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Wild gardens blog

We will regularly post ideas for projects you could be doing in your garden now. We'll include ideas for food seeds you could be sowing, talk about what wildlife needs and what you might see. If you have ideas for topics we should cover please contact us.

Growing glorious fruits

Created: 04/05/2010 09:30:34

Growing your own fruit is back in fashion and with springtime now in full swing , fruit trees, soft fruits and fruiting hedges are coming into their own. Growing your own fruit is a satisfying and free way to make your favourite fruit puddings, jams, tarts and cordials.
The main problem with growing fruit has always been having enough space, however that can quite easily be dealt with by growing trained forms of fruit tree and bushes that grow flat against walls and fences or free standing supports. This technique also offers the opportunity for creating garden dividers such as arches, pergolas, and arbours. You could also create spirals and interesting centre pieces for your bed, no matter what size it is.
Stoned fruit trees good for training are peach, plum, cherry, fig and nectarine. Soft fruit bushes can also be trained, red and white currents and gooseberries respond well.
Blackberries, blackcurrants and raspberries don't work well as trained fruit due to their growing habits.
If you do however have space then you can let fruit trees and bushes do as they would naturally and just maintain them with winter pruning and health checks for diseased or damaged stems. Do not prune stoned fruits such as cherries and plums in the winter as this can allow diseases such as silver leaf to take effect.
There are many varieties of fruit tree and bush to choose from so it's best to visit your local garden centre and discuss the space, location and soil conditions you have available as this should help you decide what to grow.
A recipe to try:
Gooseberry Fool
Serves: 4
Ingredients
350g gooseberries
1 tbsp water
75g caster sugar (or to taste)
284ml carton double cream
200g cold, ready-made, fresh custard
Method
Put the gooseberries in a saucepan with the water and place over a medium heat. Bring to a simmer and cook for 5-10 minutes or until the gooseberries are very soft, squashing them with a spoon as they cook. Purée in a blender then press through a sieve to remove the pips. Stir the sugar into the sieved purée, adding more if the fruit is very tart, then leave to cool completely.
Whip the cream until it holds soft peaks, then fold it loosely into the custard. Loosely fold in the gooseberry purée so the fool has a marbled texture. Serve chilled, in small glasses.

Spring time is a good time to sow seeds and prepare a summer vegetable garden

Created: 09/04/2010 13:50:12

April is an ideal time to sow vegetable seeds outdoors. The weather should be milder and soil warmer which means seeds will germinate more quickly, and seedlings grow faster too.
If you have sown broad beans under cover during Jan and Feb they can now be transplanted outdoors. Space your seedlings 20cm apart in double rows so that plants help to support one another as they grow. You will need to support them with canes and string as they grow taller.
During the month of April, the following crops can be sown directly outside: Broad beans, beetroot, Brussels sprouts, carrots, cauliflower, leeks, lettuce, onions, mange tout and sugar snap peas, rocket and spinach.

To help protect your crop from pests you could buy resistant vegetable varieties such as courgette ‘defender’ which has a good resistance to mosaic virus and offers a high yield. If you have had trouble with Colorado potato beetles, flea beetles and potato leafhoppers, then the ‘King Harry’ variety may be your answer. This gold skinned spud has hairy leaves and bugs will avoid the scratchy surface of the leaves in preference for more smooth leaved varieties. You could also try Turkish rocket which has a similar taste to normal rocket but is resistant to the flea beetle. Most credible garden centres and nurseries sell a variety of vegetable seeds including resistant varieties which have been bred especially to combat disease yet still offering a good yield.
If you have fruit trees in your garden now is the time to check that you have buds and flowers beginning to grow which will eventually offer fruit. Most apple trees need cross pollination with other flowering apples to produce fruit. Encourage bees into your garden as they are helpful pollinators and can do this job for you.

