My "other" winter garden hobby

Feeding the birds is a winter only hobby for me.  I wait until the end of November before putting out the feeders and take them down when I start cleaning out the gardens in spring (or when my seed on hand runs out).  The birds have other sources of natural seed to turn to and I prefer to not feed the chipmunks which are capable of climbing the pole and light enough to not trip the squirrel-proof gate closed.  The chipmunks eat a lot of seed very quickly and bury mouthfuls of seeds in my pots so that I have clumps of sunflowers germinating everywhere I don't want them.  Mice also become an issue and I really don't like feeding those.

My favorite feeders are the suet cage and peanut feeder right outside my kitchen window.  The rule of thumb for feeders and windows is put them closer than 3' or more than 10' from the window.  This will keep the birds from hitting the glass and possible death.  At 3' they are slowing down to land on the feeder and at 10' they are not close enough to mistake the window for a second feeder in the reflection.

At one time I used to HATE sparrows at the feeder.  They were too common, too numerous, and not very interesting to me.  They also seemed to dominate the food source.  Once I stopped hating them and started watching them the other birds seemed to magically appear.  The chickadees, nuthatches, and cardinals rewarded my change in attitude towards the lesser feathered friends by appearing next to them.

Contrary to what the books say about cardinals, they often come to feast on my peanut feeder which has no perches.  The shelled peanuts must be too much to resist, as I even had a robin cling for dear life while flapping away until it got one of the peanuts in its beak before flying off.  It just goes to show you that the birds do not read the books and are willing to adapt to whatever conditions humans put out there to obtain food.  I can not fault Canada geese and the poop they deposit over parks and other open areas as we put plenty of man-made water sources out there for them to use.  Hey, we invited them with this wonderful habitat.

The suet attracts the nut, seed, and fruit eaters to my window.  Sometimes I melt and mix my own combinations in the feeder of seeds and fruits but the store bought cakes have more variety and attract so many great birds.  I have woodpeckers, chickadees, and nuthatches that are regular visitors.

My favorite bird of all my visiting feathered friends is the chickadee.  They will come in close and wait while I fill the feeders just a few feet away. They have a pleasing song and such friendly ways.  They always take a seed and fly back to the tree to perch and eat.  I have always wanted to take the time to train them to eat right out of my hand.  Chickadees are well known for their lack of timid character and will do this if they become accustomed to your presence near the feeder.  Some winter I will take the time to sit out and the cold and do this.

My third feeder is a squirrel-proof that I fill with oil sunflower.  The front perch is spring loaded so the birds can eat freely.  The upper plate closes down on the seed tray if too much weight pushes down on the perch.  It has successfully kept the squirrels at bay.  One winter the squirrels had eaten over 200 pounds of seeds before February.  My husband felt it was a ridiculous amount of money to spend on seed, and I had to agree.  I had tried using hot pepper additives to the seed.  Hot pepper is not sensed by birds, but is by squirrels.  We have squirrels which must come from south of the border as this was not a deterant to them at all.  I think they liked it and ate even more.

The other standard bird accessory is the heated birdbath I received from my girls several Christmases ago.  Birds need an open source of drinking water during the winter.  This picture was taken when it was down to single digits last week.  The ice ring does stay at the edge when it is so cold, but the water does stay open.  During times when we get up into the 20 degree area or higher, the sparrows come in groups and take turns bathing even in the winter.  I have to refill the water after all the communal splashing is done.  It is a very low draw of energy to keep this plugged in for so much enjoyment.

For very little effort I can enjoy my backyard in winter.  There is a bit of clean up in spring but I usually rake the shells right into the flower beds as mulch.

