Spring jobs on the allotment – Prune Autumn Raspberries and plant Onion Sets

The weather is a very popular subject with the British people and who can blame them, one minute it’s sunny the next its cloudy, it can be warm one day and freezing the next or blowing a gale, foggy, raining, sleeting or snowing and if we are very unlucky a combination of all of these.

Just over a week ago I thought Spring had arrived, on my plot I began digging in earnest, the sun was shining, it was warm, I weeded the beds, dug one of them over and forked in some Chicken Poo ready for my Onion Sets which I planted 4” apart in rows, leaving 9” between each row, this year I am growing Setton and Sturon. Onions Sets are very easy to grow and only need occasional weeding, feeding and watering if the weather is dry during the growing season.

Autumn Rasberries

The next job was to prune my Autumn Raspberry Canes down to the ground, I forked in some Chicken Poo, applied a mulch from my Compost Bin and placed the old canes across my onion bed to deter the birds from pulling the sets out of the ground as it is said they think they are worms. Autumn Raspberries fruit on this years new canes, which may need to be thinned out in Summer if they are overcrowded, I prefer them to Summer Raspberries as they flower later, avoiding the frosts, and fruit later, extending the fruiting season, you can pick delicious Raspberries well into late Autumn, it is still not too late to plant some Raspberry Canes.

Since that lovely sunny day we have had biting easterly winds, freezing temperatures and snow, the frogs in the garden pond have been waiting patiently at the bottom for over a month, this weekend they are very active, we did a head count on Friday evening with a torch and counted 30+, we have 8 blobs of frog spawn so far.

Spring surely must be just around the corner

Gill

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Give your birds a new home for Valentines Day

Open Birch Log Nest Box

Birds come in all shapes, sizes and colours and each one is as particular about where they live as we are. Every bird finds or builds a nest that is as unique as they are, but sometimes it is not always that simple, due to redevelopment and intensive farming many birds are losing their natural habits, making it harder for them to breed and leading to a decline in many species.

Robin & Wren Nest Box

To mark National Nest Box Week 14^th – 21^st February 2013 the BTO (British Trust for Ornithology) are inviting individuals, families, schools, and community groups to put up Nest Boxes in their gardens or in their local area and provide a home for our birds.

Pembroke Nest Box

If you haven’t got a Nest Box in your garden now is the ideal time to put one up although you can put up a nest box at any time of the year.

Open Fronted Ceramic Teapot Bird Nester

Nest boxes come in all shapes, sizes and colours too to cater for the needs of different birds, they can be bought ready built or why not build your own with a ‘Build your own Nest Box Kit’ this is a lovely thing to do with children and a great half term activity, Nest Boxes also make an unusual and wildlife friendly gift for any occasion so why not treat the birds in your garden this Valentines Day and show them that you care.

Build Your Own Nest Box Kit

Why not put up a House Martin Nest Box ready for the arrival of these delightful Summer Visitors.

House Martin Nest Box

Gill

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Take part in the world’s largest wildlife survey

This weekend Saturday 26^th and Sunday 27^th January is the RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch it is the world’s largest wildlife survey, and is free and open to everyone to join in – families, individuals and schools.

To take part all you need to do is to watch the birds in your garden for one hour and record the highest number of birds of each species that you see at any one time, don’t count the total that you see during the hour as you may be including the same birds that have visited more than once, only include birds that actually land in your garden not the ones that fly over.

Jupiter Peanut Feeder

Get prepared now by putting out lots of different types of bird food to encourage as many birds as you can, the more choice you provide the more species you may attract, don’t forget to put out some fresh water too.

Giant Fat Ball and Feeder

Have a look at the RSPB’s website for lots more information and also an identification chart for the birds that you may see in your garden, with the weather being cold you may attract some unusual birds that have come looking for food.

Hanging Square Bird Table

We will be taking part, we usually do a survey at home and one at my parents house, their house backs on to open fields and they have different birds visiting their garden.

Don’t forget to continue putting out bird food after the survey, the birds really do need our help.