In April when young seedlings emerge and precious plug plants are bedding in, it’s wise to protect new shoots from slugs and snails. There are many different safe, organic methods to combat pests. Microscopic nematodes are watered on to the soil and seek out even soil dwelling slugs, the most difficult to control by other methods. Personally I have found beer traps work well. Slugs are not too fussy about which brand of beer you use, I find the cheaper varieties work best. Dig a shallow hole near your vegetables and place a small plastic tub or yoghurt container in the soil, then fill it with beer. By the next morning it will be full of slugs.
Cindy Kasfikis
April 2010

Provide nesting boxes for birds

Created: 10/02/2010 16:12:48

Provide nesting boxes for birds

Late winter is a good time to put up nesting boxes for birds especially if you want to increase your chances of attracting a mating pair as they will begin scouting around for a suitable nesting site at this time of year.

Over 60 species of bird are known to have use nest boxes, including Blue and Great Tits, Coal Tits, Nuthatches, House and Tree Sparrows, Starlings, Spotted Flycatchers, Robins, House Martins and Tawny Owls.

Choosing a site for your nest box is important. You should consider the direction that the hole faces and whether your chosen site stays hot through the summer. Boxes hung on walls can be safer from cats and other predators such as squirrels than those hung on trees. A north or east facing position is best to reduce afternoon heat. A site that provides afternoon shade is best.

The nest box should not be placed in an area with constant human activity as this could make the parent birds spend too much time defending their nest and not enough time eating or gathering food for their young. Positioning your nest box near vegetation aids young birds taking their first flights as it gives them both physical support and good cover.
You do not need to line your nest box with wood chippings or straw as birds will provide their own bedding material.

When choosing nesting boxes, consider their design before buying. Woodcrete which consists of a mixture of concrete and sawdust can be a better material than wood, as it is cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter. Different designs may be more or less suitable for particular species, and it is worth doing a little research. Nest boxes with metal roofs retain too much heat for baby birds on sunny days. Metal and plastic nest boxes suffer from condensation causing baby birds to get damp and cold.
Nest boxes are out in all weather so they need to be strong, robust, waterproof and have good insulation.
They also need to have the correct hole size.
• 25mm or larger for Blue, Coal and Marsh Tit;
• 28mm or larger for Great Tit and Tree Sparrow;
• 32mm for House Sparrow.

Cultivating and preparing seed beds

Created: 12/01/2010 13:44:58

February is a good time to prepare your beds for vegetable growing. Dig and weed the area ready for seed planting, collect plastic bottles and make bottle cloches, gather supports such as bamboo or pea sticks for climbing plants and prepare pots and plant labels.
In February you can begin sowing early vegetable varieties outdoors and undercover. Cabbage, cauliflower, lettuce, peppers and radishes can be sown indoors in Feb and transferred outdoors between April and May depending on vegetable. see key. Carrots, broccoli, beans and potatoes can be sown directly outdoors.

If you have space make several raised beds and spread your crop amongst them. Grow potatoes in one, root vegetables like onions and carrots in another, beans and peas in another and cabbages, sprouts and broccoli in another. Then rotate what you grow in each bed from one year to the next in the same order as listed here to prevent pests and diseases.
Most crops aside from root vegetables may benefit from a spread of manure or well rotted compost. An organic fertiliser along with leaf mould can improve poor soil. Use compost at a rate of up to 2 shovels full per square metre, manure at half that rate.

Forced Rhubarb:
Rhubarb is technically a vegetable but usually eaten as a fruit. Rhubarb plants can be 'forced' in January and early February to produce a crop of delicious, slim, pale pink stems.
The technique for this is to cover established plants with a large up turned bucket (at least 45cm/18in high), I f you don't have a purpose-made clay forcing pot an empty plastic compost bin will do fine. The purpose of this is to keep the growing shoots in the dark. Stems should be ready to pull in 3-4 weeks. If there is space, place a slug trap inside the bucket to protect the young, tender shoots.