The only sunflowers that I can successfully grow in my yard are the ones that blow out of the feeder and into the surrounding areas.  They are always beautiful specimens.  This particular  came out of the second floor tube feeder I had the previous winter and produced blooms all summer.  It ended up with a 2" stalk that took 3 years to decompose.  It produced so much seed that the finches came all summer long.  The sunflowers God plants for me are the only ones that stand a chance with the chipmunks in my yard.
I encourage you to try bird feeding yourself.  You can feed birds even if all you have is an apartment balcony.  I recommend purchasing seed and suet from a store that specializes in wild bird feeding as their turn over is better and there is less chance that it will be contaminated by other things such as chemicals and fertilizers that are common in other stores.  I bought a 50# bag of sunflower from a farm supply store once that wasn't attracting birds.  When I looked closely at the seed, each one had a tiny hole in it where a small weevil had gone in and ate out the meat.  So much for saving money there.  Wild Birds Unlimited* is my local source for seed.  If there is a problem with their seed they will take care of me without spending more.  I am able to purchase a year's worth of seed and "store" my extra there until I need to pick up more.  Many people take advantage of the early fall sales to save on their seed.  It is fun to be able to walk and and get more without any more money exchanging hands.  The staff in the store loves to talk birds and wildlife so there is an added bonus.  Sure, I end of getting other things sometimes but I am sure I needed it any way (wink, wink).  Have fun feeding the birds.  I can't wait to show you the photos of me feeding the chickadees...next year!

*Wild Birds unlimited is available on-line at
http://shop.wbu.com/home/index/567.0?gclid=CK3-49Gi560CFYvRKgod3WTXXA

Winter Farm Market at State Fair Park

The Winter Farm Market at State Fair Park is a busy place from 8:00 to Noon on Saturdays in West Allis.  The market is held inside the Tommy Thompson Youth Building right off 84th St.  Numerous venders sell a variety of items through April 14th.  Check out the link on Wisconsin State Fair page http://www.wistatefair.com/index.html.

I was pleasantly surprised to find winter root crops available as my onion supply had dwindled to almost nothing.  In past years I have not been fortunate to find these items this late in the season.  There were also a few fresh items (greens, herbs, etc.) from some new venders that are doing gardening under glass.  Mushrooms are also for sale in several types which come from a farm in Burlington.  

 There are also several items which can be purchased that have been preserved and bottled with a longer shelf life.  The mushroom farm sells pickled items including a portabella salsa which is very good.  

There are also bottled sweet items.  Honey, maple syrup, and sorghum are all available in a variety of sizes.










Meat, poultry, and eggs are widely available at the market from many farms which are a short drive from Milwaukee County.  Chicken, beef, and pork are the mainstays, but you can also find lamb, goat, elk, bison and other less common meats.  There are venders which sell cured sausages from some of these selections as well.  I was interested in butter and eggs this Saturday and was not disappointed.  I sampled some cheeses made by local dairies that will be on my list for the next trip when I have a few more dollars in my pocket.

I highly recommend a trip to the Winter Farm Market.  I have not mentioned every vender and available item so you will have some adventure awaiting you on your trip.  Nothing beats shopping in an environment that allows you to talk to the farmer that produced the food you are buying.  Don't feel that they don't have the time or don't want to answer "dumb" questions.  They are proud of their products and what they do.  It is a treat to meet some of Wisconsin's farmers close to home.

Get a Good Book on Gardening

I got a new book today.  Choosing it wasn't easy.  I was in Barnes and Noble for over an hour and it felt like 15 minutes.  I sat with several gardening books looking through and reading bits and pieces to see which one was going to be going home with me with my gift card purchase.  I always have a more difficult time choosing something when I am using a gift card, because just like gifts, I want it to be the right one.  
The other books I looked at were just as tempting to buy.  The information in them was so good but I wanted something to add to my "reference" library.

There were several books on urban gardening which included raising livestock and/or poultry in your backyard as well.  Very intriguing information but I think I am a year away from considering chickens.  I think I need to run that one past my husband before moving forward on that also. I will never forget the time we were trying to patch up the winter dead spots from the dog's urine and we cordoned off the worst area with chicken wire to keep the dog from digging it up.  With the straw inside this fenced area, it looked like we were getting ready to add baby chicks (Easter was two days away).  My oldest was a freshman in high school at the time.  When she came home and asked about what was in the backyard, we had some fun with her and told her we were getting chickens. It was fun to let her run off on the phone with her friends telling them how her parents were really loosing it.  Her friends thought it was cool (mostly because it wasn't their parents getting chickens).  Urban beekeeping is also interesting to me.  The opportunity to do either is now legal in our city limits.  I'm sure one of these will find their way into my backyard yet.  

