Jack First on wildlife and growing in North Wales

Published: 19 January 2022 19 January 2022

It’s been five years since leaving West Yorkshire and I thought it time that I brought you up to date with some insight to our new lives in North Wales. We have been very lucky having found our house which is surrounded by fields and all sorts of wildlife. Within two thousand metres of our house is no less than forty-one remnants of ancient woodland and other protected areas. The sea and Snowdonia are nearby along with many footpaths. Besides the usual birds which visit our garden, buzzards fly nearby. During nesting time, a few crows bravely make a noisy beeline to see off any buzzards which venture to close. It is fascinating to see the aerial combat which ensues. While out walking one day a stoat carrying a large rabbit crossed our path. On another occasion a stoat could be seen chasing a mouse in and out of a stone wall. Ravens often feed in the fields nearby, with the aid of binoculars one can see their large and powerful beaks. By night one hears the Barn Owl and sees bats fly silently by. We are blessed with a site nearby where starlings gather in huge numbers and perform their amazing murmuration. The starlings sometimes congregate on our oak tree before heading down to the roost. The other day a grey squirrel was half way up our holly tree when a magpie which was nesting there, flew down and chased it out of the garden and down the lane, all be it cautiously and at a safe distance. We have the usual frogs, toads and newts and lately ducks are regular visitors.

All this wildlife is good news, but there is a bit of a downside if you happen to grow fruit and vegetables. For instance, why is the bird bath sometimes almost dry, what has been making all these holes and scuff marks in the lawn and other areas, and what has burrowed into the hot bed and compost bin? My newly planted potatoes have disappeared down a burrow. I had been meaning to purchase a wild life trail camera, so these recent events have prompted me to get on and do so. The images have revealed some of these mysteries. An ewe with a lamb drinking out of the bird bath, and images of mice or shrews as well as a rat and a small rabbit. The night time images reveal a few cats on their nightly patrols and the ducks asleep on the pond. Unfortunately, our garden is very rocky, a spade or fork will not penetrate the soil, so raised beds are the answer. High input, but it is the only way. And of course, all that lovely loose soil in the beds is ideal for burrowing animals. A bit of fleece covering the crop and some fencing here and there has mostly sorted this problem. Although there might be a few naughty rabbits occasionally entering our garden, I still expect to be producing fair harvests. The organic growers’ mentality regarding wildlife is a good one. It’s easier to cope with bunny and others.

Jack First

Jack First On Slugs and Snails

Published: 06 January 2022 06 January 2022

Jack First writes this month on ‘some old ways of dealing with slugs and snail’s

The gardeners of the past had a few tricks of their own and in order to understand the methods used we must first take a closer look at our foe. The slug like the snail requires a constant supply of moisture to enable motion. After foraging and sensing a shortage of moisture a snail will quickly shut up shop. That is why they can often be seen half way up a tree or wall. Here they remain until evening dew or rain enables motion. The slug on the other hand has no such luck. At daybreak, they must find a place of safety but often they can be found on a path or pavement. One can see their slime trails heading in all directions in a frantic race for a damp hiding place to rehydrate. They can often be seen totally desiccated having used up all their water reserves. So to start with we can be 100% certain that slugs and snails need moisture in order to carry out their nightly foraging. So why do water in the evening when the ground remains wet all night. We are inadvertently inviting these pests to a smooth wet path to dinner. Best not to water seedlings or young plants in the evening.

The old books referred to frequent stirrings between the crop rows. There are different tools to carry out this job depending on soil type or structure and once mastered is a speedy task with many benefits. The aim is to loosen the soil with a hoe or tine but only very shallow, no more than an inch deep. Slugs and snails as well as other pests lay their eggs close to the crop, the stirrings bring the eggs and lavae to the surface which perish or are consumed by birds. The gardeners of old were convinced that regular stirrings stimulated growth as more air was introduced to the soil. This is certainly the case when after heavy rain some soils become capped and stirrings permit air again. Most importantly from the slug and snails point of view getting to the crop is much harder. This top layer of soil being light and airy soon dries out. It is no longer smooth but for the slug more like terminal moraine, hard and difficult to traverse.

There is the old trick of light dusting of lime using a hessian sack. Many gardeners used to keep hens ducks or geese which if carefully managed soon clean up a patch. I witnessed this myself in Keighley where our Italian neighbours, Autoro and Lelia kept hens. When foraging for food hens scrape the ground then quickly step backwards eyes peeled to the ground consuming all that moves. Autoro would guide his flock for about ten minutes between the crops. Hens are opportunistic and will peck at the greens so they must be kept on the move. Needless to say Autoro and Lelias plot was fairly free of slugs. If you can get hold of daggings or wool you will find these a good deterrent. The last thing a slug or snail needs is to be dragging a wooly coat around. Seriously though, works well and also eventually rots down well.

Jack First