Helping Wildlife survive the winter cold snap

Created: 12/01/2010 13:40:56

The current British cold snap can be fatal for the survival of wildlife especially garden birds. By feeding birds and gardening with wildlife in mind, people can help them survive the worst of the winter weather. When temperatures fall below freezing, birds struggle to find the food and fresh water they need to survive in a health condition, which is vital for them to breed in spring. Just a little water, food and shelter will turn a garden, backyard or allotment into an essential haven for wildlife during the freezing winter months. Put out food for wild birds regularly, especially in severe weather. Set up a bird table and use high calorie seed mixes.

Safeguarding berries which are a natural food source for wildlife and planting native berry-bearing shrubs in the garden helps birds enormously. Leftover food can also provide a welcome boost for wildlife - cake crumbs, pastry and cheese are all readily eaten by wild birds. Provide fruit, such as apples and pears, for blackbirds, song thrushes and other members of the thrush family. Make sure that water is available and that any ice is broken so that birds and other animals have something to drink.
Ivy and holly are among the most important food plants for wildlife in winter, especially for birds that have migrated to spend the winter in the region. Ivy flowers later than other plants, meaning that its berries become ripe around Christmas and are then an important food source for birds.

If you have a pond, remember to leave a ball or plastic cup in it over the icy period, this can then be removed to provide drinking water for other garden visitors such as foxes and badgers and also enables pond life can reach the waters surface.

How to care for your pond in the winter

Created: 08/12/2009 13:34:54

As autumn gives way to winter it's time to prepare your pond for the cold months ahead.
If your oxygenating plants are beginning to look straggly and put their heads above water, thin them out and cut off any growth above water. This will prevent frost killing their growth and causing pollution in the pond.

Leaves from trees and shrubs that have fallen into the pond must be removed regularly, again to prevent pollution which is created as the leaves breakdown, deoxygenating the water. If you have a real problem with leaves falling from nearby trees, consider putting a net across the pond to catch them.
During winter months ice may form on the pond. Always keep a small section clear of ice to allow an air pocket for pond life. A soft ball floating on the surface can sometimes keep a hole open but make sure it doesn't get iced in. If the ball trick works, remove it during the day.
Do not attempt to open a hole in the ice by violently banging it. The shockwaves sent through the water can kill your fish. Instead pour hot water on to the ice. Alternatively if you think ahead, you can float empty plastic bottles, with their caps on, then if the pond freezes over, just pour hot water into them to melt the ice.

If you have fish in the pond, start reducing their feed in early autumn. They will go into a state of dormancy during cold winter months and settle at the bottom of the pond until the weather warms up again.

Collecting sloe berries and making sloe gin

Created: 08/12/2009 11:50:07

Sloe is the fruit of the blackthorn bush, and you'll often find them making up part of a hedgerow, or growing near the edge of a field. Blackthorn can also be found in scrubby land in towns, and is often planted in parks. Most of England's public footpaths will have at least one sloe bush on its route. It is advisable to wear gloves when collecting sloe berries as blackthorn bushes have sharp thorns.

The blackthorn bush grows to between 3 and 13 feet tall. In the spring the bush displays a froth of white flowers. Although the fruits look purple and delicious in late summer, they're not ready yet. You really need to pick them after a frost, which gives them time to ripen, softens their astringency and makes them easier to prick. They are usually ripe from September. If, as happened last year, the frosts just aren't happening, pick in November and put them in the freezer. It can also be useful to pick them earlier before the birds eat them.

How to make Sloe Gin:
Prick them all over with a needle and for every pound of sloes you collect, pour over 8 oz of caster sugar and 1 ¾ pints of gin, then seal. You can leave the gin for as little as two months to steep, agitating the container occasionally, but the longer you leave it, the smoother the results will be.
Sloe gin is deliciously versatile. Try pepping up unremarkable Cava with a splash, drink it neat, use it in a martini or add some to mulled wine.

