First snowdrops of the year - 12th January

Birds

Living at the end of a country lane gave us a few challenges last week when we were snowed in. The car was parked up for ages; I have never had a tank of petrol last so long. We enjoyed at playing at being self-sufficient. Going to the shops was a major family expedition as we carted our groceries up the hill on our backs (we should have brought the sledge).

As the coal lorry didn’t manage to get to us over the icy period, we decided the best thing to do would be to chop our own wood, Julie and the lads went into the garden to rummage around for fallen branches and anything else that could be sawed up to produce a bit of heat.

WOOD WARMS YOU TWICE

Within a very short space of time we had a large pile of wood. We had fallen branches, the old Christmas tree and even the remains of some ancient wooden chairs that were slowly rotting behind the shed. I used the chainsaw and within a couple of hours we had enough fuel to last us a week. Some of it was a bit damp -still it still made for a good fire especially as it was mixed with the scrapings out of the coalbunker. Wood certainly warms you twice as it is quite labour intensive collecting and cutting it. We all had a real feeling of achievement that evening as we sat around the fire watching the wood merrily spit and crackle.


BIRDS
The birds are queuing up at the feeders in the garden as we have tried to keep them well fed over the cold snap. The feeders had to be moved from the trees as we have a couple of highly skilled tree climbing rats in the garden. We tied some string between the bean poles and the swing and dangled the feeders from this. The rats climbed the trees and studied it for a while (until one the lads took a shot with his pellet gun). As yet they haven’t been able to negotiate the thin green twine but they have probably signed up for circus school to learn tight rope walking.

ATTRACTING DIFFERENT TYPES OF BIRDS

There are different mixes for feeders and for bird tables and ground feeding. The better mixtures contain plenty of flaked maize, sunflower seeds, and peanut granules.

Small seeds, such as millet, attract mostly house sparrows, dunnocks, finches, reed buntings and collared doves and blackbirds enjoy flaked maize. Tits and greenfinches favour peanuts and sunflower seeds. Mixes that contain chunks or whole nuts are suitable for winter-feeding only. Pinhead oatmeal is excellent for many birds. Wheat and barley grains are often included in seed mixtures, but they are really only suitable for pigeons, doves and pheasants, which feed on the ground and rapidly increase in numbers, frequently deterring the smaller species.

Avoid seed mixtures that have split peas, beans, dried rice or lentils as again only the large species can eat them dry. These are added to some cheaper seed mixes to bulk them up. Any mixture containing green or pink lumps should also be avoided, as these are dog biscuit, which can only be eaten when soaked.

Fat balls
Fat balls are excellent winter food. If they are sold in nylon mesh bags, always remove the bag before putting the fat ball out – the soft mesh can trap and injure birds. 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, plastic cup or tit bell makes an ideal bird cake feeder. Alternatively, you can turn it out onto your bird table when solid.


Dog and cat food
Meaty tinned dog and cat food form an acceptable substitute to earthworms during the warm, dry part of the summer when worms are beyond the birds' reach. We have loads of tins of catfood that our pampered dog refuses to eat (she only likes the ones in gravy) so these can help to feed the blackbirds, who also feed their chicks with it.

Things to avoid
Polyunsaturated margarines or vegetable oils.
Like us, birds need high levels of saturated fat, such as raw suet and lard. They need the high energy content to keep warm in the worst of the winter weather

Milk and coconut
Never give milk to any bird. A bird's gut is not designed to digest milk and it can result in serious stomach upsets, or even death. Birds can, however, digest fermented dairy products such as cheese. Mild grated cheese can be a good way of attracting robins, wrens and dunnocks.

Still snowed in

Although we have been frozen in for a couple of weeks (much to my delight), I have still managed a bit of gardening work which didn’t involve careering down an ice-covered driveway on a surfboard…such fun, apart from the wall…. The only plants easily worked on were the hedges, so they got a good trim.

As we are into the New Year I thought we could snuggle down in the warmth with a hot cuppa and check out some top tips and answer questions from the gardening.ie website. The website is having a spring clean this month with new features, a forum and a clearly laid out section to make it more user friendly. It is looking like my toolbox at the moment; I can never find anything I am looking for.

