New Year Gardening Jobs

Now that it's 2013 and we've all hopefully had great New Year's celebrations and wonderful Christmas too, it is time to get back into the swing of things and prepare the garden for the coming Spring.

Clean Up Your Greenhouse 

 

This is definitely the best time to clean your greenhouse out ready for when you begin growing in there. The same goes for cold frames or mini growhouses too. The easiest way is to wipe the glass down with some warm soapy water and then squeegee it off and it should be clear.

Doing this will mean that you will be prepared and the job will be done ready for you concentrate on sorting out your plants to be grown.

The Compost Bin

 

If you don't have a compost bin, then you should set one up now, there are many available from simple wooden slot together composters to the more durable plastic composters, you could even build your own if you wanted to. It's a great place to put all the waste from the garden which will be created throughout the year like for example weeds and grass cuttings.

Feed The Birds!

 

If you are a bird lover, then you will want to put out some bird feed for them, as food is scarce at this time of the year, so put out some fat balls for the birds to graze on during this hard time for them to get some much needed nutrients.

Plan For The Year Ahead

 

If you start planning now, you will make it easier on yourself for the rest of the year as you will know what to do and when, there's no better time than new year to do this as it's like a fresh start for you. Planning will also mean you are more likely to carry things out as you will have a routine and will be more likely to stick at it, it's also a good reminder if you do forget soemthing.

Create a Bird Friendly Garden

The siting of bird features is very important, is you site features poorly it makes the birds you want to attract vunerable to predators.

The winter months are vitally important and food and water are in short supply due to freezing conditions. Once you start feeding, you will need to continue regularly as the birds will start to rely on you during this time and if the supply is cut off they could end up dying, so to start then stop is worse than doing nothing in the first place.

Bird Tables

Bird tables are common and basic bird feature, you should place it close enough to your house to be seen, but 6 feet from any brand or wall. Make sure that the table is 5 feet high or more. Always try to get one with a roof, this keeps food aswell as the birds out of the rain and stops falling leaves too.

            If you want to stop squirrels and cats from climbing the bird table then use a plastic drainpipe over the top of the wood, this should prevent them from being able to grip stopping them getting up. 

Nest Box

Suitable for all hole-nesting species of birds such as tits, nuthatches and sparrows. Mount it around 6 feet from the ground and camouflage too. Do not situate too close to the house or south facing. The hole should be around 1 inch in diameter and 5 inches from the base. Make it about 4 inches square or more.

Bird Baths

Birds require water to drink and to bath in, this is especially true during hot dry summers or very cold winters. Don’t fill the bird bath too deeply and change it regularly. If using a ground level bird bath always use a wading stone so birds are able to walk in and out.

Give Birds a Variety of Foods

Birds enjoy to eat a variety of foods not just seeds, this includes:

• fats
• peanuts
• cheese
• bacon
• cereals
• fruit
• suet
• wild bird food
• and wholemeal bread too

Spread it out so a number of birds can graze at the same time and avoid foods such as uncooked meat, salted peanuts, white bread and spicy foods!

Feeding Birds at Ground Level

Robins and Thrushes like to feed at ground level, so spread food out in a shallow tray or on your lawn so plenty of them can feed at the same time, but remember to take it away before nightfall to prevent vermin.