Make Your Own Fat Foods For The Wild Birds in Your Garden

You can use all sorts of things when making your own fat cakes for the birds. I had quite a few empty Coconut Shells, the loops of string for hanging them still intact so it was an easy, no fuss option for me. After washing them out and letting them dry they were ready to fill.

I bought several large blocks of basic lard from the supermarket - I'm glad I bought extra as I used more than I thought I would. Yes, I have dripping left from cooking but it is most likely to have a whole load of other ingredients and seasonings melted down with it so it's safer not to use it. What we use for the birds mustn't have any salt in it.

The seed I regularly use in my bird feeders, All Seasons, was my other main ingredient but you can use any seed blend that your garden birds enjoy, for example Goldensong would also be perfect.

For me the real fun part is the toppings and I made sure that I had a selection of goodies to sprinkle on the top! You could say it's my 'Nigella' moment but it does add such an element of fun and luxury to the recipe. Dried Mealworms, Suet Treats, Peanut Granules and fruits like papaya, sultanas and cranberries - tasty, colourful and an extra delicious treat for the birds!

Because of their rounded bottoms I found it easier to rest the coconut shells on a muffin or little cake tray, this kept them stable when filling.

Everywhere I'd looked for recipes had recommended 1 part fat to 2 parts seed mixes so that's the measurements that were (roughly) used.

We've got the Aga on at the moment so I decided to melt the lard slowly in a saucepan on there, but you can obviously do the same on any hob or in the microwave, just be careful not to let it get too hot or reach boiling point.

While the fat was melting I weighed my seed mix and put it in a large bowl ready to have the melted fat poured over it. This done, everything was stirred really well until all the seeds were coated with the fat. I threw an extra lump of lard back in the same saucepan and put it back on the low heat to use later. Whilst that was melting, the seed and fat mixture was divided between the coconut shells.

Trust me; this bit was definitely nothing like a 'Nigella' moment; more reminiscent of queuing up for school dinners'! As with a flick of the spoon the mixture was plonked into the shells. We pressed each of them down firmly with the back of the spoon and levelled them off to just a little below the top edge, leaving room for the toppings.

The extra melted lard was tipped into a jug to make it easy to pour a small amount neatly over the surface of each filled shell. It was amazing how it soaked in and disappeared.

Then all that was left to do was to liberally sprinkle on the luxury toppings and lightly press into the seed and suet mixture before covering with cling film. Once wrapped you can apply more pressure to the surface to ensure your topping is securely bedded down.

Finally, they were put in the fridge overnight to set. Well, if I'm honest a few were put into the freezer for a couple of hours as we didn't want to wait until the next day to see if the birds liked them! Which, of course, they did or I wouldn't be telling you all about it!

Storing

Keep them wrapped in the cling film and find a cool place to store them until they are needed. The garden shed or garage is ideal. There they can stay until you want to put them out for your birds.

Making Fat Balls

Melt and mix suet and seeds as above. It's a good idea to leave the mixture for a few minutes so that it's a little firmer. We found that just using your hands to shape and squeeze the mixture into a ball was practically impossible, they just kept crumbling, so instead we tore off a section of cling film and laid it over my hand, placed a spoonful of the mixture in my palm and brought the cling film up and around to cover it, then twisted the ends and shaped the ball through the layer of film. Much easier!

Then they are all ready to pop in the fridge or freezer to set, and then store.

TIPS: You can use plastic containers like yogurt, or cream pots for fat food shaped like Buns. If you have a suitable holder (like our F1 Giant Snack Ball Holder, page 17 no. 5 or in the Fat Foods and Feeders section on the website, or for those bothered by Squirrels or Starlings the UP11a tough wire basket with lid), these are perfect as you won't have to fiddle with inserting pieces of string to hang them by.

To make your own Suet Blocks line a baking tray with cling film, fill with the mixture and press firmly down, cut into squares once chilled and set.

For a Fat Cake that will last for days, even weeks, use a butter or margarine tub. It's up to you if you choose to line them with cling film or not, but you will find that it does help when you need to get the cake out of the container. This can be offered to the birds as a whole or in slices.

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Does An Organic Garden Need A Soil Test?

What is a soil test and do I need one for my organic garden? Some people believe that if they are not using chemicals on their garden there is no need for a soil test. And, some of you may be thinking, how do you give your soil a test?

We need to determine if you need to test your soil, the proper way to take a soil test and what to do with the results if you are an organic gardener.

As an organic gardener you may be applying compost to your garden each season. That is great and compost is good for the soil in a lot of different ways. But, not all compost is the same. Have you ever thought about having your compost tested for nutrient content?

You see, compost is made up of lots of different materials. The compost is only as good as the materials that go into it and the method used to make the compost.

Over time you may be creating a shortage of some mineral or other substance, because it is lacking in one of the ingredients in your compost pile. You have no way of knowing this unless you test the soil or compost, or both.

So, the answer is if you want to have a well balance garden to grow your healthy vegetables in you need to test the soil.

To take a sample of your soil to send to a soil analysis lab you simply need a clean bucket and shovel. You tools must be clean to keep from contaminating your sample.

Take a slice of earth down to 5 or 6 inches deep from 3 or 4 places in your garden, enough to get a good sample of the soil. Mix the slices together in the bucket and let dry. Keep as much debris out of the sample as possible.

The testing lab will supply bags to send in your samples and directions on how to properly take a sample. They will tell you to use a soil probe, but most people do not have one of those lying around, and a shovel will do the job just fine.

What to do with your sample. Contact two or three soil testing labs in your area. You can find those online. Send your samples to each of the labs. You will probably get two or three different results in return.

