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. Like long-tailed tits, goldcrests eat insects and spiders, but specialise in tiny morsels such as moth eggs. Their beaks are designed to pick out insects from between pine needles. In really cold winters they will occasionally come to garden feeders, so keep

and The Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust makes mixed reading. Most of the national media have concentrated on losses and falls to make their articles ‘newsworthy’. Pick your own statistic: 22 million birds lost since the 1960s; non-native birds now make up 20 per cent

certainly in trouble and will need help. Pick the hedgehog up using an old towel or a pair of thick gardening gloves. Keep it warm by placing it on a hot water bottle wrapped in a towel, in a high-sided box lined with newspaper, and then place another towel

regularly, particularly during the summer, make sure it’s easy to get to and as near to the house as possible. Whether your visits are for daily watering, opening and shutting doors and vents, or just nipping in to pick a few tomatoes for your lunch, you

in a trench. Keep the plastic taut when fitting. Cut it to fit the doors by making a v-shaped flap.Cover the frameJust in case the wind picks up overnight, it’s best to fit the doors on the same day as the cover. start by making the frames for all

-prepared ground. Choose bush varieties and let them ramble over a mulch to eliminate weeding. One or two plants produce plentiful crops and stay productive for weeks (providing you keep picking).Four time-saving veg cropsCourgettes, squashes and patty pansSow seed

of hedgehogs, fox attacks are relatively new. It’s thought that foxes don’t tend to eat hogs, but instead pick them up in their mouths and puncture their skin with their teeth. The initial attack doesn’t kill the hogs, but (please don’t read on if you’re eating

.Runner beansVarieties such as ‘lollo rossa’ and ‘Salad Bowl’ can be picked a few leaves at a time as they are needed, leaving the rest of the plant to keep growing. This lettuce is good for tubs or a small salad patch, also as edible edging for a potager