Other uses for sloe berries:
Sloes can also be made into jam and, if preserved in vinegar, are similar in taste to Japanese umeboshi - apricot tasting.

How to grow Broad beans

Created: 18/11/2009 12:05:50

How to grow Broad beans
Broad beans are an ancient favourite with evidence of cultivation from as early as 6,000 BC. They are easy to grow, high in protein and rich in vitamin C and versatile in many recipes. Autumn is an ideal time to grow broad beans.

Autumn sowing:
Broad beans prefer a fully sunny situation sheltered from winds in a rich, water retentive soil. By sowing in autumn you can have beans as early as May. Sow your broad beans from October onwards, but make sure the ground is not frozen. If it is, you can lay some polythene or other material down to warm it up. Cloches, polytunnels or fleece are worth keeping on standby just in case the temperature drops over the coming months and claims all your hard work.
Prepare the planting site by digging over and adding well-rotted manure. Choose the broad bean variety that suits your needs, hardy cultivars for early autumn sowings or dwarf broad beans for windy areas. You can buy broad beans at your local garden centre or online seed shop.

How to sow seeds direct into soil:
Dig over the soil to create a seed bed and sow one bean directly 5cm (2in) deep and 23cm (9in) apart. Sow in double rows or blocks but stagger plantings to make the best use of space. Spacing shouldn't be compromised as good airflow is essential for combating fungal disease.

How to sow seeds under cover:
Sowing your broad beans under cover can give more reliable germination especially if you have trouble with frozen soil or pests like mice. Sow one per 7cm (3in) pot filled with multi-purpose compost. Water in and place in a cool but frost-free place. Avoid hot greenhouses as they will fail to germinate. Harden off before planting out 23cm (9in) apart.

Aftercare:
As soon as young beans appear at the base of the plant it's time to 'pinch out' the growing tips. Remove the tip at the very top of the plant with two leaves attached, you can compost these or steam as a leaf vegetable. As the plants grow you will need to stake them to prevent the fragile stems from bending or breaking and pods being damaged. Stake with bamboo or pea sticks.

Harvesting:
Pick from the bottom up when ripe and continue to harvest frequently. Finger thick beans can be eaten whole or wait until the pod bursts open to harvest the fully ripe beans inside. Broad beans are great for storing. You can dry or freeze the beans. To freeze, pick fresh pod, place in a plastic bag and freeze. To dry, pick pod and lay out the beans in a dry place. Once beans are completely dry store in an air tight container. These can be sown next year or rehydrated for use in cooking.

Bean varieties to try:
Imperial Green Long pod - heavy cropping, hardy variety
Optica - compact plant, great for small gardens
The Sutton - dwarf variety, prolific cropper
Aquadulce Claudia - good for autumn sowing, nice long pods
Express - tender, tasty and good for freezing

Helping wild birds survive winter

Created: 11/11/2009 15:57:23

Helping wild birds survive winter

During the winter birds rely on supplementary feeding when their natural food sources of insects and bugs are low. Installing bird tables and feeders in your garden is an ideal way to support wild birds throughout the colder months. Leaving fallen fruit on lawns or at the back of boarders is another good food source and leaving teasels and sunflowers to seed provides an instant winter snack for birds.
Providing bird tables and feeders gives you an opportunity to marvel at your wild garden visitors.

What to feed birds:

There is a huge variety of bird food mixes on the market. The better mixtures contain plenty of flaked maize, sunflower seeds, and peanut granules.

In the winter birds need high energy foods such as peanuts and sunflower seeds. Peanuts are rich in fat and are popular with tits, greenfinches, house sparrows, nuthatches and great spotted woodpeckers . Crushed or grated nuts attract robins, dunnocks and even wrens. Salted or dry roasted peanuts should not be used. Peanuts can be high in a natural toxin, which can kill birds, so buy from a reputable dealer.

Black sunflower seeds are an excellent year-round bird food and offer more nutrients than any other seed type. The seed has a higher nutmeat to shell ratio and the high fat content provides instant energy, which is of critical importance in winter bird-feeding.

