How To Grow Rosemary
Rosemary is one of the most decorative herbs and is well worth growing for its appearance alone. Dependent on the variety, it has small, profuse flowers appearing in late spring which range from da ......
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How Frost Affects Your Plants
As winter approaches in the second half of the year it's important to consider protecting your plants from cold weather - and the damage that can be caused by frost. In a lot of ways though, it' ...... -
A Grower's Guide to Crop Covers and Plant Protection
Plant protection is the practice of managing weeds, 'pests' and diseases that could otherwise damage or inhibit the growth of your crops, as well as mitigating the effect of weather extremes. Strate ...... -
What Is The Best Finish for Garden Furniture?
A finish generally refers to a coating which you can apply to your garden furniture to add extra protection, improve its weather resistance or retain its visual appeal. This can be done just af ...... -
Sowing and germinating vegetable seeds
We are now moving into the time of year when we start to sow seeds (for those of you not reading this article 'hot from the oven' it is the beginning of February) so I figured it may be helpful to ...... -
Wild Irish Medicinal Herbs - Coltsfoot
Marina Kessopersadh of Iona Herbal contacted us about one of her courses she's running on Saturday April the 6th and the 20th in North Sligo. I thought it looked pretty cool, as I love the idea ...... -
Growing wheatgrass and wheatgrass juice
Wheatgrass is a tricky one to pin down. Many people I've spoken with swear by it while others will dismiss it as utter nonsense. It is claimed to be an energy booster, and a detoxifier, to be benefic ...... -
Plant Roots and How They Work
As we slip into the cooler weather of October there is very little we can sow now (apart from some cold tolerant Asian salads) so, as per last week's mail, it is mostly about preparing the ...... -
Mini Polytunnel Kits For Vegetable Gardening
Our Quickcrop mini polytunnel kits have been designed to be attached, via a hinge, to a timber raised bed. They can also be secured straight into the ground using the included ground pegs. These mi ...... -
The Polytunnel in April
So, how is everyone feeling with the improvement in the weather? I for one am feeling pretty good about it. I don't know what the temperatures were like where you are, but it was wonderfully wa ...... -
An October Weekend in the Quickcrop Garden
After a wet week last week, the weekend looked promising (well, Sunday at least) to get some work done in the garden and start preparing it for the Winter. As you may know, my garden is in an area of ...... -
Hugelkultur Garden Beds
Hugelkultur is a form of raised bed gardening using layers of organic material. We previously discussed keyhole gardening on the blog, and hugelkultur gardening has a few similarities. It has become ...... -
Building a timber fruit cage
My weekend work for the last 2 weeks has been building our new fruit cage video location. The plan, as I think I mentioned in a previous mail, is to film a new set of videos showing how to plant, pru ...... -
Sow Easy Grow - Grow Grid
I spent last summer dreading weeding my vegetable garden, as time pressure meant the hoe didn't get used as much as it should. I'm not the best weeder in the world (I find it pretty boring) and can e ...... -
How to plan a vegetable garden
A new year brings with it the temptation to try something new in the garden, overhaul your growing space or simply fine-tune the way that you do things. Garden planning is something you can do ...... -
How To Grow Carrots
Get the soil conditions correct and carrots are one of the easiest vegetables to grow in the cooler climates. This root crop is rich in vitamin A, calcium and trace elements, and a good source of fi ...... -
Curried Parsnip Soup
I'd kind of given up including recipes in our newsletters as I can see by my sneaky control panel that not many of you read them. Still, this is a soup my lovely wife made the other day which I think ...... -
How to Grow Herbs at Home
I guess it is important to say from the outset that herbs are very easy to grow. Considering what they add in flavour - and how often you will use them - they are probably the best value plants in t ...... -
How to prune old and neglected apple trees
This article covers pruning old and neglected fruit trees, if you would like to learn how to prune younger or freshly planted trees please read ' An introduction to pruning apple trees'. I get ...... -
Growing your own Dwarf Vegetable Varieties
Cultivating home grown vegetables is a simple pleasure that anyone can experience, even if you have limited space. We don’t all have the benefit of a large garden with room for a greenhouse and a r ...... -
How To Grow Caraway
Caraway, also known as Persian Cumin or Meridian Fennel, is part of the carrot family and similar in appearance too. It has aromatic leaves and tasty seeds which are used in a wide range of Europe ...... -
How to Plant Tomato Seedlings
I had a call from Dermot Carey (my personal vegetable guru) over the weekend as he wanted to pick up a couple of rolls of fleece. "I hope you don't mind me calling on a Sunday morning" says Dermot "N ...... -
How Do You Use A Greenhouse (for Beginners)?