Have fun!

Gill

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Look after our feathered friends during the cold weather

Winter is finally here with sub-zero temperatures and a covering of snow in many parts with yet more forecast. The fall in temperatures will come as quite a shock to our wildlife they have endured a relatively mild winter up to now, but we as a nation of wildlife lovers can really help. The birds in our garden are struggling to find any food as their natural food sources are depleted or frozen in the ground, fresh unfrozen water too will be hard to find, High Calorie/Energy foods with a High Fat Content are the most beneficial to put out for the birds :

Seed Mixes are prepared using top quality high calorie ingredients and have been developed to appeal to, and benefit a wide variety of bird species all year round and include High Energy Bird Mix, Bird Feeder Seed, Table Seed Mix, Gourmet Robin Food as well as Nyjer Seed and Sunflower Heart Seeds.

Table Seed Mix

High Fat content Bird Foods are also high in calories and include Peanut Cakes, Fat Balls, Fat filled Coconuts, Peanut Cake Bells and Suet Pellets with Insects and are excellent winter food.

High calorie Peanut Cakes

Live Mealworms are a natural food and relished by Robins, Blue Tits and other insect eating birds and should be provided when fresh.

Live Mealworms are loved by Blue Tits

Clean water is important for the birds both for drinking and also bathing this is essential to keep their feathers in good condition. To prevent the water from freezing add a lightweight ball which will move in the breeze or pour on hot water to melt the ice.

Ceramic Hanging Bird Bath / Water Dish

Have a look at our range of Bird Food, Bird Feeders, Bird Tables, Bird Baths and treat the birds in your garden.

Gill

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Congratulations to our November/December Competition winners

Thank you to everyone who sent in an entry to our November / December 2012 competitions, they were all amazing and just shows how much creative talent there is, but it made choosing the winners all the more difficult.

Winning Entry by Isobel Stevens

The winner for the Family Competition was Isobel Stevens from Barry, South Glamorgan, ‘Well Done Isobel!’  Isobel has drawn a wonderful winter scene showing a Robin perched in a tree in a snowy garden complete with spade (which Robins often sit on) and a welcome bird feeder, she will receive as her prize:

• a Discovery Seed Feeder
• a Discovery Window Seed Feeder
• a bag of Table Seed Mix (6 litre)
• a whole fat filled Coconut Feeder
• a Peanut Cake Bell 

Winning Entry by Ineasa, Newton Regis School

The winner of the School Competition is Newton Regis School with the winning entry by Ineasa, ‘Well Done Ineasa’ we loved her Robin collage, it looks fabulous and would make a lovely Christmas card, it must have taken quite a long time to find, cut out and stick on all the pictures of the Robins, they will receive as their prize:

• a Square Ground Bird Table
• a Discovery Seed Feeder
• a Discovery Window Seed Feeder
• a bag of Table Seed Mix (6 litre)
• a bag of Bird feeder Seed (6 litre)

We hope that our winners enjoy these fantastic prizes and that they attract lots of birds into their gardens.

Gill

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Congratulations to our September/October Competition winners

The September/October School Zone Competition was to find 10 Hedgehog related words in our Hedgehog Wordsearch, the first correct winning entry pulled out of the hat was by Alex Courtman from Dane Ghyll County Primary School, Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria and their fabulous prize is a Hogitat Hedgehog House, a Hedgehog Guide, a Hedgehog Snack Feeding Bowl and some Hedgehog Food – well done to them.

The September/October Family/Kids Zone Competition was a ‘Who am I? Wildlife Quiz’ the correct answers were  Q1 Ladybird,  Q2 Dragonfly,  Q3 Butterfly,  Q4 Toad,  Q5 Moth,  Q6 Hedgehog,  Q7 Bee,  Q8 Spider,  Q9 Bat,  Q10 Frog.

The first correct entry to be pulled out of the hat was from Taylor and Holly Rees from Gosport, Hampshire and they will receive a Mini Bug Bug Box, a Mini Bug Ladybird Tower and a Minibeast Guide – well done to them.