The second book I bought was a smaller paper back and a condensed version of In Defense of Food.  Michael Pollan has several good book out there about how we eat has dramatically changed and not for the better.  Try reading at least one of his books.  Other choices include The Botany of Desire and Omnivore's Dilemma.  His basic mantra is "Eat food, not too much, mostly plants".  Food Rules only set me back $10 and most of the other books are available at the library.  If you have a card, it costs you nothing.
Start a garden reference library for yourself.  It is nice to be able to take a book out in the yard and compare pictures with what you are looking at out there (sorry, I don't find the same allure with laptops as others might).  It can get a little dirty, you can stick leaves and petals between the pages, and you can make notes in the margins for yourself.  Used book stores have plenty good books to start with.  Researching on-line is good. I do it when I have an idea what I am looking for.  Books have given me a starting point from which other research stems off from.  Allow yourself to page through a book to really get into gardening more.  Happy reading!

Seed catalogs, a cup of coffee, and a cold morning.

I am just finishing up a nice, long vacation at home which has been especially nice since my husband and youngest daughter were around for most of it.  I am thankful for those lazy days we spent with each other in the comfort of the living room as well as the walks that we shared as part of his knee rehabilitation.
This morning I woke up and knew that this was the day that my indoor gardening was going to have to take priority.  To start the day, I got myself a cup of coffee, my seed catalogs, my box of leftover seeds, and a notebook.  It was time to start planning this summer's garden.
Planning is the key to enjoying garden the most.  If you don't lay out some sort of structure to where you are headed in the coming season you will be disappointed.  I like to order my seeds early so the varieties I want are still in stock.  If something is not available, it gives me the time to get something as a replacement.  This is really important if you are starting some of your plants indoors yourself.  It is important if you want the newest plants that the magazines tell you you just have to have.  It also gives you time to seek out sources for some of the plants and seeds you saw last season but didn't get.
If you don't have one already and you are saving seeds from year to year, now is the time to invest in one of those cheap, plastic shoe boxes and a few index cards.  You probably have your seeds stuffed into jars and envelopes and aren't really sure where they all are.  By dividing your seed into categories such as herbs, leafy veggies, garden start veggies, greenhouse start veggies, annual flowers, and perennial flowers you are able to quickly access those seeds you will need earlier.  Don't throw out your empty packets just yet.  I will come to that soon.
Now that you have all your seeds in one place start to make a list by categories.  Note the varieties of each type of seed, the year you purchased them, and the approximate quantity especially if it is low.  Many seeds can be used for several years and you may have more than you need already in your possession.  If there are seeds that you don't like, pass them on or toss them out.  Make room for what you really want.  Now you have a working inventory so you know what you need from the catalog and what areas you have more than enough in.  You can spend your seed money much more wisely now.  This will also open up avenues to try new things that will fit into your budget.
I do something with my empty packets other than stick them at the end of my garden rows.  I put mine in the back of my seed box so I have them there for information reference to germination, thinning, and transplanting.  They stay there until the next year when I order so I remember the varieties that I planted and really liked.  Those go on my must-buy list the following year.  I also remember the ones that I didn't like and don't reorder again.  If you are a seed saver, you can reuse the envelope for the saved seed.  I wish I had the refrigerator space for my seeds, but they get a cool, dark corner of the basement instead.  I cold treat the seeds that need it when the time comes.  
After several cups of coffee, I finally had the list I really want for this spring's seeds.  I am going to do more of my own annual flowers and I also had a few varieties of vegetables that I want to try.  I finally got down to my basement and transplanted my cutting plants and cleaned things up.  It really feels like spring is on the way and it is only January 2nd.