Would you like to attract more birds into your garden? Perhaps your garden has been looking a little lifeless and in need of some feathered friends?

Wild birds are appreciative of food, water and space to shelter, particularly if you live in a built-up residential area where greenery is sparse.

That's why we want to inspire you to turn your garden into a haven for birds! Adding some simple features to your garden can make all the difference. More...

Today is the first day of the Butterly Conservation's 'Big Butterfly Count 2019' and this year it's running until 11th August (plenty of time to get involved!)

All you have to do is find a place to sit for 15 minutes and record the number of butterflies of each species that you see, plus two species of day-flying moth. 

There are a few places that are particularly good if you want to look for butterflies including your garden, a park or a wooded area. More...

Arguably more important than providing food for our garden birds is ensuring they have access to fresh, clean water for bathing and drinking.

You'd be forgiven for thinking that their need for water is met elsewhere, particularly if you live near a river or lake, but these large bodies of water don't always suit smaller birds.

Providing a bird bath is a great way to attract birds into your garden. If you have a water feature or running water, they will thank you all the more! More...

We were expecting June to be a scorching month but it’s been surprisingly damp! We can’t complain because it’s kept our crops happy and healthy. So, what’s been going happening on the farm this month?

Mud Glorious Mud at The Cereals Event

On the 17th June Richard headed off to the annual 'Cereals Event' at Boothby Graffoe, just south of Lincoln. This is the main technical event of the year for arable farmers, and the best opportunity to learn about advances in arable farming. More...

Nature can be fascinating to observe from afar; however, up close it can be completely mesmerising, providing a truly unique insight into a largely hidden world.

Bird box cameras allow you unprecedented access to what goes on within the unseen confines of a backyard bird box, within the bird’s nest.

These discreet wildlife cameras bring the privacy of an enclosed bird box out into the open, transmitting the action directly to your screen of choice.

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The humble bumblebee is one of the most important pollinators in the world, playing a vital part in the global ecosystem in terms of food - including fruits and vegetables - as well as other useful crops, like cotton and flax.

The pollinatory power of bees also has a profound influence on both the meat and dairy industries, as they also help pollinate clover and alfalfa - two primary food sources for cattle.

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Richard finished spring planting yesterday, with the red millet going in well. The canary seed was planted about a month ago but has been struggling in the dry soil conditions.

The beans are looking strong, but they too need a good drink. Richard planted them deeper this year to help the roots find the moisture.

Planting the millet in these very dry conditions is a risk - the seeds need to be deep enough to find moisture, but not too deep or they won't grow at all! More...

It's the breeding season for hedgehogs, and it's as important as ever to give these loveable creatures a helping hand where possible.

Although their natural habitat is woodland, our urban gardens are also favoured by them due to the plentiful supply of food and shelter. If they are very lucky, someone might have left hedgehog food out for them, too. 

Hedgehog Awareness Week is organised by the British Hedgehog Preservation Society (BHPS) between the 5th and 11th May to highlight the problems hedgehogs face and what we can do to help them. More...

Recently, a long-term customer came into the shop to make a purchase. Nothing out of the ordinary there, except she had brought with her an envelope full of old catalogues and receipts from us, wanting to know if any of it was still relevant. 

We were pleasantly surprised and delighted when she pulled out a 2009 catalogue! We thought it had long gone, and memories came flooding back for Sian who remembers very well sitting at her desk and laying out the design herself using Microsoft Publisher; not to mention the printing and stapling involved in the operation.

We sent the customer on her way with a brand new 2019 catalogue, of course, (now outsourced!) but have kept a copy of the 2009 version in the office for posterity. A lot of our seed mixes and the products we sell have remained the same, but some we had forgotten about - suet coated peanuts, anyone...? Dried earthworms...?

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The breeding season (April to July) is a great time to feed mealworms, wax worms and other live foods to your garden birds if you don't already do so!

Of the many varieties of garden bird whose numbers are in decline in the UK, it is the insectivores who have been the worst hit. The lack of mature, native trees in our gardens and ever-decreasing areas of natural woodland means that wild birds cannot find the insects they need to feed their young, resulting in fewer eggs and fewer fledgelings. This makes live foods a more conscientious choice, particularly during periods of colder weather (when insects will hide away in warm places) and especially when you consider that the birds' activity rate during the breeding season can be 100 times greater than during the winter months.

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