The greenhouse has a long and interesting history. Did you know that a proto-greenhouse structure was designed by the Romans to support Emperor Tiberius's one-cucumber-a-day habit? Or that the ...... -
What are the Best Garden Soil Improvers?
For the home gardener there is absolutely nothing more important than their soil. Soil is the life blood of the garden and its makeup will have a big influence on your successes or failures. G ...... -
Are Bird Feeders Harming Birds?
Bird conservationists or enthusiasts have been expressing concern about the potential downsides of garden bird feeders for a while now. Statistics have shown that signifcant declines in greenfinch a ...... -
Indoor Gardening Projects for Winter
Winter can be a difficult time for us gardeners, as outdoor growing grinds to a halt for the most part. You can however keep the fires burning by embarking on some indoor projects over the winter mo ...... -
Top 10 Mothers Day Gardening Gifts 2015
Mothers Day 2015 Mothers Day 2015 is on sunday the 15th of March in Ireland. It is one of those days that lands on a different date each year, which is why it is easily forgotten about.&n ...... -
How To Grow Diakon Radish
How to grow daikon radishes. Daikon is a long, white variety of radish. Also known as white radish, mooli or Oriental radish, daikon radishes can grow over a foot long. They have a crispy texture, ...... -
Asian Greens for Autumn Sowing
When we move towards the end of July and into early August, it can be easy to think that the time for sowing new crops has passed. To be fair that's true for most things, with the garden now in ...... -
Mulching is the key to a healthy garden
I have two books which are my vegetable growing bibles. One is Joy Larkcom's 'Grow Your Own Vegetables' and the other is 'Organic Gardening - The Natural No-Dig Way' by Charles Dowding. Both are f ...... -
New Quickcrop Vegetable Growers Course
Last week I filmed the first in a series of over 200 videos which will become the backbone of our new Quickcrop vegetable growers course. This epic learning experience will cover all the cr ...... -
Fabulous and Funky Fermented Foods
I am excited about this week's post because I am covering one of my favourite subjects, fermented food. To be fair, I am a lot better at eating it than making it but all that is going to change now I ...... -
How To Grow Pak Choi
Pak Choi (also called bok choy) is a mild flavoured Oriental vegetable in the same family as Chinese cabbage, Tatsoi and Wong Bok which are all grown the same way. Pak Choi can be eaten raw, stir ...... -
Gardening for Biodiversity
Fostering biodiversity in our gardens or outdoor spaces helps to create an environment where plants, insects, birds and other wildlife can thrive and feel at home. It also directly benefits us garde ...... -
Pickling Cucumbers - Types of Pickles
The humble cucumber is perhaps the single most popular food to use for pickles, so much so that over in the States the word ‘pickle’ pretty much means ‘pickled cucumber’. We’re a little more sp ...... -
Cabbage Spring
Recommended Varieties: Hispi F1 Where to grow: Cabbage needs a fertile moisture retentive soil with good drainage. The cabbages will remain in the ground through the Winter so in wet a ...... -
The Best Crops to Grow in a Polytunnel
A polytunnel can really open up a world of growing possibilities, extending the growing season, providing extra shelter and increasing your chances of success with warm climate crops. However, ...... -
How to care for young fruit trees
Seeing as I mentioned my new orchard in the last post I might as well add a little information on caring for new fruit trees. Getting trees established well has a big impact on future fruiting so ...... -
Creating a Microclimate in your Garden
What is a Microclimate? A microclimate is a small localised area that differs somewhat from the surrounding weather conditions, for example being warmer, more humid, windier etc. A ‘localised ...... -
How To Attract Beneficial Insects To Your Garden
Garden 'pests' are the scourge of many a gardener - it can feel like they’re taunting you and all your careful work as they infest, burrow into and devour crops or plants. In these kinds of ...... -
The Polytunnel in September
Unless you live in a part of the country with a unique and unreported special climate you will have experienced a pretty disappointing summer for growing fruit and vegetables. Apart from the fact it' ...... -
The Vegetable Garden in Early Spring
Well, it's been a while. I always have great intentions to write more articles every month but time seems to slip by so easily with the day to day business at Quickcrop. Yes, I am the same person who ...... -
How To Fix a Hole in a Polytunnel
Polytunnels are designed to be durable structures, and you can expect the polythene cover itself to last for a good 4-5 years before it needs replacing. Having said that, accidents can happen ...... -
What Are The Best Vegetables For Children?
