1124 results

Delivery & Returns

Delivery Charges Standard delivery: £5.95 - This covers all orders except some bulky item orders. Bulky Items £10 -  A small number of very large box items (e.g. Joraform compost bins) carry a... … Read more
Do I need a Greenhouse or Polytunnel?

Greenhouses and polytunnels are both structures that allow for regulation of climate and enable you to grow a wider range of vegetables, fruits and plants than you would be able to outdoors. Temperat … Read more
How To Clean and Maintain Your Polytunnel

Cleaning: not the best fun in the world, but it has to be done. Fortunately a polytunnel doesn’t have to be cleaned too often. Once a year is generally sufficient, and the best time of year to do so … 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 dif … Read more
How Do I Protect my Seedlings from Slugs and Snails?

2024 has been another year with lots of reports of seemingly insurmountable slug problems in UK gardens. You can theorise as to why slug populations seem so robust of late. Milder winters and a decli … Read more
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 garni … Read more
How to grow in a greenhouse

Whatever style of greenhouse you opt for - whether it’s a ‘lean-to’, a compact house or a larger one - it will open up new possibilities for you and extend your growing season. It’s also a very pleas … Read more
Ergonomic Gardening Tools

Gardening has been going on in some shape or form since time immemorial, so it’s natural that garden tools tend to follow a traditional design depending on what task they’re designed for. After all, … Read more
How To Grow Lettuce

Lettuce is a favorite in the garden because it is relatively easy to grow, is one of the first crops that can be planted, and is one of the first crops to yield in the spring. It doesn’t take a lot o … Read more
How To Store Root Vegetables

Root crops (such as carrots, beetroot, potatoes and turnips) are known for having good storage potential, lasting for weeks or months after harvesting. However, they can still spoil if stored the wro … 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 is pri … 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's spr … Read more
Wooden Garden Benches

The garden isn’t just for working in - it’s also a great place to sit and gather your thoughts, soak in the ambience of nature, or relax in the outdoors with friends. Wooden garden benches are a popu … Read more
The Vegetable Garden in April - Soil Preparation and Garden Tasks

I don't know what it has been like for you, but March has been a relatively dry month in my garden which meant I was able to do a bit more outside than I normally would. While I write this, however, … Read more
When to Feed Tomato Plants

Q - My tomato leaves are yellowing but they seem to be producing good fruit, do I need to feed them? This question we received from a reader is a very good one, because I think many people assume tha … Read more
Planting Summer Flowering Bulbs

Many of you will have noticed it is no longer Autumn, so clearly planting tulips and daffodils aren't an option at the moment. The great news is there are a whole range of Spring-planted bulbs like d … Read more
How To Grow Kale (Red)

How to grow red kale, the variety we use most often in our nurseries is Red Russian, this is a frost hardy variety with a sweeter taste than other kale. A wonderful addition to the winter garden … Read more
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 … Read more
How To Grow Kohl Rabi

Kohlrabi sports a rosette of blueish-green leaves above a swollen stem. This almost globe-like stem makes it appear like a turnip growing on a cabbage root, in fact In German, Kohl means cabbage an … Read more
Polytunnel Ventilation

Polytunnels are designed to draw in and retain heat, and they tend to do this job very well. This means that you will need a method of cooling your tunnel down during spells of warmer weather. The in … Read more
How to Make Cider from Your Apple Harvest

Previously on the blog we've talked about the Vigo Fruit Press, and how you can make your own scrumptious, nutritious homemade juice from your fruit harvests. However, in the case of large apple harv … 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 h … Read more
How To Create a Wildlife Friendly Garden

One of the greatest pleasures in gardening is watching life flourish all around you: not just in terms of the plants you grow, but also the non-human visitors to your garden. A biodiverse garden isn' … Read more
How To Grow Cauliflower

The cauliflower is not the easiest of the brassica family to grow but a large white cauliflower with tight white curds is a thing of beauty and producing one a source of much satisfaction. Variety is … Read more
How To Grow Courgettes

Courgettes are easy to grow with two plants producing ample courgettes for most families. Courgettes are best picked small for best flavour, these plants are also very prolific so don't worry there … Read more
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 on yo … Read more
How To Grow Celery

