July in the Quickcrop Garden.

Posted on July 12, 2017 by admin

Garlic in vegetable 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 marvel at the speed your runner beans scramble up their supports you must also me amazed at how an area you weeded 5 minutes ago is again covered in fat hen and groundsel seedlings. Continue reading →

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How to Grow Climbing Peas and Beans

Posted on June 1, 2017 by admin

French beans growing up canes
Climbing peas and beans are some of my favourite crops in the vegetable garden, they are the ones that epitomise Summer with their attractive flowers and lush growth. There is something ‘active’ about them with their reaching, coiling and climbing as they grow skywards and cover their supports.

The good news about growing peas and beans is that it is relatively easy. Peas are hardy plants and can be started off early in the season and will be happy in most gardens. Runner beans won’t like cold and exposed sites but are generally very reliable while French beans need a warm site but will produce huge crops of beans if conditions are right. Continue reading →

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Organic Pest Control in the Quickcrop Garden

Posted on May 23, 2017 by admin

Cabbage white butterflyOrganic gardening has many advantages over a chemical based approach; the crops produced are tastier and more healthy but the other thing I like about it is it makes us understand nature better. Organic growing is more about avoiding pests or disease rather than applying a fix, it is about prevention rather than cure. To do this we need a little knowledge about our enemies which in turn gives us a deeper understanding of our garden and of nature’s cycles. Continue reading →

Posted in Pests & Diseases | 4 Comments

How to Create a Raised Bed Herb Garden

Posted on May 23, 2017 by admin

Raised Bed Herb GardenA raised bed can provide the perfect environment for creating a herb garden. It can be positioned anywhere that suits you and can be maintained easily. A selection of plants can be mixed for a diverse range of foliage and aromatics. Continue reading →

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The Vegetable Garden in Mid May

Posted on May 20, 2017 by admin

Broad beans in a seedling tray
What can I sow or plant in my garden now?
Everything! Well, pretty much everything. You will be too late to sow most warm climate crops which need a long growing season like tomatoes, peppers and aubergines but nearly all the outdoor stuff is good to start now. May is really the best time sow or plant as the soil has warmed sufficiently and while frost is still a risk it is much less likely to be a problem. I am located in the North West so I tend to leave things a little late (I am also completely disorganised), but even for warm Southerly gardens May will be the busiest month in the garden. Continue reading →

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Growing your own Dwarf Vegetable Varieties

Posted on May 17, 2017 by admin

mini vegetables for container growing

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 range of vegetable plots but a simple allotment can be easily created on a balcony or in a tiny backyard. Continue reading →

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How to Germinate Seeds Successfully

Posted on March 31, 2017 by admin

Sowing seeds in late spring

A plant seed is created to grow and will perform that task admirably once given the opportunity. For successful germination seeds need a suitable growing medium, moderate moisture and warmth to sprout, and enough light and space to thrive.

Continue reading →

Posted in Growing Tutorials, Propagation | 4 Comments

Burtown Kitchen Garden Diary – How to Build a Polytunnel

Posted on February 15, 2017 by admin

Sweet peas at Burtown
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 Burtown Green Barn Restaurant. The ethos behind the Green Barn is to provide the freshest of ingredients which only has to travel meters rather than miles before it ends up on your plate. Dermot is under pressure this year to increase production in the early and late parts of the season and to provide more exotic flavours from juicy heirloom tomatoes to fantastic shaped squash and sweet homegrown melons. Continue reading →

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The Quickcrop Pea and Bean Frame

Posted on February 14, 2017 by admin

Pea and bean wooden frame
The Quickcrop Pea and Bean Frame is a support system designed for growing your own climbing garden peas and beans. Freshly picked home grown peas are one of the most delicious treats in the vegetable garden whether they are grown to be eaten immediately or set aside to be dried and stored. Like many bean varieties they are simple to grow, with a high success rate, and require very little effort to produce a healthy crop. Legumes are perfect for any gardener who wants to make the most of the space available in their vegetable plot.

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Raised Beds for Vegetable Gardening

Posted on February 6, 2017 by admin

Raised bed vegetable gardenWhy use raised beds in the vegetable garden?

I guess the best place to get started is why should I grow in Raised Vegetable Beds in the first place? There are a number of good reasons which I’ll illustrate below but in general it’s all about creating a deep nutrient rich soil which, crucially, doesn’t get walked on or compacted. The good open soil structure present in raised beds makes root growth easier for plants as well as containing air pockets for beneficial microbial life and other friendly organisms. Remember it is the life living in the soil that feeds your plants rather than the soil itself; these beneficial bacteria need oxygen to survive so a good open soil structure is essential. Soil is the key to successful raised beds growing systems (or any gardening) and keeping your planting in dedicated protected spaces allows you to pamper this essential resource.

Continue reading →

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