Persuading children to eat vegetables can be a task and a half. It’s not just stubbornness either: research shows that kids’ taste buds are simply more receptive to sweet foods. And let’s be ho ...... -
How To Grow The Best Tomato Seedlings
One of the things first time vegetable gardeners ask about when they call or email us is tomatoes - everyone wants to grow their own tomatoes. This is a bit unfortunate as for the most part they are ...... -
Korean Kimchi and Fizzy Milk
It is rare that my wife and I agree on anything but I was pleasantly surprised when my liking for pickled vegetables converged neatly with her interest in the health benefits of home fermented produc ...... -
April 20th Garden Update. Planting French Beans
Garden Update I am making some progress in the garden this week with a few tips coming to mind which hopefully you will find helpful.The first tip I have is get a tractor! Readers from last Autumn m ...... -
Planting Garden Bulbs
Flowering bulbs are ideal for container gardening or as part of a vibrant garden border. They are one of the easiest plants to grow and with a little careful planning can provide a beautiful show of ...... -
How To Grow Strawberries
Fruit trees and bushes are planted in the garden with the intention of being around for the long haul, providing harvests for many years. In return for this supply of fresh fruit they require regula ...... -
Bat Friendly Gardening
The fact that it took me 15 mins to find a 'nice' looking photo of a bat gives a good indication as to why most people don't like them. Add in their association with vampires, death and all things s ...... -
The Incredible Hungry Bin Worm Composter
One of the best (and the most fun) ways to make compost is back! Innovators that we are, we had taken in a small stock of these sturdy compost bins last year but due to problems with the European dis ...... -
Polytunnel Pest Control
When it comes to dealing with garden pests, the enclosed space of the polytunnel can be something of a double-edged sword. On the one hand, your crops are protected from the outdoors - which can ...... -
How To Make a Herb Garden
They may not be the first thing you think of when planning a vegetable garden, but herbs are very easy and rewarding to grow. They provide a rich array of options when it comes to cooking and garnis ...... -
How to Make a DIY Bird Box
Bird nest boxes can serve as an alternative to traditional nesting spaces that birds avail of in nature (e.g. cavities in trees or cliffs or structural gaps in old buildings). According to Teagasc o ...... -
How to Make Leaf Mould: A Free And Natural Soil Improver
Collecting autumn leaves may seem like another garden tidying task to add to the list, but they are actually a valuable resource for the vegetable gardener. When rotted they make an excellent mulch, ...... -
How to Grow Microgreens Indoors
Towards the end of summer and into autumn, activity in the vegetable garden slows down as crops are fully grown and their fruit begins to ripen. Winter brassicas are bedded in until spring, and work ...... -
The Quickcrop Garden in Mid June
Well folks, I am back from my week's holidays loafing around with the day to myself. If anyone is interested, I was in Oysterhaven, a pretty spot on the sea in county Cork. The idea was to have an id ...... -
Top 10 Plant Protection For The Vegetable Garden
Our Top Ten list of plant protection products for the vegetable garden. Plant protection is the practice of managing weather, weeds, pests and diseases that damage or inhibit the growth of fruit, veg ...... -
How to Propagate a Plant From Cuttings
Plant propagation is creating new plants from existing plants. This can be done using seeds or bulbs, by taking cuttings from existing plants, or by dividing roots. Taking cuttings is by far the eas ...... -
Square Foot Vegetable Gardening Using Timber Raised Beds
What is Square Foot Gardening? Square foot gardening is a method of growing vegetables which centers around planting crops in blocks rather than rows. The system divides the growing space up int ...... -
The Polytunnel in January
While I do spend plenty of happy time in the garden in January there really isn't a whole lot you can do other than preparing things for the season ahead. In may cases I will be tempted to start a ...... -
Beautiful Beetroot with Dorcas Barry
I always liked beetroot anyway but since my wife started making a salad with roasted beetroot and feta cheese my interest in growing them reached new heights. I have been improving my garden soil ove ...... -
What are Green Manures?
