129 results

The Health Benefits of Garlic

You have to hand it to garlic for it’s sheer audacity, showboating through the kitchen, loving the attention it gets as its aroma permeates everything whether being cooked or chopped. It may be the ... … Read more
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 wh ... … Read more
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 ... … Read more
Cork Garlic Farm Update

You may remember we reported from the West Cork Garlic Farm earlier in the year. It's a project we're very excited about as it gives us a source of Irish produced top quality seed garlic. I include t ... … Read more
Hardneck vs Softneck Garlic - What's the Difference?

Hardneck vs Softneck Garlic - What's the Difference? Softneck GarlicThe vast majority of shop-bought garlic is likely to be a softneck variety. Softnecks are generally grown in warmer climates (80% ... … Read more
West Cork Garlic Farm

West Cork Garlic is a new enterprise which has undertaken the risky business of growing garlic commercially in the Irish climate.Axel and Marye Miret of Enniskeane, County Cork, started off with a pi ... … Read more
Growing Garlic - Frequently Asked Questions

Growing garlic is one of my favourite jobs in the vegetable garden. It is pretty much trouble free to grow and adds wonderful flavours to our home cooking. Homegrown garlic comes in a wide range of ... … Read more
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 ... … Read more
Photos from the Quickcrop Garden in January

I took a few photos while the sun was out at the weekend which I might as well show you. Above you can see the beds covered in seaweed which has started to rot down. It starts off a mustard brown col ... … Read more
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 ... … Read more
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 ... … Read more
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 ... … Read more
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 ... … Read more
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 ... … Read more
Know Your Onions - How to grow onions

Onions are some of the easiest things to grow and require very little looking after. As our friend Dermot Carey (last head gardener of Lissadell House) says if you can't grow onions you might as well ... … Read more
April in the Vegetable Garden - What Can You Sow?

For a bit of colour to start, below is the beautiful magenta bulbs of onion 'long red Florence': a crop I harvested in 2021, but a variety I sow every year. A new batch of onion seedling plants ... … Read more
Planting early onion sets in January

Onions have to be one of the easiest crops to grow and will reward you with delicious crisp bulbs with a homegrown flavour all their own. Onions can be grown from seed but the easiest way to cultivat ... … Read more
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 ... … Read more
The Quickcrop Vegetable Garden in August

Well, it's August again in the Quickcrop garden (and elsewhere I suspect) so I thought we'd take our customary stroll around to see what's growing and hopefully offer some advice on some of my frui ... … Read more
November Tips in the Vegetable Garden

I feel a bit guilty about my post last week where I said there was nothing to do in the November garden so I thought I would offer a few tips today. It is true that there are very few vegetables to s ... … Read more
The traditional "Escargots à la bourguignonne"

First prepare the "beurre d'escargots" (Snail butter if you weren't listening in school) The snails we are adding in the recipe have been simmered for 15 mins and prepared as described in earlier se ... … Read more
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 ... … Read more
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 ... … Read more
October 2020 in the Quickcrop Garden

While I am not a fan of of winter I do enjoy preparing for it. There is great satisfaction in harvesting and storing crops in October, protecting beds from heavy rain and generally put ... … Read more
My Vegetable Garden in October

I don't think I ever showed you my garden did I? It was originally put together as the shared Quickcrop garden but since the business moved from my house this Spring (it used to be housed in my ba ... … Read more
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 ... … Read more
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 p ... … Read more
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 cro ... … Read more
The Vegetable Garden in October

I know I mentioned feeding your soil in some detail at the end of August, but it really is the best thing you can do for your garden at this time of year. Layers of organic matter - which may includ ... … Read more
Plants for the Autumn Vegetable Garden

What to sow or plant in September - it's not too late! I have included below some good things to sow or plant out as vegetable seedlings in September. Most of the varieties mentioned are available a ... … Read more
September Seeds & Super Soil

September in the Vegetable Garden Following our article on Autumn sowing for the polytunnel (17th August), we have had a number of requests for information on outdoor sowing in September, naturally ... … Read more
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 ... … Read more
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 a ... … Read more
Domini's Leek and bread pudding.