Top Tips for a great spring garden


· Try not to remove mulch from perennials too early. A warm day may make you think spring is almost here but there may be more cold weather yet to come.

· Branches of forsythia, pussy willow, quince, spirea, and dogwood can be forced for indoor bloom. Make long, slanted cuts when collecting the branches and place the stems in a vase of water. Change the water every four days. They should bloom in about 3 weeks.

· Look over your trees now and remove dead, dying, or unsightly parts, sprouts growing at or near the base of the tree trunk and crossed branches.

· This year plan to grow at least one new vegetable that you've never grown before.

· Check all five growing factors if your houseplants are not growing well. Light, temperature, nutrients, moisture, and humidity must be favourable to provide good growth.


Questions for 2010

Q. I saved lots of runner bean seeds last autumn, far more than I need to sow this year. Can I eat them in the same way that I would other dried beans?

A. Runner bean seeds - be they black, white or, more usually purple with black streaks - are all edible. Soak them until they are plump, and then make sure they boil for at least 10 minutes to destroy the toxins that are in all drying beans. Then continue to cook as usual.

Mucking in.

Q. I need some manure for my garden, and can easily get fresh strawy horse manure. Can I use this straight away? If not, why not?

A. Animal manures should always be composted or left to rot down before use. The urine in the mix is rich in plant foods, but these are easily washed out by rain - and can also burn young plants. The composting process stabilises these nutrients, so they are released slowly. Horse manure is likely to contain residues of products use to worm the horses, and it is important to give these time to break down. Composting also reduces or destroys pathogens and weed seeds, and makes the materials easier to handle and apply.
Chitting potatoes light or dark

Q. I'm getting conflicting advice about chitting potatoes. Some say they should be kept in the dark until first buds appear while some say they should be chitted in light areas. Any thoughts?

A. Try putting your seed potatoes to chit in daylight. Having said that, if they are chitted in the dark, it is not the end of the world. I have tried planting tubers with shoots up to 20cm long (produced in the dark) and they still grew, but they were a bit awkward to plant without damaging them.
Spud peelings in the compost?

Q. A friend told me that you shouldn't put potato peelings onto the compost heap but didn't know of any reason for this. Is this correct?



A. The only reason for not composting potato peelings is that they are a potential source of the fungus that causes potato blight. Blight spores can survive only on living plant material. Potato peelings can provide this when the buds in the eyes of potato skins grow into potato plants. To ensure that the peelings don't sprout, bury them well down in the compost and ensure that you turn the heap regularly. If you do this, it is fine to compost the peelings.

Moving plants

Q. When would be the best time to move various plants to a new site in my garden?

A. The best time to move plants will depend on the type of plant. Herbaceous plants (those that die down in the winter) are best moved in the autumn or winter - though not when the ground is frozen. Deciduous shrubs (those that lose their leaves) are also best moved at this time, once they have lost their leaves. Evergreens, on the other hand, are best moved in March so get planning now, as it will soon be here.
Smokeless fuel ash and the organic garden

Q. Can I use the wood ash from my stove on the garden? I sometime also burn smokeless fuel. Would this ash be safe to use too?

A. Wood ash is rich in trace elements and potassium, so it makes sense to use it on the garden. As rain can quickly wash these nutrients out of the soil, it is best to process the ash through a compost heap. Store it in a dry place, and add to the compost material as you fill the bins through the year. Ash from smokeless fuel and coal is not suitable for garden use.

Coping with frosty weather

THE FROZEN GARDEN

We were iced in over the holidays. Being on top of an ungritted road up a hill up then at the end of a dirt track, we tend to be a forgotten entity in adverse weather. None of us minded much as it was holiday time and we were thankful that the other utilities were still active. We spent one Christmas and New Year, not so long ago, on the outskirts of Westport with no electricity, telephone heating, other than a small stove. Our water was off too, except from a well down the road where we had to tread on the “Caution do not drink - Contaminated with e-coli” sign to get to the leaf covered water. It was a harsh couple of weeks but we did enjoy huddling around a candle for light and warmth…it brought us closer together as a family (again to conserve heat). This year we still have everything working in the house so it was really enjoyable to get out into the cold frosty hills and enjoy the countryside on foot other than driving through it. You don’t have to walk anywhere far in Inishowen to get some spectacular views. There are a few precautions to take in the home and garden to save any disasters as one of our friends found out after their water pipe burst and flooded their kitchen. Besides insulating your pipes, let’s have a look what we can do in the garden to save these expensive and prized plants in the garden.


