Hello Little Green Growers! Do you have very little spare time to grow your vegetables, a bad back or a garden with drainage issues? Raised bed gardening is what you need! With raised beds, you can increase your vegetable harvest with ease! It takes a bit more effort to set up initially but ultimately its a shortcut, AND you're likely to get a plentiful harvest, even in your first year! So what is it? A raised garden bed is a contained bed of soil above the ground. The goal is to create a deep enough and wide growing area that encourages your tiny baby plant roots to grow downward and outward ..read more

You might be looking at your garden, like us, thinking - where do I start?! There's so much to do! So we thought we'd talk about the 3 most important garden jobs to take care of this month, to get back on track! First, check out our top gardening jobs from February, which will help you lay the foundation of a great grow-your-own year! 1. Clean up! It's s good idea to clean your growing trays and pots. Some people go as far as sterilising them, but even a quick rinse with water will help remove any soil particles or plant matter from last season which might be hiding plant disease or pests. Get ..read more

March is here! Three months in already, can you believe it? I'm sure you're wondering what can you grow now it's starting to get slightly warmer...keep reading! You can sow lots of different seeds in March, but if we had to pick only 5, these are what we would choose! Broad Beans These can be sown directly in your soil. So easy to grow! We have a full growing guide here! They grow really quickly and don't need much care, which is why they made it onto our favourites list! They also are a great companion to potatoes, so perfect for Irish gardens! Don't forget to pinch out the top growing shoot ..read more

Hello Little Green Growers! Did that title lure you in? Did you know there is more than one way to grow your potatoes? Not just the traditional sowing potatoes in soil... But why would I grow potatoes this way? It's actually easier to protect them from the pesky creatures that love to eat them and leave no delicious potatoes for you! It's a great technique if you don't have much space If you want to grow & harvest your own potatoes without too much effort this is the method for you! So how on earth do I grow potatoes in a bag or a container? I hear you ask, well scroll on down and we wil ..read more

Hello Little Green Growers family, we love hearing any questions you have and we always try our best to get back to you with the desired information as soon as possible. One question in particular we get asked what a lot! So we thought we would make a blog post to explain and so you can always come back to this post if you're wondering about shipment of plant pre-orders. Despite the old tradition here in Ireland when it comes to St. Bridget's Day...in case you have no idea what we are talking about. She was the female patron saint of Ireland. Her feast day, February 1, was traditionally the f ..read more

So it's December and you might be thinking the only gardening you have to do is to look after is the Christmas tree - not true! There's lots you can still do to set yourself up for a great growing year! 1. Prepare your soil for next year's planting. If you have empty beds, there's still time to boost your soil for next year's planting. It's a bit late now to sow cover crops, but you could layer seaweed or well rotted manure on beds to add nutrients. You can also add prepared soil boosters made from seaweed.If this isn't possible and you have empty beds, do try to provide some sort of cover for ..read more

What are microgreens? Microgreens are baby plants or little seedlings. They are about 5-10cm tall when harvested. They are different from sprouts which are germinated seeds, harvested and eaten before they grow leaves. Why grow microgreens? Microgreens pack a nutritional punch, with up to 40 times the nutrients by weight of their fully grown equivalents! They are easy to grow, quick to grow, and can be grown in very little space on a windowsill during those winter months when the garden slows down! Do I need special seeds? Microgreens are just seedlings, so can be grown from any seed. However ..read more

1) Keep on top of the weeds Your garden is entering the final burst of summer plant growth over the next month or two. For bigger more productive harvests, keep on top of the weeds by hand hoeing and mulching. You can find more organic weed control tips here. 2) Feed hungry veg plants If you aren't already doing this, start feeding hungry veg plants. These include tomatoes, cucumbers, squashes, strawberries...anything giving you big and juicy veg! Feed every fortnight or so - you can make your own plant food or choose an organic plant food. 3) Start planning your autumn-winter garden now! This ..read more

Beetroot normally take 7-8 weeks to be ready to harvest after planting out. It's better to harvest too early than too late as they can become woody if left too long. You could gently scrape away some soil from the base of the leaves above where the beetroot is developing to check the diameter of the beetroot. Alternatively, just pull one up to see if it's ready, the rest should be a similar size so you'll know whether to leave the longer or not. Harvest when the size of a tennis ball, or harvest smaller for baby beets. When harvesting, loosen the soil around them and pull by hand. Remove all ..read more

Finally some sunshine has arrived! Many new growers assume it's too late in the season to grow anything else. But Ireland's climate is so mild in most places right through to November, that there is a still a good window to sow and grow more before winter arrives! Succession sowing is key! Here are our Top 5 Seeds to Sow in July: Lettuce Succession sow throughout the month for a continuous supply. If we do get some warm weather minimise the chances of bolting by mulching the ground around the lettuce where you plant it out. Also consider putting it somewhere with partial shade from full summer ..read more