fennel is easy to grow. They prefer full sun and a well drained soil. They will do best in rich soils.Water them during dry periods, once or twice per week. Add a general purpose fertilizer once or t ......
  • The Benefits of Mulching in the Garden

    The Benefits of Mulching in the Garden

    Mulching is the practice of covering the soil surface with a layer of material to protect your plants or to insulate or improve your garden soil. It’s a widely used technique in landscaping an ......
  • How To Grow Perpetual Spinach

    How To Grow Perpetual Spinach

    Perpetual spinach is actually a chard (beet family) but is very similar to true spinach in flavour. We prefer it as it is much easier to grow and far more vigorous than true spinach. It also has th ......
  • How To Grow Summer Savory

    How To Grow Summer Savory

    Summer Savory is probably the most used of the savory species, part of the Lamiaceae family it is closely related to rosemary and thyme. It is not as bitter tasting as winter savory and as such is ......
  • How to Grow Beetroot

    How to Grow Beetroot

    Beetroot is one of my best friends in the garden as we get so much out of it: using it for juicing, grating it for salads, roasting, baking and - my favourite of all - pickling.  This cr ......
  • Getting the season under way

    Getting the season under way

    It is still early days for sowing but there are a few plants that you can start off now, especially if you are lucky enough to have a greenhouse or polytunnel. Sowing times will differ dependin ......
  • What Do I Need To Start an Unheated Greenhouse?

    What Do I Need To Start an Unheated Greenhouse?

    A greenhouse can open up possibilities for you and extend your growing season. It mainly does this by increasing levels of heat and light: an effect brought about by the inherent design of the greenh ......
  • Germinating Vegetable Seeds in a Heated Propagator

    Germinating Vegetable Seeds in a Heated Propagator

    If you're staring off your vegetable plants in early Spring you'll need to give them some heat as temperatures will be too cold for the seeds to germinate. If you're growing in a greenhouse or pol ......
  • Diseases in the Vegetable Garden

    Diseases in the Vegetable Garden

    Perfectly healthy plants can be affected by air, water or soil borne diseases at any time. Understanding the causes, identifying them early and taking effective action will help you establish and ......
  • Growing Sprouting Seeds

    Growing Sprouting Seeds

    If you're getting a bit upset that the vegetable growing season is over you might like to try growing some sprouting seeds. O.K. they're never going to replace a large bushel of carrots or a bowl of ......
  • How To Grow Tomatoes

    How To Grow Tomatoes

    Tomatoes are one of the most rewarding crops for the home gardener to grow, simply because their flavour is so much better than their shop-bought cousins. Tomatoes grown for the supermarket shelf ha ......
  • Keyhole Gardening

    Keyhole Gardening

    There are no bounds when it comes to creativity when it comes to gardening, and the keyhole garden is a pretty neat example. This raised bed method of growing vegetables in a compact space is b ......
  • Sustainable Gardening

    Sustainable Gardening

    You've probably seen the word 'sustainable' a fair bit, but we wouldn't blame you if you're not entirely sure what it means. With the way it's used, it can sometimes seem like another word for &lsqu ......
  • How to build a school raised bed vegetable garden

    How to build a school raised bed vegetable garden

    Using school raised garden beds We would strongly recommend using timber raised vegetable beds for your school garden for a number of reasons, the biggest from the teachers point of view is they ......
  • How to Grow Mizuna

    How to Grow Mizuna

    Mizuna is one of those strange oriental vegetables which arrived in the West in the last 20 years or so. The name for this leafy green comes from the Japanese mizu, for “water,” and nu, for “mustar ......
  • July in the Quickcrop garden

    July in the Quickcrop garden

    July in the garden is a bit of a double edged sword, Mother nature shows her muscles both in the vigourous growth from your vegetable crops but also in the vigourous growth from your weeds. While you ......
  • Four Seasons in an Urban Community Garden - an interview with Kids' Own

    Four Seasons in an Urban Community Garden - an interview with Kids' Own

    Four Seasons in Our Garden was a year-long intergenerational project that took place in the setting of the Cranmore Community Co Op, a Sligo-based communal space with its own garden, polytunnel and ......
  • How To Grow Runner Beans

    How To Grow Runner Beans

    Runner beans, or 'scarlet runners', are native to central and northern South America, where they were seen as one of the 'Three Sisters', a famous companion planting growing technique.Runner beans ar ......
  • How To Grow Lettuce

    How To Grow Lettuce

    Lettuce is a favourite in the garden because it is relatively easy to grow, is one of the first crops that can be planted, and is one of the first crops to yield in the spring. It doesn’t take ......
  • Where to build a school raised bed garden?

    Where to build a school raised bed garden?