This recipe comes comes courtesy of the very generous Domini Kemp (on the right) who has given us access to her recipe book. I'm off bread because I can't sleep (doesn't make any difference) but the ... … Read more
Hey Presto, Parsley Pesto.

This time you get a sneak peek into my kitchen where my wife Siobhan shares her recipe for parsley pesto. Sometimes the best things happen by accident and this pesto is no exception. It came about wh ... … Read more
Making Chutneys

I asked my wife Siobhan to have a go at documenting her chutney making endeavours with the following results, go Siobhan!The English made chutneys their own after the traders brought back these exoti ... … Read more
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 ... … Read more
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 ... … Read more
Edible Flowers in the Vegetable Garden

Unusually for me I found myself in not one, but two fancy restaurants at the weekend (it was my Mother's birthday) both of which presented me with pea shoots perched on top of my dinner. It got me ... … Read more
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 have ... … Read more
What to Grow in the Polytunnel in Winter

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 migh ... … Read more
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 ... … Read more
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 aro ... … Read more
Vegetable Garden in January

Sowing and planting too early in the year We can all get a little over excited when the new year comes around especially if, like now, we've had relatively warm Winter so far. We can all be guil ... … Read more
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 ... … Read more
Sunshine after rain

I was moaning to myself the other morning about the rather more watery Summer than we would have wished for so decided to head out for a walk to clear the head. I brought the dog with me as whatever ... … Read more
The October Vegetable Garden

October is really the time to clear our the vegetable garden and to take care of the crops which will remain in the ground for winter like sprouts, cabbage and kale. Niall will be sniggering when I ... … Read more
Natural and Non Toxic Slug Control Methods

Slug control is an on-going battle for us gardeners, and it seems that you are never quite free of them. It doesn't help at all that they are hermaphroditic, or that their eggs can lay dor ... … Read more
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 ... … Read more
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 ... … Read more
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 ... … Read more
Genuinely Delicious Beetroot Burgers

I do love the colour of beetroot, its glorious deep fuschia just makes me feel good looking at it. Add chickpeas, oil, garlic, lemon and some ground cumin in the blender and I still see that wonder ... … Read more
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 ... … Read more
Top Ten Garden Pests

The unwelcome garden visitors that come back every year. Here's a rundown of who they are and how to send them away. SlugsThese garden molluscs, along with their close relative the snai ... … Read more
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 ... … Read more
February in the Vegetable Garden

I quite like February, it's a bit of a renegade. Not only does it have a different number of days than any other month but it also reserves the right to change that date on a leap year. It is the m ... … Read more
The Ultimate Guide to Vegetable Harvesting

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 ... … Read more
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 coun ... … Read more
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 ... … Read more
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 ... … Read more
Mid July Vegetable Garden Update

Pollinating Sweetcorn As you may know from previous mails, I am growing sweetcorn in the polytunnel this year as part of our video project. I thought you might like to see a couple of photos as the c ... … Read more
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 ... … Read more
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 ... … Read more
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 ... … Read more
Kit Ó Céirin on Wild and Free: Cooking from Nature

"How times have changed regarding the use of wild foods in our diet, since Wild and Free:  Cooking from Nature, written by my late husband, Cyril and I was first published in 1975.  Foragin ... … Read more
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 ... … Read more
Quickcrop Vegetable Garden Plan 2016

Raised bed vegetable garden plan.I include my 2016 vegetable garden plan below if anyone is interested in what I'll be growing next year. My garden is now split up into long raised beds with gravel ... … Read more
Crop Rotation

Growing Vegetables places more strain on a piece of land than flowering plants or shrubs because we remove nutrients every time we harvest a crop. Vegetables are also relatively hungry plants requiri ... … Read more
The G.I.Y. Gathering 2014

I'm sure most of you have already heard of G.I.Y. or 'Grow It Yourself', indeed many of you are probably members so we'll go for a brief intro for those who haven't: G.I.Y. international was set ... … Read more
The Gro Grid Fabric Mat: Planting Made Easier

You might remember from a post a few weeks back that we are now manufacturing the fabulous 'Gro-Grid' weed control planting mat. We have the machinery set up in our warehouse and have been building ... … Read more
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 ... … Read more
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 ... … Read more
Rathdooney Vegetable Garden Blog - November 28th

