Birds (Friend or Foe)

It was nice to visit the allotment and actually be able to do some work. I was surprsied to find that the soil was quite soft and easy to dig over. Apart from digging over a couple of beds, I managed to erect a small polythene cloche.

I had noticed that my onion sets had been visited by the birds, so I decided to improve bird control by positioning four canes one in each corner and attached a netting that I can now move up and down the canes, I've also tied some lime green netting whcih I hope will persuade the birds to leave them alone.

I can't really complain, I have attracted many species to my plot and its lovely just to sit and watch them.

With the weather being okay, it gave me an opportunity to tidy up the area where my wildlife garden will be situated. I'm hoping to start on this over the next few weeks.

Photo's and Info will be posted each step of the way.

I've been up to the allotment today mainly for two reasons:

1. to make sure that the birds have enough food, I restocked the birdfeeders and hung seed balls from various trees. I'm lucky in a sense that the site is surrounded by a hedge and a few trees - an haven for wild birds.


2. To build a couple of shelves in the shed - as we all know, a shed plays a crucial role in the allotment, as a private sanctuary as well as storage for equipment.

Whilst I was pottering away in the shed, I had a visitor.

Looking after Birds in winter is a challenge, you can help by offering them shelter as well as food. Hanging up nest boxes now supplies them with valuable winter roosts and gives them time to identify potential nest sites.

My New Allotment

I recently took over an allotment (12/09/09) and its my intention to keep a blog of all the challenges I face. I have already completed alot of the tasks through Autumn and Winter.

Tasks undertaken:

• Cleared the site of weeds and overgrown vegetation.
• Repaired wooden compost bins.
• Constructed a Leaf Mould Bin.
• Installed a plastic compost Bin.
• Erected a Timber Shed with Bird Feeder Attached.
• Created 3 plots - Roots, Brassicas and Legumes/Other
• Prepared 5 beds in the Legumes/Other Plot - for Peas, Leeks,Spinach,Beetroot,Radish,Onions and Raspberries.

Tasks still to do:

• Prepare a Brassica Bed
• Prepare a Root Crop Bed
• Create a Wildlife Garden
• Build a Brick BBQ and Seating Area
• Erect a Polytunnel or Greenhouse - not decided which to use