    Site Vegetables are expected to give a lot. We want them to grow quickly and provide good quantities of nutritious food. To do this we need to pamper them a bit and this means giving the best si ......
  • How To Grow Butternut Squash (Winter Squash)

    How To Grow Butternut Squash (Winter Squash)

    Squash plants are closely related to cucumbers, courgettes and marrows, and are a member of the same family, curcurbit. Squash plants come in a variety of shapes and sizes, and include butternut s ......
  • How To Grow Mint

    How To Grow Mint

    Mint is an aromatic perennial herb with oblong to lanceolate leaves. Mint plants are easily maintained and if left untended they can spread quite rapidly, making them a rather invasive plant. This ......
  • Fish for Small Garden Ponds

    Fish for Small Garden Ponds

    As you know the Quickcrop research bureau never sleeps. Our aim is provide you with the best products for your garden but also to back them up with plenty of useful information. If there is a me ......
  • How to Grow Chard

    How to Grow Chard

    Chard is basically a beet without the bottom. It's a biennial that is grown as an annual for its big crinkly leaves. The stalks are red or white with large, dark green leaves that can be used as s ......
  • Easy Home Tomato Planting Tutorial

    Easy Home Tomato Planting Tutorial

    Following on from last week's post I thought we would continue with more planting tips, this time on tomatoes as I put some in my tunnel at the weekend. As regards flavour, there is no comparison bet ......
  • Sowing seed in modular trays

    Sowing seed in modular trays

    My vegetable growing career took a serious shot in the arm when Niall and myself started Quickcrop. This was mainly due to our association with two of the best growers in the country, Dermot Carey ......
  • How To Grow Chinese Mustard

    How To Grow Chinese Mustard

    Grow Your Own Oriental Salads Spicy Chinese Mustard. Mustard greens are very popular in China for stir-fry, and mostly used cooked. The oriental mustards are a very large group of rather coarse-lea ......
  • How to Grow Osaka

    How to Grow Osaka

    Mustard greens are very popular in China for stir-fry, and mostly used cooked. The oriental mustards are a very large group of rather coarse-leaved brassicas, usually having a spicy flavour. The m ......
  • How to Grow Cabbage Red

    How to Grow Cabbage Red

    The variety we use in our nursery is usually Red Rovite, it is a very reliable red cabbage to grow in Autumn and Winter. Where to grow: Although cabbage can tolerate shade they will do much ......
  • The Quickcrop garden in March - dealing with a wet Spring

    The Quickcrop garden in March - dealing with a wet Spring

    Due to a relatively dry end to last week I had thought the worst of the weather was over. I said as much on Facebook (and nearly caused an International incident) but today, it seems, the rain is bac ......
  • How To Grow Cauliflower

    How To Grow Cauliflower

    The cauliflower is not the easiest of the brassica family to grow but a large white cauliflower with tight white curds is a thing of beauty and producing one a source of much satisfaction. Variety is ......
  • Small Space Gardening Tips

    Small Space Gardening Tips

    The number of people having a go at producing some of there own fresh produce is on the increase every year. The latest revolution is the small space urban gardener, who takes advantage of every squ ......
  • Quickcrop Pond Volume Calculator

    Quickcrop Pond Volume Calculator

    If you are considering building a garden pond you may want to calculate the volume of water for water treatment or if you intend to introduce fish. Water treatments to clear algae and other issues ......
  • Sowing Vegetable Seeds in Early Spring

    Sowing Vegetable Seeds in Early Spring

    As you may know my preference for most plants is to sow indoors in modular trays as you have a much greater chance of success. Freshly germinated seeds sown outdoors can be demolished overnight by ......
  • How To Plant an Attractive Succulent Display

    How To Plant an Attractive Succulent Display

    The trouble with pots and planters made from ceramic or stone is that they are heavy (extremely heavy if we're talking about stone), and can split in a heavy frost. From our point of view, they are ......
  • Storing & Preserving Homegrown Vegetables.

    Storing & Preserving Homegrown Vegetables.

    As September is one of the busiest harvesting months, this week I thought it might be helpful to talk about preserving or storing vegetables over winter as, if your garden is anything like mine, you ......
  • Growing Healthy Vegetable Seedlings

    Growing Healthy Vegetable Seedlings

    Growing your own can be tricky business for someone new to vegetable gardening but there are a number of ways you can stack the odds of a successful harvest in your favour. My number one would be ......
  • Burtown Kitchen Garden Diary – How To Build a Polytunnel

    Burtown Kitchen Garden Diary – How To Build a Polytunnel

    This week we have our second installment of the Burtown Kitchen Garden Diary where we see Dermot building a new polytunnel on the site to broaden the choice of fruit and vegetables destined for the ......
  • How to Grow Broccoli (Calabrese)

    How to Grow Broccoli (Calabrese)

    When most people hear the word 'broccoli' this is the crop that they will see in their mind's eye. The large green heads, made up of tightly packed florets, are popular with beginner gardeners and v ......
  • How To Grow Pumpkins

    How To Grow Pumpkins

    Pumpkins have a special appeal for both adults and children, especially at Halloween. The carved pumpkin outside the front door - or being carried house to house as a lantern - is an establishe ......
  • Sowing Leeks in February