Make your own bird cake and food bars:

Fat balls and other fat-based food bars are excellent winter bird food. You can make your own bird cake by pouring melted fat (suet or lard) onto a mixture of ingredients such as seeds, nuts, dried fruit, oatmeal, cheese and cake. Use about one-third fat to two-thirds mixture. Stir well in a bowl and allow it to set in a container of your choice. An empty coconut shell or plastic cup/container makes an ideal bird cake ‘feeder’. Alternatively, you can turn it out onto your bird table when solid.

Do not use polyunsaturated margarines or vegetable oils in your fat balls as these are not suitable for birds. Unlike humans, birds need high levels of saturated fat, such as raw suet and lard. The high energy content of lard keeps birds warm in the worst of the winter weather when their body reserves are quickly used up. Soft polyunsaturated fats can easily be smeared onto the feathers, destroying the natural waterproofing and insulating qualities.

Winter homes for wildlife

Created: 06/11/2009 11:51:12

Many animals survive the cold winter months by hibernating as part of their natural life cycle. Hibernation is a complicated and often perilous energy conservation strategy. During hibernation, the body cools and heart rate decreases so that less energy is needed. This is particularly useful during the winter when food sources are scarce. Hedgehogs, bats, dormice, frogs, toads, newts, slow worms, snakes, ladybirds and lacewings are all British animals that hibernate throughout the winter months.

Bumble bees dig holes in the ground or rest in a pile of leaves. If you come across a live but sleepy bee in Winter don't disturb it. Its not dying, just in a deep cold sleep. Put it back where you found it and cover it gently against the cold.

Butterflies hibernate in sheds, out-houses and in cool rooms in our houses, sometimes between the folds of curtains. Butterflies also hibernate in natural hollows in trees, caves, rock crevices and other spaces which are protected from the worst of the British weather. If you chance upon a hibernating butterfly in your home, it is recommended that you leave it alone until early March/April.

Slow worms hibernate from October to February under piles of leaves, within tree roots and in crevices of banks. They hibernate in groups or on their own, and may share hibernation sites with other reptiles. They sometimes burrow into soft earth so that just their heads are visible.

Frogs and toads hibernate simply by bedding down in the mud at the bottom of ponds. If you have a garden pond you can really help your hibernators by floating a tennis ball in the water to prevent it from freezing over, reducing oxygenation and suffocating any frogs and newts beneath the surface..

Hedgehogs, Slow worms, frogs and toads may choose your compost heap as an overwintering home, so be careful when forking over your heap not to disturb sleeping animals.

How you can help:
You can help insects by providing an insect house made from bamboo and sunflower stems tied together. Logs left in piles make ideal over wintering homes for hedgehogs, dormice and insects. Leave leaf litter in piles too as this creates an essential safe place for animals to sleep.
Amphibians hibernate in piles of leaves, long grass or logs so you can help wildlife by not keeping your garden too tidy. Supply a source of food for late flying insects by soaking a clean sponge in a solution made from one part sugar to two parts water.

You can help hungry hedgehogs by feeding them tinned cat or dog food or dry dog food. They’ll also eat bacon rind. You should also ensure that you put out fresh water with any food you leave. However don't feed a hedgehog milk or bread in large amounts as this can cause diarrhoea.

Plant Garlic

Created: 28/10/2009 12:23:18

Garlic is an essential culinary companion which also harbours medicinal properties. It is nature's ancient superfood and has been used by humans for the past 4000 years. Autumn is the ideal time to plant garlic bulbs which will yield a crop the following summer.

There are two types of garlic - Hardneck and Softneck. Hardneck varieties do better in cold conditions, they usually produce larger, milder bulbs with some say ' a superior flavour', however they do not do as well as the softneck variety which last for as long as a year and have a hotter taste than hardnecks. Most supermarket garlic are the softneck variety, however you can't just toss a bulb that you buy from the supermarket in the ground as these are not adapted for our climate. Choose a hardier variety such as 'White Pearl', which you can buy from your local garden centre.

