I haven't got much fruit this year, unfortunately; so I'm looking forward to receiving one of your "vases" of jam- and one of chutney, if you can spare it!
I have a dream that my.. children.. one day..
will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their
character
I shall .. consider your request, Zoe! As for "vases", when we were children, mother used some very attractive jars for her preserves; some were glass and some stoneware. I think they were, originally, my grandmother's. To my sister and me they were "vases" and, eventually, to the entire family!
Attractive preserving jars should be renamed VASES!!!
My mother too had those stoneware "vases", which were given her by her mother. Some were very attractive and tactile, I recall. They didn't have lids, so she used greaseproof paper disks (I think) and pretty, fabric jar lid tops. They were tied with string and stored in the larder....
For those who might still have some hope of keeping certain... lovable animals out of their gardens. I have all but entirely abandoned hope!
Whether it’s a clever fox or a friendly cat, the animals that sometimes
wander into our gardens and outside spaces can be a wonderful sight.
However, as anyone who has a well-tended vegetable patch or flower bed knows,
they also bring the potential for mayhem!
Here’s how you can humanely, and safely, deter those that are the most
commonly disruptive – cats, foxes and squirrels.
Cats
The problem:
Cats are curious and friendly animals, but quite naturally they foul in
the garden to mark territory. They tend to choose open areas of soil to
do so, or places where smaller stone chippings are laid, and can dig up freshly
planted vegetation in the process. Instinctively, they might also hunt
birds and other small creatures.
What to do:
You
can’t always be around to chase cats away, so it’s a good idea to protect
vegetable patches and borders with netting, at least until the plants have
grown to cover more of the soil.
Try
and plant flowers and bushes closely together within borders.
It’s
helpful to keep bird tables and feeders somewhere inaccessible to cats.
Automated
water squirters can also be bought, which spray a refreshing jet when an
‘intruder’ is detected!
There
are also safe sprays and repellents you can buy.
Foxes
The problem:
Foxes are similar to cats in the problems they can cause – marking
territory, digging up borders and being a danger to other animals, sometimes
including cats! They’re renowned for scavenging from bins and, unlike
cats, they also eat various garden vegetables, as well as worms, which are very
important for soil health.
What to do:
Potential
food sources should be removed or made impossible to access – so bins and
composts should have lids that foxes can’t open.
Try
and protect fruit and vegetable crops, or areas where foxes might dig for
worms, using fencing and what’s known as ‘weld mesh’.
Clear
up windfall fruit quickly as they love to eat it when it’s rotting!
If
you have pets such as rabbits, keep them indoors at night – or at least in
very fox proof enclosures.
Foxes
love to make dens and breed in areas where there is dense vegetation as it
keeps them hidden, so it’s a good idea to deal with any ‘wild’ areas of
garden you may have.
It
can be extremely difficult to keep foxes out of gardens. So, although
there are a few things you can do to try and deter them, you may need to
be patient!
Squirrels
The problem:
Squirrels may be lovely to watch but can also cause trouble in a
domestic garden! They love to dig up bulbs, eat garden vegetables and
steal food from bird feeders.
What to do:
The
only fairly sure way of preventing squirrels eating your vegetables is to
cover susceptible areas with squirrel proof meshing.
Chicken
wire, or similar, placed around bulbs, with more soil then put on top,
should protect bulbs from being dug up.
Try
and position bird feeders in places squirrels can’t easily leap onto from
above. You can also apply something like Vaseline to bird table support
poles, as it makes it harder for them to climb.
I shall .. consider your request, Zoe! As for "vases", when we were children, mother used some very attractive jars for her preserves; some were glass and some stoneware. I think they were, originally, my grandmother's. To my sister and me they were "vases" and, eventually, to the entire family!
Attractive preserving jars should be renamed VASES!!!
Conversely, I've found a few old Victorian era stoneware preserve jars that I use as vases and pen pots now. I found the ones below on the weekend.
If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
Posts
I have a dream that my.. children.. one day.. will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character
Martin Luther KingAttractive preserving jars should be renamed VASES!!!
Them was the days!
Whether it’s a clever fox or a friendly cat, the animals that sometimes wander into our gardens and outside spaces can be a wonderful sight. However, as anyone who has a well-tended vegetable patch or flower bed knows, they also bring the potential for mayhem!
Here’s how you can humanely, and safely, deter those that are the most commonly disruptive – cats, foxes and squirrels.
Cats
The problem:
Cats are curious and friendly animals, but quite naturally they foul in the garden to mark territory. They tend to choose open areas of soil to do so, or places where smaller stone chippings are laid, and can dig up freshly planted vegetation in the process. Instinctively, they might also hunt birds and other small creatures.
What to do:
Foxes
The problem:
Foxes are similar to cats in the problems they can cause – marking territory, digging up borders and being a danger to other animals, sometimes including cats! They’re renowned for scavenging from bins and, unlike cats, they also eat various garden vegetables, as well as worms, which are very important for soil health.
What to do:
Squirrels
The problem:
Squirrels may be lovely to watch but can also cause trouble in a domestic garden! They love to dig up bulbs, eat garden vegetables and steal food from bird feeders.
What to do:
However, having our own "mature" cat, not a kitten, seems to help keep other cats away.
Gun's a bit too drastic; try a... coyote instead!
What a wonderful selection for single flowers, violets, pansies AND preserves, as well as pens, of course!