As my garden moves into autumn and I harvest and clear spent crops from my beds, I am looking at an increasing number of empty spaces. Some of these gaps will be filled with autumn or overwintering ...... -
How To Build and Install Raised Garden Beds
How To Build Raised Beds This article deals with how to build raised garden beds, what is the best size to make them and what is the best material to use. We will also look at preparing the soil, wh ...... -
10 Easy Crops to Grow for Beginners
When you're just starting on your food-growing journey, it's probably best to be a little selective about what you're planning to grow. There are some food crops that can prove to be surprisingly di ...... -
May 5th, Planting tomatoes, chillis and cucumbers in the polytunnel
I made a vow to myself last week that I would go at least a month without including a photo of my tractor in these emails. As you see above I have failed already but, to be fair, that's a really nice ...... -
The Science of Seed Germination
As you will know if you read last week’s mail, we kicked off our winter plant biology series with roots (I was going from the bottom up), but, in retrospect, I should really have started with se ...... -
Native vs Non Native Wildflowers
At first glance, the idea that planting wildflowers is good for nature, or the ecosystem, or for pollinating insects seems like sound logic. However, as with many things in life, the reality is a bi ...... -
How To Grow Broad Beans
Broad beans are the simplest thing to grow. They are hardy and produce a large crop of delicious beans. I prefer to pick them young for a sweeter bean which are lovely tossed into a salad. You can e ...... -
The Health Benefits of Using a Home Sauna
Look, we don’t blame you if you get a bit sceptical when someone goes on about the positive health effects that a particular activity might have. This is doubly so when someone is trying to mar ...... -
Late July in the Quickcrop Vegetable Garden
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 doe ...... -
Fast Composting vs Slow Composting
Easy compost making: throw some organic matter in a pile and wait. But of course we never let it be that easy. For years, composters all over have been monkeying with the "how to compost" puzzle to c ...... -
Reducing Food Waste
Food waste is a significant social issue with far-reaching consequences for the environment. According to the EPA, Ireland generated 835,000 tonnes of food waste in 2023 - or 162 kg of food waste pe ...... -
Create Privacy in Your Garden with Durapost Garden Fencing
If you're familiar with the Quickcrop garden diary, you may have noticed the low timber fence around my vegetable plot, which is supposed to keep things looking neat and tidy but has got very r ...... -
The Vegetable Garden in July - Planting New Potatoes
If you have some spare space in your vegetable garden in July you could put in some 'Second Cropping' potatoes for a late Autumn/Winter harvest. Winter seed potatoes are essentially selected early va ...... -
5 Uses for Autumn Leaves
There's something quite pleasant about raking up autumn leaves: it feels like such an ancient, seasonal practice that it connects you not only with the current yearly cycle, but to the same dependab ...... -
August in the Quickcrop Vegetable Garden
I can't believe I am already writing about the vegetable garden in August, where has all that time gone? I don't know what the weather is like where you are but we are seeing cooler, showery days whi ...... -
How to Make a Bokashi Soil Factory
The Bokashi method is a way of recycling household food waste by fermenting it in a container - in anaerobic conditions - with the aid of microbes. However, Bokashi isn't a true alternative to ...... -
Why Sow Wildflowers?