Grow your garlic in full sun. Pick a site that is not prone to water-logging, this will ensure the bulbs do not rot over winter. Each bulb will consist of up to 20 individual cloves, and it is these cloves which are to be individually planted. Gently remove the outer skin from the bulb (not the cloves) and separate into individual cloves. Dig soil to a spades depth and preferably mix in some organic matter to assist drainage. Place the garlic bulbs in an upright position about an inch deep and 8-9 inches apart. Maintain the bulbs with some simple weeding.

Garlic is normally ready for harvesting when most of the foliage has turned yellowy-brown this will be around May-July. Some varieties to consider: White Pearl, Solent Wight, Sultop, Sprint, Cristo and Thermadrome.

Scrunch those leaves

Created: 16/10/2009 15:12:00

It seems that with every gust of wind a few more leaves fall from the trees at the moment. As well as scrunching through the leaves on the ground, you could collect them to make leaf mould for your garden. Leaf mould is one of the best things you can add to your soil as it really helps to ensure that it is full of humus, something that is vital for your plants to grow and be healthy. It has the amazing property of making damp soils drain more quickly and to increase the amount of water retained in dry soils. Nutrients will stay in your soil for longer too, so leaf mould is amazing stuff.

Making leaf mould is really simple, although it does take a long time before it will be ready. The simplest way is to collect large dustbin sacks full of fallen leaves. Make sure they are from trees like oak, birch, ash or hedgerow bushes like hawthorn and hazel because these will become leaf mould more quickly. You can collect beech and sycamore leaves, but may they take longer. Holly and conifer tree leaves are really best avoided.

When you have a few binliners full of leaves, seal each one up, making sure that some air can get in to it to aid the process of leaf mould making. Then leave them in a quiet, unused corner of your garden, out of sight and out of mind, for about a year. Gradually the leaves will decompose to leave beautiful, rich leaf mould.

You can use the leaf mould as a mulch around plants to prevent weeds or as a general soil conditioner. Just spread a nice thick layer of it around your plants, in the autumn of springtime.

Bulb planting time time

Created: 25/09/2009 15:41:33

If you visit a garden centre this weekend it will probably be full of bulbs. Now is a really good time to think of planting some bulbs to provide bees and butterflies with plenty of nectar. You can plant a succession of bulbs so that there is always something in flower too. You can start the year with snowdrops, move on to daffodils and tulips and end the bulb season with Alliums - beautiful flowering onions. If you have a taste for the exotic, snakes-head fritilliaries are wonderful, rare native bulb plants and you can't beat a few bluebells too - but don't forget to buy native British bluebells and not the invasive Spanish kind. Our favourite bulbs in order of their flowering time are:

Snowdrops - get the simple but beautiful Galanthus nivalis, great for awakening bees
Grape hyacinths - like little hyacinths, these are a cheery bright blue treat in late winter which insects will visit
Daffodils - try our very own native tenby Daffodil or small little ones like Tete a Tete or Jetfire
Tulips - almost any sort will be popuiar with bees, but smaller ones stand less chance of being blown over
Fritilliaries - try our very own snakes-head if you have damper soil and the exotic crown imperial is stunning
Bluebells - remember to buy our native British bluebell, especially if you live close to natural woodlands
Alliums - there are all sorts of flowering onion. Try growing our very own Bristol onion, sold is shops as 'drumsticks' or the very beautiful 'purple sensation'.
Lilies - amazingly huge flowers full of nectar that will attract hoverflies as well as bees. Probably best bought in the springtime
Irises - not really a bulb, but you treat them just the same, try growing the charmingly named stinking iris - Iris foetidissima. You can buy it in pots and the lovely red seeds will cheer you up in winter
Autumn crocus - also known as medow saffron, a crocus that flowers about now, so you need to buy it in the spring

Use those apples

Use and store those apples

Created: 16/09/2009 11:45:25

Apples are falling from trees thick and fast now and it is a shame to waste them.

