126 results

  • Overwintering Garlic and Onions

    Overwintering Garlic and Onions

    So, the season rolls around again and we're thinking about clearing beds and putting in autumn or overwintering crops. I'm really fond of this part of the year, as the pressure is off and you can con...
  • How To Grow Garlic

    How To Grow Garlic

    Growing garlic is both easy and satisfying: it's well-suited to both the first time gardener and the more experienced. A haul of freshly harvested garlic is a beautiful thing, especially when the out...
  • Hardneck vs Softneck Garlic - What's the Difference?

    Hardneck vs Softneck Garlic - What's the Difference?

    When choosing what type of garlic to grow, it's important to choose the right type for your climate as well as for the time of year that you are planting. Garlic varieties can be divided into two mai...
  • 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 col...
  • 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 couple...
  • Early May in the vegetable garden

    Early May in the vegetable garden

    The news from the Quickcrop garden could be described as 'mixed'. Outside, a mind boggling amount of slugs continue to eat everything in sight despite my best efforts at control. On a more posit...
  • How To Grow Chives

    How To Grow Chives

    A member of the onion family, chives are well worth cultivating in the vegetable and flower garden. They take up very little space, and the whole plant can be eaten from top to bottom - the bulbs a...
  • How to Grow Onions

    How to Grow Onions

    Onions are one of the most popular vegetables for growing in home gardens and are one of the first crops of spring. They can be stored over winter thus making a versatile crop. They are used in a h...
  • What to Sow in April

    What to Sow in April

    April is the biggest sowing month of the year, with the first 2 weeks being the busiest - especially if you have some March sowings you need to catch up on. You will remember that most outdoor vegeta...
  • July 7th - Quickcrop Vegetable Garden Update

    July 7th - Quickcrop Vegetable Garden Update

    I don't know what the season has been like for you but thanks to a warm and dry early summer followed by some welcome rain, my garden is looking vibrant and green. Despite the fact that the weeds grow...
  • Functional Nutrition Basics Part 5 – Immune Function

    Functional Nutrition Basics Part 5 – Immune Function

    Your Immune System The immune system is made up of a network of cells, tissues, and organs that work together to protect the body. It is a highly evolved series of defences designed to...
  • November in the Vegetable Garden

    November in the Vegetable Garden

    It will come as no surprise to learn that November is a quiet time in the garden, as once we pass the middle of the month temperatures will usually drop to a level that halts plant growth. We can see...
  • Succession Cropping - Our 2021 Garden Plan

    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 To Sow in September

    What To Sow in September

    It's crazy busy in the garden and the kitchen these days between harvesting and preserving all your delicious homegrown crops. If you can spare a few minutes to sow some seeds, your future self will...
  • The Pros and Cons of Organic Pesticides

    The Pros and Cons of Organic Pesticides

    At first glance it would seem like a no-brainer that organic pesticides are preferable to chemical pesticides; at least to a gardener who wishes to do the least harm while still protecting their crop...
  • What Is Crop Rotation?

    What Is Crop Rotation?

    Crop rotation is a system of moving the position of certain crops (or families of crops) around so that they are not being grown in the same soil for successive years. It plays an important role in ag...
  • The Quickcrop Garden in Mid June

    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 idy...
  • What are the Benefits of Polytunnel Growing?

    What are the Benefits of Polytunnel Growing?

    We had a number of questions recently on polytunnel growing: particularly whether polytunnels are worth the investment and whether it is true that they enable year-round growing, so I figured I might...
  • The Vegetable Garden in October

    The Vegetable Garden in October

    October in the vegetable garden is mostly about harvesting and storing root crops, checking on overwintering vegetables like purple sprouting broccoli or Brussels sprouts and preparing and protecting...
  • Polytunnel Succession Planting Plan 2021

    Polytunnel Succession Planting Plan 2021

    Regular readers will know that I included my outdoor garden succession planting plan in one of our January emails. I also said I would follow with my polytunnel plan if anyone was interested, and ind...
  • The Quickcrop Garden in January 2021

    The Quickcrop Garden in January 2021

    As someone who makes a lot of mistakes, I have to say I absolutely love a clean slate. I can literally drag myself to the end of the year yet emerge completely transformed once the calendar rolls arou...
  • Is It Too Late To Start A Vegetable Garden in August?

    Is It Too Late To Start A Vegetable Garden in August?

