TRY BOKASHI COMPOSTING
With all the food waste that will occur over Christmas, I’m delighted that Wigglywigglers.co.uk has given me a bokashi composter to try.
I’ve been using it for about a month and I love the smell of the live bokashi bran used to activate it.
They sent me a value pack which includes two composting bins, so you can always have one on the go (price from £69.95). Simply add a 2cm layer of chopped food scraps, about the size of a full kitchen trolley. As a family of five, we always have too much to fit in the council’s food waste bin, so I simply put the leftovers in my composter and then add a couple of tablespoons of bran.
There is a tool to press the remains and flatten them and a faucet that allows you to drain excess liquid easily. Everything is quite satisfactory.
Once the container is full, you leave it for a couple of weeks to allow the microbes in the bran to break down the food waste before it is ready to use.
You can add it to your garden’s compost or worm bin or dig it right in to improve your soil.
As a family of five, we always have too much to fit in the council’s food waste bin, so I simply put the leftovers in my composter and then add a couple of tablespoons of bran.
DEN FOR AMPHIBIANS
Toads, frogs, and newts like a cool, moist place to hibernate.
Make a den by digging a hole in an unused corner of your lawn about 30 to 40 cm deep.
Cover it with moss and fill it with sticks and stones, crossing them to create hiding places.
Cover the den with grass, leaving an entrance for the amphibians to enter and exit. It will last a few years.
Don’t cut it.
Toads, frogs and newts like a cool, moist place to hibernate.
PLANT A COLORFUL CRAB APPLE TREE
Compact crab apples have beautiful flowers in spring and bright fruit in the winter months, providing food for wildlife.
Plant bare root trees now, as long as the soil is not frozen or waterlogged. Malus sylvestris ‘Evereste’, is compact with blush white flowers and orange fruits.
Malus ‘Red Sentinel’ has cherry red fruits that are often used in Christmas decorations.
Compact crab apples have beautiful flowers in spring and bright fruits in the winter months, providing food for wildlife.
PLANT OF THE WEEK
IRIS UNGUICULARIS MARY BARNARD
This award-winning cultivar of Algerian lily is an evergreen perennial that blooms in the dead of winter.
It is named after the woman who first collected it in Algeria in 1937 and has fragrant deep purple flowers with golden slivers in the center of the petals, which can last until early spring.
This tiny iris is happiest in sheltered, well-drained locations, such as at the foot of a south-facing wall, and prefers alkaline to neutral soil.
It grows to about 25cm tall and has slender, dark green foliage.
Iris Unguicularis Mary Barnard is named after the woman who first collected it in Algeria in 1937 and has fragrant deep purple flowers with golden slivers in the center of the petals, which can last until early spring.
READER QUESTION
How can I stop squirrels from stealing bird food?
The best advice is to invest in a squirrel-proof bird feeder.
Mrs C. McSweeney, Lincs
The other day I was looking at our yard and saw what I thought was a rag hanging from a tree.
It turned out to be a squirrel, helping itself to our bird feeder.
The best advice is to invest in a squirrel-proof bird feeder and place it at least 6 feet away from trees and fences to prevent squirrels from jumping on it.
I really like seeing squirrels in our yard, so if you do too, you might want to consider offering a separate food source just for them.