The effects of cold on plants
Frost, causes the water in tender plant cells to freeze, damaging the cell wall. Frost-damaged plants are easy to spot, their growth becomes limp, blackened and distorted. and tender plants take on a translucent appearance. Frost problems are often made worse where plants face the morning sun, as this causes them to defrost quickly, rupturing their cell walls.

Hardy plants and tough evergreens can also be damaged by prolonged spells of severe cold when soil becomes frozen, their leave can become brown at the tips. Roots are unable to take up water and plants die from lack of moisture.

How to reduce the damage

Prevention is far better than cure, so try to minimise the damaging effects of cold on your plants:

· Try to plant tender specimens in a sheltered spot, under large trees and shrubs or against walls, give them some heat and protection during the winter.
· Ensure that plants with tender flower buds or shoots are not planted in east-facing sites.
· Leave the old growth of tender plants unpruned over the winter months. This will help to protect the central crown of the plant and take the brunt of any frost

· Avoid golden or variegated plant varieties that are often more tender.
· Choose plants that are reliably hardy, all of our garden centres can help you with that.
· Avoid high-nitrogen fertilisers as they encourage plants to make lots of sappy leafy growth that is particularly susceptible to damage, especially early and late in the year.
· damage. If plants are cut back hard in autumn new growth could be damaged by frost.
· Cold air and frost always descend to the lowest point in a garden so avoid planting tender plants in obvious frost pockets.


Protecting plants




How we protect plants from the effects of cold depends on the type of plants and the situation they are growing in.

· Protect the crowns of tree ferns and insulate their trunks by wrapping them in layers of fleece or hessian stuffed with straw. Cordylines and palms should be treated similarly, by tying their leaves into bunches, to protect their crowns.
· Protect low-growing plants from wet weather by covering them with a sheet of glass or a cloche and surrounding them with a layer of gravel or grit, to ensure swift drainage.
· Choose outdoor containers that are frost-proof to prevent them cracking. Lift pots and containers into a shed or greenhouse for protection. Those that can't be moved should be placed on 'pot feet' to prevent waterlogging. Using a light, free-draining compost with added perlite will also help with this. Insulate them with a layer of bubble wrap or hessian to prevent them freezing and cracking and ensure plant rootballs stay healthy.
· Plants that are trained against walls or tender plants growing in the open ground can be protected with fleece-covered frames. Alternatively, sandwich a layer of bracken leaves or straw between two large sections of chicken wire and use this to cover plants during frosty evenings. Tender bulbs, corms and tender, herbaceous plants that die back, should be covered with a thick mulch of manure, straw or old leaves to prevent the soil from freezing.
· Evergreen plants will benefit from a thick layer of mulch around their bases to keep the soil frost-free. This will allow them to take up moisture during periods of cold weather and stop them from becoming dehydrated.
· Tender plants should be grown in pots so that they can be moved inside during bad weather. Take cuttings of those that cannot be grown in pots and overwinter these in a warm greenhouse, ready for planting in spring.


Helping damaged plants

If your plants do get frosted this doesn't necessarily mean the end for them, many plants will recover given time. However there are ways of minimising the damage:

· Protect them from the morning sun, which can damage growth if the plant defrosts too quickly. If you can't move the plants, try covering them with a layer of black plastic to block out the sun.
· Cut back frosted growth in spring to a healthy, new bud, to prevent further die back and encourage plants to produce fresh, new shoots.
· Feed damaged plants with a balanced fertiliser (one with equal amounts of Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium) to encourage strong, healthy growth.
· Dig up small, tender plants and take them into the greenhouse or bright area of a shed. Many will quickly produce new growth and recover, provided they are not subjected to prolonged periods of heavy frost, wet or cold.
· Newly-planted specimens will often lift themselves proud of the soil surface if there is a hard frost straight after planting. Check them regularly and re-firm the ground around them to ensure their roots are always in contact with the soil.