    If you're just thinking about starting your first vegetable garden, you might feel like you've missed the boat or that it's the wrong time of year. Fair enough: many gardeners see August as a time fo...
  • September 2020 in the Quickcrop Garden

    September 2020 in the Quickcrop Garden

    It is incredible just how fast the season slips by, I can't believe it's September already! The final part of the season got away from me a bit (broken collarbone) but luckily work done earlier in the...
  • What to Grow in the Polytunnel in Winter

    What to Grow in the Polytunnel in Winter

    While winter growing is 'totally a thing' (as my daughter would say), it can be misunderstood to mean that summer crops can be grown undercover in winter - which is certainly not the case! Winter in...
  • 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...
  • ​The Polytunnel in April

    ​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 war...
  • Aphid Pest Control

    Aphid Pest Control

    Aphids are the source of much frustration in the garden. Also referred to as greenfly or blackfly, these small sap-sucking insects feed on ornamental plants and edibles alike. They can cause a range...
  • 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 w...
  • The Polytunnel in mid April 2021

    The Polytunnel in mid April 2021

    This week I thought I would concentrate on the polytunnel or greenhouse as there is a lot to be done in April both in terms of sowing new seed and in potting on tomato, chilli and sweet pepper plants...
  • How Do I Protect my Seedlings from Slugs and Snails?

    How Do I Protect my Seedlings from Slugs and Snails?

    Try saying that blog title quickly! Slugs have always been a challenge for anyone trying to grow their own vegetable crops, but 2023 seemed to see higher numbers than ever in gardens across the count...
  • Vermicomposting for Beginners: How to Use a Wormery

    Vermicomposting for Beginners: How to Use a Wormery

    Vermicomposting is an alternative to traditional composting, using special composting worms which process and break down food waste. You may have heard of worm castings: these consist of digested org...
  • 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 Ja...
  • What to sow in late May and early June

    What to sow in late May and early June

    The transition from May to June is a fantastic time in the vegetable garden as the crops you have planted or sown start to put on some proper growth and the garden starts to fill up. As you know I oft...
  • Cabbage Spring

    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 areas r...
  • The Benefits of Raised Bed Gardening

    The Benefits of Raised Bed Gardening

    Why should I use a raised bed?I guess the best place to get started is why should I grow in raised beds in the first place? For me, growing in raised beds was my only option at first. When I began gr...
  • How Frost Affects Your Plants

    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's...
  • Pickling Cucumbers - Types of Pickles

    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 spe...
  • How to Create your own Butterfly Garden

    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 f...
  • May in the Vegetable Garden: Tips on Planting Out

    May in the Vegetable Garden: Tips on Planting Out

    When my daughter Anna (21, not living at home) called to tell us she had adopted 2 kittens I started a countdown in my head to see how long it would take for them to end up with us. It took about 4 w...
  • Late August Garden Update & Protecting Your Soil.

    Late August Garden Update & Protecting Your Soil.

    This week we are back in the vegetable garden to look at growth towards the end of the season and to make sure we get the best possible harvests before the cold weather arrives. While August can seem...
  • 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 bo...
  • Delivery

    Delivery

    Ireland & Northern Ireland* Standard Delivery Rate is €5.95  (GLS)Seed Packet Orders are €2.95Free Delivery for members on orders over €75You can easily sign up here at no cost, to avail of......
  • 10 Easy Crops to Grow for Beginners

    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 dif...
  • The Vegetable Garden in February 2021

    The Vegetable Garden in February 2021

    While we are heading in the right direction in terms of day length, February is still a very cold month with little we can sow or plant outside. There are a few crops that we should sow indoors in Feb...
  • What to Sow and Grow in July

    What to Sow and Grow in July

    The vegetable garden was beginning to get very dry over the last few weeks - so much so that I found myself out with the hose watering crops, which can be a very tedious and time consuming job. So ye...
  • Growing tips for beginners

    Growing tips for beginners

    Last week the blog included some tips on starting a new vegetable garden and, judging by the emails I received (thank you), a number of you found it very helpful (fantastic!). With that in mind, I...
  • Plant Roots and How They Work

    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...
  • 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 w...
  • 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. A...
  • The Best Crops to Grow in a Polytunnel

    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, depen...
  • The Ultimate Guide to Vegetable Harvesting - Part 1

    The Ultimate Guide to Vegetable Harvesting - Part 1

    Those of you who are subscribed to our newsletter may already be familiar with this A-Z guide that I've been gradually putting together. It's easy to find sowing times for vegetables but sometimes it...