You may remember some of the vibrant looking photos from my vegetable garden in the Summer with its neat (ish) rows of healthy crops and tidy weeded paths? Well, it looks nothing like that now. I a ... … Read more
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 of ... … Read more
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 ... … Read more
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 ... … Read more
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' ... … Read more
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 ... … Read more
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 ... … Read more
September in the Vegetable Garden - Feeding and protecting your soil

It is has been an interesting year in the Quickcrop garden with a hot and dry start followed by plenty of rain. The overcast or rainy days have not been much use for ripening tomatoes but has been gr ... … Read more
The Quickcrop Vegetable Garden in Early June

It really is incredible how things burst into life when we get a bit of warmth and sunshine: my little plot is suddenly a very different place. It was such a nice day yesterday that we took the came ... … Read more
Vegetable Growing in Late Winter

What kinds of things can you do in the garden at this time of year. It’s not quite Spring after all? Well, no, we’ve still a long way to go before we get to Spring. This time of year is really a ... … Read more
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 ... … Read more
How to grow tulips

This week sees a whole new departure for the Quickcrop team as we stick our pretty little toes into the wonderful world of flowering plants. It is not that we have fallen out of love with our vegetab ... … Read more
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 ... … Read more
Preparing the Vegetable Garden for Winter

Right, well it's started to get a bit cold and the leaves are falling so I suppose we will have to admit that winter is coming. I have mentioned it here before that I am not a winter fan. This ... … Read more
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 ... … Read more
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 Fe ... … Read more
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 ... … Read more
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 ... … Read more
The Vegetable Garden in May

Brace yourselves folks, we are now entering the busiest time of year in the vegetable garden. The soil has warmed sufficiently for sowing and planting out, but has also warmed enough for weeds ... … Read more
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 ... … Read more
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 y ... … Read more
Small Space Garden 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 ... … Read more
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 ... … Read more
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 ... … Read more
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 ... … Read more
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. … Read more
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 ... … Read more
Delivery

Ireland & Northern Ireland* Standard Delivery (GLS)Free Delivery on orders over €65 (1-3 working days)€4.95 for orders under €65 (1-3 working days) Express Delivery OptionsAn Pos ... … Read more

Garlic Wonder Pest Spray Concentrate 500 ml

€24.95

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Garlic Wonder Pest Control Spray 750 ml

€22.95

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Ramsons Wild Garlic Seeds

€2.95

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Gro Grid Planting Mat 'B' For Leeks, Beetroot, Garlic, Salads Etc

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€15.95 - €69.95

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Kitchen Storage Set - Set Of 3 Potatoes/Onions/Garlic

€37.95
€49.95

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Gro Grid Planting Mat 'D' For Onions & Garlic

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€15.95 - €69.95

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Cat Repellent - Bayer Scat-a-Cat Granules

€12.95

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Vegetable Nets

€4.45

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Broccoli Raab 'Cima Di Rapa'

€2.95

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Basil 'Sweet Genovese'

€2.95

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School Vegetable Garden Pack 3

€800.00
€917.25

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Native Irish Grown Wildflowers - Tall Flowering Meadow

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€12.95 - €24.95

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Native Irish Grown Wildflowers - Cottage Garden

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€20.95 - €40.95

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Native Irish Grown Wildflowers - Biodiversity Meadow

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€13.95 - €29.95

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Native Irish Grown Wildflowers - Shady Woodland

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€25.95 - €49.95

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Native Irish Grown Wildflowers - Part Shade Hedgerow

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€18.95 - €37.45

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'Elephant' Garlic

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€5.95 - €34.95

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'French Sabadrome' Garlic

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€5.95 - €24.95

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'French Therador' Garlic

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€5.95 - €24.95

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'Messidrome' Garlic

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€5.95 - €24.95

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'Primor' Garlic Bulbs

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€5.95 - €24.95

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'Germidour' Purple Garlic

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€6.95 - €29.95

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'Morado' Spanish Garlic

€5.95

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Get Off Scatter Crystals 460 g

€10.95

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T' Dibber

€8.95

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Large Saladgrow With Mini Greenhouse

€145.00

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