The trick with growing celery is to take a lot of care sowing your transplants, making sure the plants never get stressed or pot bound. When planted out remember celery is originally a wetla … Read more
A Guide to Perennial Flowers

After a cold start to the year, the recent warm weather has seen a huge spurt in growth in almost everything in the Quickcrop garden and tunnel. It is wonderful to see what was an unremarkable sea of … Read more
A Beginner's Guide to Keeping Chickens

In recent years more and more households - both rural and urban - have decided to keep backyard chickens or poultry. As well as being a source of ‘homemade’ fresh eggs, it’s something that brings a l … Read more
Mare's Tail and Ways to Control it Organically

Q - I have a problem with mare's tail in my garden and don’t want to use weedkiller, is there anything I can do? Mare's tail (or horsetail as it's also known) is very difficult to get rid of. Even if … 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 positive n … Read more
Sustainable Gardening

You’ve probably seen the word 'sustainable' a fair bit, but we wouldn’t blame you if you’re not entirely sure what it means. With the way it’s used, it can sometimes seem like another word for ‘eco-f … Read more
How To Grow Lettuce (Mix)

How to grow Lettuce guide. The Quickcrop all lettuce mix contains a broad range of easy to grow lettuce, ideal for cut and come again use. It's great to enjoy your own lettuce over the summer but i … Read more
When Do I Add Compost To My Garden?

Whether it’s homegrown or store-bought, compost plays a vital role in the health of your soil, and healthy soil makes for healthy plant growth. But you may be asking yourself: What is the best time … 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 August as a time fo … Read more
When is the best time to water plants?

Whether learning by experience or by reading up, you’ll soon come to realise that (for the most part) there are no hard and fast rules for gardening. This applies to irrigation as well. Sure, there a … 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 warm in … Read more
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 Victor … 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
How To Grow Chinese Mustard

Grow Your Own Oriental Salads Spicy Chinese Mustard. Mustard greens are very popular in China for stir-fry, and mostly used cooked. The oriental mustards are a very large group of rather coarse-le … Read more
How to Grow Osaka

Mustard greens are very popular in China for stir-fry, and mostly used cooked. The oriental mustards are a very large group of rather coarse-leaved brassicas, usually having a spicy flavour. The ma … Read more
Water Wise Gardening

‘Water wise’ gardening is a common term in areas of the world that experience long periods of drought, or minimal rainfall. Gardeners who live in these areas often have to adapt to the challenges of … Read more
How To Grow French Beans (Dwarf)

Dwarf French Beans are a compact habit plant that don't need staking like runner beans or peas. They are easy to grow and withstand dry conditions perhaps better than any other crop, and they leave th … Read more
Hungry Bin vs Hotbin (Composter Comparison)

Home composting is a fantastic way of killing two birds with one stone. You can process garden and kitchen waste (and reduce your bin collection costs) while at the same time producing your own crumb … Read more
How To Grow Leeks

Lovely long slender stems, this variety makes a lovely, tasty baby leek for harvesting from mid summer onward. The flavour is no less impressive when eaten full size in the autumn. The leek is a … Read more
How to Grow Brussels Sprouts

'Brigitte F1' has to be the best and most reliable brussels sprout variety with fantastic results every time. We recommend using an F1 hybrid sprout like Brigitte because the sprouts stay closed lo … Read more
Xeriscaping and Drought Tolerant Plants

It might sound like a phrase from some futuristic sci-fi story involving androids and off-world colonies, but xeriscaping actually comes from the Greek word ‘xeros’, meaning dry. It’s the practice of … Read more
Forest Gardening

Forest gardening aims to mimic the natural balance found in forest or woodland ecosystems. In the UK, woodlands support a diverse array of plants, wildlife and microorganisms, from tall trees to shru … Read more
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 … Read more
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, m … Read more
Green Wall Gardens - Living Walls & Vertical Gardening

In a perfect world, there’d be plenty of room for gardens, greenery and foliage to exist in harmony with us as we go about our day-to-day lives. However, urbanisation and increasing levels of populati … Read more