    Sowing Leeks in February

    Leeks are a very easy and rewarding crop to grow. They are such a welcome vegetable in Autumn and Winter and add interest and colour to your garden with their blue/green spiky leaves. You ca ......
  • Tomato Growing Tips

    Tomato Growing Tips

    We build a relationship with tomatoes unlike almost any other plant in our vegetable garden, as they need such constant and varying care. We start off the seeds when it is too cold for them to survi ......
  • Urban Gardening Tool Essentials

    Urban Gardening Tool Essentials

    Urban gardening often involves having to make the most of small spaces. Just how much space you have to work with will depend on circumstance, but it’s possible for even an apartment-dweller t ......
  • Early August in the Quickcrop Vegetable Garden

    Early August in the Quickcrop Vegetable Garden

    As you know my top priority is keeping you happy so when I noticed a sunny spell outside the office window I sped over to the Quickcrop garden to take some photos. I was concerned, you see, that you ......
  • How To Grow Cabbage (Summer)

    How To Grow Cabbage (Summer)

    Cabbage is a demanding plant both is the amount of nutrients it needs and the space it takes up in the garden. It really is easy to grow if you feed your soil properly to begin with and take preca ......
  • How To Grow Courgettes

    How To Grow Courgettes

    Courgettes are easy to grow with two plants producing ample courgettes for most families. Courgettes are best picked small for best flavour, these plants are also very prolific so don't worry ther ......
  • Home Sauna vs Steam Room

    Home Sauna vs Steam Room

    If you’re new to the whole world of ‘sitting in a heated room to relax’, it may not be immediately clear what the difference is between a sauna and a steam room. Some people will use the terms ......
  • How to Maintain a Drip Irrigation System

    How to Maintain a Drip Irrigation System

    A drip irrigation system can save you lots of time in the garden, but it's good to set aside some time for occasional maintenance or inspection to ensure it's all functioning smoothly. Regularly ch ......
  • Mid July Vegetable Garden Update

    Mid July Vegetable Garden Update

    Keep sowing those seeds!I know I said it in a previous mail/blog post, but I feel I should again remind you to keep sowing seeds for late summer, autumn or overwintering crops. I know it doesn't feel ......
  • Quickcrop Nursery Visit

    Quickcrop Nursery Visit

    I was over at the nursery yesterday morning (pinching a few trees to replace some of my ash that had to come down) and took a few photos as it all looked so bright and colourful. I must say that J ......
  • Italian Kale With Tahini

    Italian Kale With Tahini

    In my opinion Kale is an underrated crop. It's really easy to grow, doesn't suffer as much from the usual brassica problems, is very good for you and tastes delicious. I suppose it is tougher than ca ......
  • What are Nematodes?

    What are Nematodes?

    If you are new to vegetable gardening you will probably be imagining yourself carefully nurturing your healthy, glossy plants, perhaps giving them a little water from your pretty yellow watering can ......
  • How To Grow Kohl Rabi

    How To Grow Kohl Rabi

    Kohlrabi sports a rosette of blueish-green leaves above a swollen stem. This almost globe-like stem makes it appear like a turnip growing on a cabbage root. In fact, in German 'Kohl' means cabbage an ......
  • Top 10 Vegetables to Grow in Containers

    Top 10 Vegetables to Grow in Containers

    We can't all be blessed with a large outdoor garden space, and so it is that growing vegetables in containers can be an effective way of tackling space limitations.  That doesn't mean you ......
  • How to Germinate Seeds Successfully

    How to Germinate Seeds Successfully

    A plant seed is created to grow, and will perform that task admirably once given the opportunity. For successful germination seeds will need:  a suitable growing medium moderate moistu ......
  • How to Grow Cabbage (Winter)

    How to Grow Cabbage (Winter)

    Cabbage is a demanding plant from the amount of nutrients it needs and the space it takes up in the garden. It really is easy to grow if you feed your soil properly to begin with and take precauti ......
  • Mid March 2021 Vegetable Garden Update

    Mid March 2021 Vegetable Garden Update

    Pricking out tomato and chilli seedlings This week I have started pricking out and potting on my tomato seedlings, you can see the tomatoes happily growing away in the photo above. There are a coupl ......
  • Elderflower Champagne

    Elderflower Champagne

    Ingredients 4 litres hot water 700g sugar Juice and zest of four lemons 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar About 15 elderower heads, in full bloom A pinch of dried yeast (you may not need this)M ......
  • How To Grow Climbing French Beans

    How To Grow Climbing French Beans

    Sowing French Bean - Climbing Recommended varieties: Cobra. You can sow climbing french beans indoors from the middle of May to plant out later or sow outdoors at the end of May. Be aware that Fre ......
  • Mypex Weed Control Fabric

    Mypex Weed Control Fabric

    Professional growers, landscapers, and home gardeners trust Mypex for its superior weed control capabilities. Mypex suppresses weed growth by blocking the light they need to thrive, while still allow ......