Thank you to everyone who entered these competitions, why not have a go at our

New Christmas Competitions

To enter our School Zone Competition all you need to do is to design a Christmas Card featuring a ‘Christmas’ Robin, it can be painted, crayoned, drawn in pencil/coloured pencil or could even be a collage. Our favourite card will win

• a Square Ground Bird Table
• a Discovery Seed Feeder
• a Discovery Window Seed Feeder
• a bag of Table Seed Mix (6 litre)
• a bag of Bird feeder Seed (6 litre)

To enter our Family/ Kids Zone Competition all you need to do is to send in a picture of a Christmas Robin that you have drawn, it can be painted, crayoned, drawn in pencil/coloured pencil or could even be a collage and our favourite picture will win

• a Discovery Seed Feeder
• a Discovery Window Seed Feeder
• a bag of Table Seed Mix (6 litre)
• a whole fat filled Coconut Feeder
• a Peanut Cake Bell

Have a look at the competitions pages for full details and an entry form, the closing date for both competitions is 31^st December 2012.

Good Luck

Gill

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Bonfire Night Crafts and Fun

Halloween has been and gone and Bonfire Night on 5th November is fast approaching, excitement is building again in our household or maybe it’s all those Halloween ‘treats’.

Here is a great activity for children of all ages to get them in the mood for Bonfire Night.

Make a Blow Paint Firework or Bonfire picture

You will need

• Coloured paper or card
• Runny paints in various colours
• Straws
• Glue
• Glitter

To make your pictures

1. Place spots of paint of various sizes and colours on your paper/card.
2. Use a straw to blow the spots of paint in various directions to make the fireworks or the flames of the bonfire.
3. Put different colours next to each other so that they mix together to make some great effects.
4. When you are happy with your picture let it dry then add some glue and sprinkle with glitter to make your fireworks sparkle.

We all love Bonfire Night, keeping warm by a nice bonfire, watching stunning and often noisy fireworks and eating lots of party food, sweets and treats (click here for some delicious Bonfire Recipes) but …

don’t forget the Wildlife in your garden on Bonfire Night

At this time of year hedgehogs, frogs, toads and newts are looking for a nice, cosy, warm and safe place to hibernate and to them your bonfire looks ideal so a few hours before your party and before it goes dark have a good look inside and at the bottom of your bonfire to check for any creatures and move them to a safe area of your garden.

Position your firework display away from trees and hedges where birds may be roosting.

your pets

Make sure that your pets are kept indoors as fireworks are a common phobia for dogs and cats as they often find the loud noises and bright lights frightening. Provide a safe and quiet place for them to hide, keep curtains and windows closed and leave the TV on or play music to mask the load bangs.

and your safety

Fireworks and bonfires can be very dangerous if care is not taken so click here for advice on bonfire and firework safety and follow the firework code.

Have a happy, safe and fun Bonfire Night.

Gill

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Congratulations to our August Competition Winner

In the Family Zone our August Competition was to ‘Send in a photograph of your favourite crop, which you have grown this year’, we had some lovely photographs sent in from lots of enthusiastic young gardeners, but the overall winner was Ben Hamilton from Dronfield, Derbyshire, ‘Well Done Ben’ we hope that you enjoy using you prizes of a Gardener’s Apprentice Digging Fork and Hand Fork, a Wooden Trug and a pair of Gardening Gloves.

Ben enjoying his delicious tomatoes

We loved the photograph showing Ben sat next to his prized tomato plant eating his delicious crop, he looks thrilled. Ben’s tomato plant is amazing and looks very healthy, it has obviously been well looked after, and there are lots more flowers and tomatoes to come.

.

Have a go at our current competitions for a chance to win some great Wildlife prizes:

In the School Zone you could win a Hedgehog Kit which includes

a Hogitat Hedgehog House

a Hedgehog Guide

 

a Hedgehog Snack Feeding Bowl

 

and some Hedgehog Food

by completing the Hedgehog Wordsearch.