Why? Each lab has their own way to do the testing and reading of the results. That's why I recommend using more than one lab.

When you get the results look over the recommendations. Unless you find a lab that gives recommendations for organic gardening and farming the test results will talk about the amounts of chemical fertilizers to use. Do not fear.

The results can be put to good use. Use your common sense and see which nutrients are low or high. From this you can decide how to correct the soil fertility organically.

I do recommend you test your soil and, if possible, your compost too. Just follow the above steps and you can have a good balanced soil to grow your delicious organic vegetables for your family.

A free gardening tips newsletter is available for gardeners. Just click here to pick up the free newsletter. For more information go to http://solutionsfororganicgardening.com/.

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How to Get Rid of Lawn Grubs

Lawn grubs, also known as curl grubs, are white-C-shaped grub with a brown or black head. They are the larvae of various lawn beetles and live beneath the soil surface. Commonly referred to as white curl grubs, they feed on the roots of the grass and can destroy your entire lawn within a few weeks.

Most activities of grubs occur during the warmer times of the year - from early spring, through summer, and into autumn. Lawn grubs can destroy your lawns even before you become aware of their presence. Here are different techniques how you can recognize and manage it before they create great damage to your lawn.

• Pesticide

A pesticide with long-term effect is best for any type of lawn grubs. Since grubs are very active during nighttime, it is best to apply the herbicide before the sun sets. When they eat the grass with pesticide, they will die. It is best to employ the use of pesticide during spring and summer months because they dig deeper into the ground during winter.

• Spiked Aerator Shoes

Also known as spikes of death, you are required to wear spiked aerator shoes while walking over your lawn. This is the favorite method used to control Japanese beetle as it gives dual benefits at the same time - aerating your lawn while killing the grubs.

• Milky Disease

Milky Disease is the scientific name for an organic solution that works more effectively if you have high concentration of grubs in your lawn. The more grubs you have, the higher probability of reducing their number. Milky disease solution can reside in your lawn for an extended time so you do not need to reapply it. Moreover, researches show that milky disease only affects white grubs and Japanese beetles.

• Nomatodes

Another proven effective method to eliminate that is by using long skinny worms called nomatodes. When these nomatodes get into your coils, they attach themselves to lawn grubs until the grubs die. Studies showed that this method is fairly effective, especially if the population is quite large.

• Lawn Dethatcher

The grubs live in the thatch layer of your lawn. When using a lawn dethatcher or a power rake, it removes the thatch. At the same time, it also removes at least half of the lawn grubs consuming your lawn. After removing the thatch, you will notice that there are lots of dead grubs fused in with it. Furthermore, removing the protective layer of thatch from the soil exposes the grubs to their natural predators like birds.

Lawn Grubs harm your garden by eating the root of you grass causing the grass to weaken and finally die. Some types of grubs also tunnel which furthers weakens the grass and can even damage some other plants as well.

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Why Electric Garden Tillers Are a Necessary Tool for Gardeners?

If you really want your garden or lawn to look attractive, you need to make sure that you are managing it properly. Some gardeners try to do it by themselves while others take the help of different tools or machines, such as an electric garden tiller. A tiller is basically used for plowing the garden, removing the weeds and ultimately helping them in cultivating the land. Initially, there were manual or gas-powered tillers but with the advent of technology, electric tillers were introduced. An electric tiller is user-friendly and one can use it just by plugging them in an electric socket. You don't need to worry about fuel or anything else. They are much lighter as compared to the petrol powered tillers and they don't make any noise. You also don't need to put a lot of strength for switching them on or using them. You can easily use them by just pushing a simple button. However, being a gardener, you need to understand that you cannot use an electric garden tiller for plowing a big land or a farm. It could only be used for managing a small garden, which is not more than 100-150 square foot. Therefore, if you want it for a national park or commercial building garden, you will need to buy a gas-powered tiller that is heavier and more powerful.

Electric garden tillers have the ability to give a distinctive look to your garden. You can easily use them to make sure that your garden has been maintained well. Another important factor here is to understand that if you want your garden to look attractive, you will have to make sure that you are maintaining it on a regular basis. You need to be vigilant and you should also make sure that you are using every new technology to maintain your garden. Electric tillers are one of such latest technologies, which can help you in making your garden an ideal one. Being a gardener, you should also know that a tiller is basically used for preparing the beds for planting by grinding the soil with the help of blades. Apart from that, it will also help in breaking the large clumps of soil and eventually making your garden's soil perfect for the cultivation process. If you won't have a tiller, you will need to use a shovel with your hands that could turn out to be pretty hard for you. That's why; many gardeners prefer to buy electric garden tillers to assist them.

The gardeners know the importance of an electric garden tiller that can help them in preparing the bed easily without much effort or noise. In case, you have a huge garden, you need to understand that it will consume a lot of your time. Usually, people do this on weekends or holidays. There are many gardeners who think that they will have to till the entire garden but that is not the case. An electric tiller should only be used at those places where you want to create a new bed for planting. Apart from that, you don't need to plow any other area. This tilling process basically helps in bringing the nutrients of your soil on the ground level, which could be a great help for new plants and will help them to grow faster. Gardeners know that a healthy soil has the ability to increase the efficiency of the planting process. On the other hand, if you are unable to perform this function properly, the results won't be really good and the prices of plant cultivation will not be good either.

Sultan Murati is a dedicated gardener and does reviews about garden tillers and other gardening tools. To find more information on gardening tools and rototillers for sale, please visit his site at BestGardenTIllers.com.

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