What are the main benefits of sowing wildflowers in your outdoor space or of creating a wildflower meadow? First of all, it's best to go for a 100% native Irish wildflower mix, as non-native wildflo ...... -
How To Speed Up the Composting Process
Composting is a natural process that transforms your food scraps and garden waste into rich, crumbly ‘black gold’: the finest soil enhancer you can get your hands on. However, for the ea ...... -
Holly Somerville. Botanical Artist
I must confess to be a bit of a frustrated artist myself, in fact my past career involved slopping paint around the canvas but sadly I can't seem to find the time anymore. I'm always a bit jealous wh ...... -
The Vegetable Garden in November
November is the month when growth in the vegetable garden finally grinds to a halt. Temperatures fall and daylight levels decrease, the season is over and other than harvesting any remaining crops ...... -
The Vegetable Garden in March 2016
This March I am starting a new monthly update project which is centered more around what I'm doing in my garden. This is because it's easier for me to write but also I hope you find it more engagin ...... -
How to Grow Potatoes
For me potatoes are the backbone of the vegetable garden. If you get the seed potatoes in relatively early, there is very little to do apart from earthing up and keeping an eye out for blight. Potat ...... -
A drop of Powers: an interview with Jane Powers
I had always read Jane Powers' Irish Times articles with interest so I was quite excited when I answered the phone one day and found herself on the other end. She was doing an article on raised be ...... -
Cabbage Pest and Disease Control
Cabbage Pests & Diseases Cabbages and other brassicas have become a very important part of the vegetable garden in our climate. Different varieties of cabbages have been bred for productivity, s ...... -
Outdoor Bird Feeders for Irish Gardens
Unless you have a massive veranda in your backyard, a bird feeder (or feeders plural) will be exposed to all kinds of weather conditions, good and bad. A good quality bird feeder should be durable, ...... -
How to Grow Climbing Peas and Beans
Climbing peas and beans are some of my favourite crops in the vegetable garden. They epitomise summer with their attractive flowers and lush growth. There is something 'active' about them with their ...... -
Identifying Common Garden Pests
Seeing your vegetable crops decimated by garden pests can be a very disheartening sight, and it can happen seemingly overnight if proper preventative methods aren't applied. Once the garden pes ...... -
February 2018 - Vegetable Garden Update
This weekend showed some real promise with blue skies and the first fleeting traces of heat from the sun. As you see from the photo (taken on Sunday morning) the wind had also dropped leaving the lak ...... -
The Difference between Indoor and Outdoor Cucumbers
The Cucumber incident Did I tell you I'm now on TikTok? Despite not really knowing what TikTok is, I made my debut on the controversial social media platform a few weeks ago when Carmel put a couple ...... -
Planting French Garlic in Autumn
It's the start of Autumn here and we’re clinging on to a vague suggestion of an Indian Summer. It's still dry enough to spend a bit of time in the garden and there are a few seasonal jobs that are pe ...... -
Harvesting Homegrown Vegetables
Harvesting homegrown vegetables can be just as important as growing them as some crops can quickly go past their best and loose precious flavour and texture. Harvesting at just the right time is impo ...... -
Functional Nutrition Basics Part 4 - Skin Health
When you see someone with glowing skin, it stands out but not all of us are blessed with radiant, flawless skin. There are millions of products available we can slather, scrub and rub into our skin o ...... -
Top 10 Great Overwintering Vegetables
We always get loads of calls in August / September looking for overwintering vegetable seedlings. Of course I'm delighted as we do a great range of vegetables for autumn planting from our online nurs ...... -
Vegetables to Sow in Late June
After last weeks brilliant article on late sowings of peas and carrots I got a number of mails asking what other vegetables can be sown at this time of year. I am always surprised at how many people ...... -
Bee Friendly Gardening
Bees are essential to the health of our ecosystems, food supplies and economies. These quietly industrious insects have a mutually beneficial relationship with countless wildflowers and food crops, ...... -
Growing Rhubarb
Rhubarb is a very easy plant to grow. If you get the conditions right at the start it will be relatively trouble free for many years. It is a plant that looks fantastic in the vegetable garden ...... -
How To Maintain Your Home Sauna
Kicking back and relaxing in your home sauna is going to be much easier once you know that everything is working smoothly and the structure is in good condition. The good news is that saun ...... -
How to Create your own Butterfly Garden
Butterflies are one of the most charismatic of all garden visitors, with their vividly coloured wings and elegant flight arcs. Species like Red Admiral, Peacock and Small Tortoiseshell are commonly ......