Charles Dowding's Garden
If you read any of the guff I write you will probably have heard me mention Charles Dowding before. He's a bit of a hero of mine basically because his book 'Organic Gardening - The Natural No Dig Way'...
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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 fa... -
Some News On Seeds
Just to let you all know that we're in the middle of a project to rebuild our Quickcrop seed range at the moment - as well as providing more comprehensive info on the different varieties. Brexit is st... -
No Dig Garden Beds
Put that shovel away! No dig gardening continues to grow in popularity with home growers and gardeners, but what does it actually involve? Will you need to sell all your garden tools? (Short answer:... -
The Benefits of Cold Pressed Seaweed and Foliar Feeds
As you know, the Quickcrop research team never sleeps. We work tirelessly night and day to improve our product range and bring the best possible products to our shop and, hopefully, to your gard... -
How to Protect Cabbages and Carrots from 2 Common Pests
Firstly, thank you to anyone who replied to last week's mail expressing interest in information on plant feed for container growing. I am a bit tight for time this week and there is a lot to go throug... -
What Is The Best Position For A Polytunnel?
Where you position your polytunnel will ultimately depend on the space you have available, but there are some important factors to take into account. Good positioning will increase your chances of gr... -
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 garde... -
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 depending... -
The Spring Vegetable Garden, Looking After Your Soil.
You know when you meet someone at a party who you've never met before you have to try quite hard not to ask them what they 'do' to get the conversation going? Similarly it's nigh on impossible not to... -
How to Grow Claytonia
A hardy cool season salad crop, Claytonia also goes by the names 'winter purslane' or 'miner's lettuce' - the latter because it was believed to be used by miners to stave off scurvy during the Califo... -
Healthy Soil for Sustainable Irish Gardens
Soil is more than just an inert growing medium. It is home to a complex, interconnected web of soil microbes, fungi, earthworms and underground networks: an underground ecosystem that you can nurture... -
How To Secure A Polytunnel To the Ground
When setting up your polytunnel, it's important to make sure that it's fixed securely to the ground. It's a long-term structure and you want it to be able to withstand all kinds of weather condi... -
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 moisture w... -
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 for... -
Planting Potatoes in March
Depending on your location early potatoes are planted in mid March once the days begin to warm. To be fair, the soil is probably warm enough to plant now in most gardens but what you need to be car... -
Sowing Tomatoes in late February - a guide from Rhys Jaggar
Despite the fact that I am usually busy enough in the polytunnel in late Winter (sowing sweet peas, peppers, broad beans etc....), it is not until I sow my tomatoes that I really feel the season h... -
Garden Weeding Tips - Annual and Perennial Weeds
If you saw the state of my garden right now you would laugh your head off that I have the cheek to talk about weeding. It has never looked so bad (too much wandering around, not enough work going on)... -
Optimum Sowing Times for Irish Gardens
I have had a number of mails asking about optimum sowing times for the rest of the season. Always eager to please, I have included my best shot below for what works in my garden in Sligo. If you are... -
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 ve... -
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, t... -
The Quickcrop Garden in June
This week I thought we would have a quick look around my vegetable garden to see what's happening. We had such a cold start that I was getting jumpy - almost everything was struggling, but the recent... -
Succession Cropping - Our 2021 Garden Plan
Last week I touched on succession sowing and said I would include my plan for this year and, being very organised these days (new years resolution), I am pleased to include it below. Not all of the pl... -
What is the Best Compost For Container Growing?
While I am lucky enough to have plenty of outdoor and tunnel growing space, I do grow some plants in containers (e.g. bush tomatoes) and I realise that for many gardeners living in urban areas, conta... -
The Vegetable Garden in March
March can be a deceptive month. The season is clearly starting to turn with warmer days, grass beginning to grow and buds opening on fruit bushes, yet it is still too early to sow most outdoor c... -
How To Rewild Your Garden
The rewilding movement has picked up pace and momentum in recent years. In short, the idea behind rewilding is that we humans take a step back and allow nature to reclaim large or small areas of land... -
10 Vegetables to Grow in Autumn and Winter
August and September are still very productive months in the garden, with growth slowing somewhat in October. Unless you have a greenhouse or polytunnel (which I'd highly recommend), once the winter s... -
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... -
A Guide to Our Favourite Tomato Varieties
Whatever about sowing onions, broad beans or other early crops in February, it isn't until tomato sowing time that I get properly excited. That is when the season really gets going. It is possible to... -
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 and agric...