Gardening

Found three dead birds in the garden today.

We've had a few as well.

The bird flu will kill us all!

Or the cats will do it if they are going to be allowed out into the garden when we get the house.

Chicago: seeing the end.

Wish the woodpigeons that keep crapping in my garden were dead. The bastards are also trying to build a nest in my rambling rose, but unfortunately the twigs they're using keep 'falling' to the ground.

In veg news, my new potatoes might be ready. Or not. Will let you all know in due course.

I've been replacing a fence (involving digging up 750mm metal post spikes) and digging up some bamboo which has become unruly. Digging is the best.

Digging is very satisfying. It feels like the absolute definition of an honest day's labour.

I don’t know if there’s any dead birds in my garden because I’m not going for a look. There’s too much digging and sorting required so I’m adopting the ostrich technique for now.

There is much digging going on in my garden right now, but it's being done by a man driving a Bobcat because he's digging very deep holes into which to pour concrete so that he and his friends can then build a large deck on top.

I went for the 'don't mow in May' thing to help bees and butterflies etc. Also because I'm a lazy bastard. It actually seemed to work - lots more wildlife stuff happening in the garden. But not looking forward to the first mow in June. Probably get the mower blocked up with dead birds, if other posters are anything to go by.

Have you thought about mowing the edges and leaving some areas long for the rest of summer?

I'm doing that and will probably strim those areas in late August. Great for our battered biodiversity. We're the worst country in Europe for biodiversity loss, go UK

I didn't mow my grass in most of May because it was wet. We don't really have the lawn space to create a dead bird wonderland like Lord Loaf but I did mow a handy race track into ours at the weekend for the return of the RC Championship.

Lawn is about ready for it's second round of nitrogen if we keep getting these showers.

Sigh. No Mow May is great, but leaving it for longer lets the bugs complete their lifecycles (eggs hatch, larvae grow up) rather than just feeding the adults.

Good on you for doing it though, every bit helps.

We also do no mow May, the bumblebees seem happier.

That's a good thought, might give it a try. We've actually mowed a single width path around the edge, plus a winding path through the middle. Looks quite cool. Had a pair of muntjac deer nibbling away on the ex-lawn yesterday, so not just the bees and butterflies that benefit.

Alright Terry Nutkins, fucking hell.