Autumn Tips

A reader, Anne Marie, wants to add some advice on mouse proofing a garden shed for the winter. She says to remove all rags or paper products that mice could shred to make a nest. She once left a roll of paper towel in her shed and the mice reduced it to tiny scraps. They also shredded up some plastic bags.

James Z. mentions that skunks target garden sheds. City skunks often hibernate in a burrow dug under a building. A row of bricks around the base of a shed or garage can prevent then from digging in. If they are a smelly nuisance, you might want to leave a light burning outside all night. Skunks do not like light.

I pull up the veggie garden and find more cucumber, squash and zucchini. I bring them inside, wipe them dry and set them out so that they do not touch each other. I'll give some away, if I can, and make soup with the rest.

On a trip to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan I was startled to see shredded cypress bark on sale as garden mulch. The Audubon Society is requesting that cypress bark be banned. They urge gardeners to boycott cypress bark mulch. Huge sections of southern Louisiana cypress forest are being cut for bark. Cyprus is a native tree in the south. It withstands hurricanes very well and prevents hurricane flood surges. Several large chains including Wal-Mart have discontinued cypress bark. Home Depot however still carries it.

Grackles have arrive in my garden and it is as if the biker gang of the birder world has dropped by. The smaller birds, chickadees, sparrows and goldfinches, sit in the lilacs and stay out of the way. I have to remind myself that grackles eat slugs and I cheer as they patrol the flower beds. Soon they will bully their way down south. Still I prefer the gold finches. Chipping and white throated sparrows join in with the house sparrows at the feeders. A fox sparrow scratches the ground with both feet together, digging up edibles. Only the chickadees and the house sparrows will stay around for the winter. I have never seen a whiskey jack in my yard even though they appear at feeders in gardens close to McVicar's Creek. The blue jays of last week seem to have moved on.

Winter energy cake for birds. Ingredients: equal parts corn meal (from the bulk store), lard and peanut butter. Melt the lard and peanut butter and stir in the corn meal. The mixture should be thick but still runny. Drop ladles of this mixture on to waxed paper covered cookie sheets and put in the freezer. When the "cookies" are frozen, put in a bag or container and keep in the freezer. Jam a couple of cookies into a wire holder. Birds love this fat cake and this recipe is cheaper than buying the commercial bird cakes. I look for lard and peanut butter on sale and buy in bulk.

The bulbs are back!! I trek out to Vanderwees and buy. More next post.