The_norfolk_shed's Outbox

...Forgot to mention, here is a website for copper rings http://www.slugrings.co.uk/

You can try putting a copper ring in the centre of your bird table then fill it with slugs/snails. The caterpillars will still escape that method though, I throw my collection of pests to my chickens, they love a bit of escargo :-).

The only thing I have found that work on hostas is copper rings, when the slugs slither onto them, it gives them an electric shock.

We have 30 lovely hens and two cockerels which are in separate with their own hen each. The eggs are delicious and we sell them which pays for their feed. They are great diggers in the winter! all our veg plots are caged and the plot next to their big run is where I grow all my spring summer crops for summer/autumn harvest, once everything is picked, the lead in gate is open and they do all the work of clearing up and preparing the soil for me :-) very amusing and easy to keep, they just need a warm well ventilated home with roosting bars, inbuilt nesting boxes, a secure run to keep the foxes out. We clean them out every weekend and refill the nest boxes with hay as needed. If you havent got any, go for it! you only need two hens to be self sufficient with fresh eggs :-)

I agree with hoya, I have exactly the same size window boxes and mine are always filled with herbs along with a couple of nasturtiums which tumble over and down and add colour (the leaves are delicious and peppery and the flowers can be used in salads), I do have to thin out the flowers a bit so they dont overcrowd the herbs.

Super trooper! Ive never seen armies of pots and bin bags parading a garden before, excellent :-) enjoy.

The meaning is based on the spirit of zen built around simplicity and naturalness. To the priests, in a dry zen garden, the placement of stones is of high importance and considered a great skill. In a proper Japanese garden the rocks would be placed in groups of 3 or 5, my own simple design in a small space represents the circle of life (hence the circle of rocks round the lantern) and the lantern represents the centre of the universe that makes life, takes life, then recreates life and that the cycle of life should be treated with great love and respect. The whiteness of the dry garden is supposed to invite the gods to visit, which is why they must always be kept clean. The construction of the garden is important based on the spiritual belief that transcends those tangible components. I believe in life after death and that is why mine represents the circle of life where I have tried to put my own heart and soul into it :-)

..or vine weevil http://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profiles0600/vineweevil.asp

Hmm difficult to tell from a photo, only other I can think of is the Chaffer grub, more info here http://www.nemaslug.com/html/chafergrubs/chafer_main.html

Id love to go to Japan and visit the gardens there, I have started building a Japanese garden in a small area of our back garden which I have split into two separate rooms its almost finished and I have a photo loaded in my gallery showing the start of it, I bought a couple Japanese garden books to understand the philosophy as I know there are different Japanese gardens, each with its own meaning in life.

I believe they are Crane Fly grubs known as leather jackets, they eat roots of plants and are not good news, we all have them in our gardens, when I find them I give them to my chickens and of course wild birds love them. Here is more info http://www.just-green.com/gallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=50

Hi, Ive just joined the site, I find this site useful as it lists pests in alphabetical order or you can pick pests that effect specific plants.
http://www.gardenaction.co.uk/techniques/pests/plant_pest_disease_centre.htm hope that helps.