 

In the Family/Kids Zone you could win

a Mini Bug Bug Box

a Mini Bug Ladybird Tower

 

and a Minibeast Guide to help you to identify the bugs in your garden

 

by completing our Who am I? Wildlife Quiz.

The closing date for both competitions is 31^st October, 2012 so don’t delay enter today.

Good Luck

Gill

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Harvest and dry your own Sunflower Seeds and make a Bug House with their Stems

Hopefully by now, if the weather has been kind where you live, your Sunflowers will have flowered and developed into rings of nice fat seeds.

As you can see mine have grown well but some of them are yet to flower, I hope that this spell of sunny weather will encourage them to flower and set their seeds.

The varieties I have grown this year are Titan and Russian Giant as they have large heads and hopefully plenty of seeds for the birds.

I love Sunflowers, I grow them for their stunning flowers, which benefit the bees and insects, and their seeds, which I save for the birds, if you want to save some of your seeds for the birds or to grow next year here’s what you need to do.

1. When the backs of the Sunflower heads turn yellow cut them off leaving about 30cm of stem attached and hang them upside down somewhere warm, dry and well ventilated (to prevent them going mouldy).
2. Tie a brown paper bag around the Sunflower heads to catch any seeds that drop out.
3. Once the backs of the Sunflower heads have turned brown and dry your Sunflower seeds are ready to harvest, they should pop out when you run your hands over the heads.
4. Lay the seeds out on newspaper to completely dry out and to remove any flower heads/leaves then store the seeds in a cool dry place in an airtight container.

A Sunflower head that has finished flowering

Make a Bug House with your Sunflower stems

After you have cut the heads off the plants, the remaining stems can go into the Compost Bin or instead if they are hollow why not use them to make an Bug House. Cut the stems into 10 – 15cm lengths and squeeze them into a washed large pop bottle which has had the top cut off (ask an adult to do this), apply tape around the rough cut edge for safety, place at an angle with the open end slightly pointing downwards in a sheltered, dry and shady spot in your garden, this will make an great Bug House for over wintering insects.

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Help our elusive Red Squirrels

Thomas is not only very passionate about birds but also about wild animals too, he has seen lots of grey squirrels, but had never seen a Red Squirrel until this summer.

In July we had a Grey Squirrel in the back garden on the bird feeders it was young and naive and was soon encouraged to go as it developed a fascination for our bird boxes much to the horror of the resident house sparrows.

Red Squirrels are not widespread throughout Britain, their strongholds are Scotland, the Lake District, Northumberland, Anglesey, Formby in Lancashire, Brownsea Island in Dorset and the Isle of Wight.

Last year we went to Dumfries on holiday and were thrilled that our caravan site had resident red squirrels, we only saw two during our stay and unfortunately Thomas didn’t spot either of them, this year we went to Anglesey and spent a long afternoon in one of the coniferous woods known to have Red Squirrels, we didn’t see any although we did find some nibbled pine cones, so on a sunny, September Sunday afternoon we went to Formby determined to see the elusive Red Squirrel, it was busy and we thought we had no chance of seeing any but we were proved wrong and actually saw 8 they were high up in the tops of the conifer trees on the edges of the reserve, Thomas was thrilled, I did take some photographs but unfortunately you need a magnifying glass to find the Squirrels.

Scottish Red Squirrels !

Red Squirrels, smaller than grey squirrels, are about 20cm in length plus their tail, they have reddish brown fur and tufts on the end of their ears, they eat hazelnuts, pine cones/seeds, acorns and berries and in the Autumn they bury any surplus food or hide it in gaps in tree trunks. Each year they can have two litters of 3 or 4 babies called ‘kittens’ they live in round nests built high up in trees made of twigs, leaves and bark strips and lined with moss and grass called ‘dreys’. Red Squirrels have four fingers and five toes, can be right or left-handed when eating pine cones and can swim.

This week 2-9 October is Red Squirrel Week and there are various projects up and down the country where you can get involved and help these exquisite and endangered creatures, you can even adopt one.

Love your enviroment

Gill

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