Apples can be stored in a cool, dark place as long as none of your apples are damaged in any way and the apples are not touching each other. Don't forget to leave a few apples for wildlife to enjoy though.

You could try this traditional Somerset recipe for apple cake. It is delicious.

1) Cut half a block of butter in to small litle pieces and place in a mixing bowl
2) Cream the butter with a fork
3) Add about 6oz of soft brown sugar and cream the mixture so the sugar combines with the butter
4) Beat two eggs and slowly add to the mixture, creaming all the time so all the ingredients mix together
5) Add about 8oz of plain flour to the mixture, plus 2 teaspoons of baking powder, 1 teaspoon of mixed spice and 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon. You can add a bit more cinnamon if you like it!
6) Mix all these ingredients together
7) Peel and slice about 6-8 cooking apples and add the pieces to the mixture making sure the apples are well distributed
8) Add water or apple juice to the mixture, stirring it in. You need to add just enough so that a spoonful of the mixture will slowly drop from the spoon, You do not want the mixture to be too runny.
9) Rub butter in to the bottom and sides of a cake tin
10) Add the mixture to the tin
11) Bake in a oven set at 200C, gas mark 4 for 40 minutes to an hour - test to see if the cake has cooked with a fork.

When cooked, remove the cake from the tin and allow to cool. Then enjoy. It's especially good with a bit of double cream over it.

Sow foxgloves and teasels

Created: 02/09/2009 09:39:28

Foxgloves are one of the most attractive flowers for bees and teasel provides nectar for them as well as seeds for the birds too.

Now is a great time to sow both of them.. You can buy wildflower seed from most garden centres or collect your own seed from last year's flowers. Sow seed thinly in a tray over peat free compost and then lightly cover the seed with a bit more. Water the seed in a place the trays otuside away from full sunshine. Check the trays from time to time and water them if they dry out.

Once the seeds have germinated, move them to a sunny spot and when they are big enough transfer them to individual pots. If you can plant them in the ground where you want them to flower by the end of October, they'll establish themselves throughout the winter for next summer.

Watch The Pond

Created: 30/07/2009 10:51:27

Your wildlife pond should be a hive of activity, especially on warmer days. If it is doing well you should be seeing damselflies and dragonflies flying around it and you may spot many young frogs exploring the garden. Many older frogs return to the pond in summer to keep moist and cool, so you could find quite a few of them about. Look closely in to the pond and you could see fish-like baby newts darting about. You can tell they are not fish because of their feathery external gills. And if it is hot and sunny, expect to see bees, wasps, birds and all sorts of other creatures coming for a drink.

Second Entry

Sow some winter greens

Created: 27/07/2009 23:46:49

If you are busy harvesting tomatoes, beans and courgettes and other veg, it’s hard to think about some of things you should be doing to prepare for the lean times of winter. You can still sow lettuces, some carrots, spinach and cut and come again greens now to harvest before the first frosts, but you can also sow cabbages that will be ready to eat in the winter or early next year. A great type to grow is wintergreen. It will provide you with a wealth of fresh greens when everything else is in short supply.

Sow seeds in a seed tray and grow them on until they are ready to plant in their final position in a few weeks time.

Entry One

Prepare for autumn

Created: 27/07/2009 22:59:41

It may not feel like we have really had our full dose of summer, now is a good time to think about providing some plants for bees and butterflies to feed on during the autumn. This can be a tough time for them as there are less and less flowers to gather nectar and pollen on and bees, in particular, need to store up food reserves for the winter.

One plant you will find in garden centres now is sedum. It has everything a bee or butterfly could want in an autumn flower. It is flat headed so the insects can land on them easily, it produces a lot of energy rich nectar and flowers for quite a while.