Guest Blogger - Mr Terry Walton - talking about his wormery :0)

THE WORMERY

As every gardener knows the worm is their unseen, hard working ally. They beaver away below ground aerating the soil and taking nutrients from the surface to nourish the plant roots beneath the soil. A good, nutrient rich soil has a flourishing population of worms and is a great barometer to a gardener that their soil is in good condition.  

  Imagine my delight when I was to take possession of a Wiggly Wigglers wormery. I naively thought this was a place where I would breed worms and release them to my soil. Then one wet morning on my welsh hillside allotment came Richie baring this special piece of ‘kit’ for my plot. ‘What is he doing with a black plastic dustbin on legs ‘I pondered? He quickly assembled it and explained how it functioned. There was a reservoir at the base which collected all the juices from the worms released when they munched through my kitchen waste. He then put on the first tray and showed me a compressed material he was going to use to start off the process. ‘No’ I said ‘let’s use some of the good material from my compost heap and give them a happy home. ‘Whilst putting a couple of big handfuls of this good material into the tray I spotted one of my own worms amongst this material. Richie then was about to introduce about a thousand new worms into this compost when I said ‘stop there could be trouble if my worm spots these intruders in his compost.’ I had visions of the film Zulu in my mind as this lone welsh worm singing the strains of ‘Men of Harlech’ tried to repel these invaders. But no, fortunately he accepted them as friends and soon I swear as I passed the bin each day I could hear the strains of Cwm Rhondda!

I then asked ‘how do I keep them well fed?’All that is required he explained was to collect my kitchen waste in a large caddy and anything such as tea bags , fruit off cuts, peeling of vegetables and top up the wormer as required without over doing the fresh ‘stuff’ until they had consumed most of it. Please avoid citrus fruits and onion parts as they are not fond of these acidic things.  When the first chamber is full, place the next chamber on top and continue filling that one and the worms will evacuate gradually the lower one in search of new pastures .Then finally when number two chamber is full add the third one. By then all the inhabitants of chamber one will have gone and I am left with a pan of super compost.

 I use this early in the season as a 25% mixture with multipurpose compost to fill my pots to grow on my vegetable plants and they thrive in this super mixture and many of my fellow allotmenteers look on in envy at these healthy young transplants! Then during the summer months this rich compost is used as mulch around my beans and for a bumper crop putting other bean growers to shame! Word of caution , wash that cup thoroughly before going to the shed for a brew of coffee, it does not add to the taste!

The rich liquid is used weekly as a feed for all my crops and half a tea cup full in my watering can acts a great stimulant to all my crops and is a free by product saving me spending my hard earned cash on proprietary feeds!

All these wormeries need from time to time is the addition of some lime correcting pellets it control acidity and as a special treat I give these hard working worms a few pellets of worm treat.

During the winter months the wormeries are housed in my greenhouse and the production of the rich compost goes uninterrupted for twelve months of the year. During the spring and summer they are housed at the bottom of my plot and get the morning sun to ensure they are up early and working and then they are in the shade by some distant trees from the heat of the noon sun.

Look after your worms and they thrive and bring rich rewards. You know it makes sense!

What a week we've had!!!

Dear All
This weeks news!

New Website - FREE DELIVERY
A big welcome from all of us here to our brand new lovely websitewww.wigglywigglers.co.uk 

Built by I-Resources http://www.i-resources.co.uk/ with branding from Brand Tonic http://www.brandtonic.co.uk/ , I hope you will not only like the look of it, but also enjoy the benefits. Subscribe and Save means you can benefit from a discount on a regular delivery of a product like mealworms or flowers, but at the same time not have to pay up front (proper cool). The feature we think you will really really like though (because you have asked us for it time and time again), is FREE DELIVERY. 
Yep, free delivery even if you choose a day, or order for next day (before 3pm).
Of course a new website takes a little getting used to so please give it a go and allow a little more time as you get used to it. It's performing really really well, but if you need any help just call us 01981 500391
www.wigglywigglers.co.uk 
And of course thank you for your orders - they are much appreciated. 

MEALWORMS for COMIC RELIEF
As one of the UK largest suppliers of worms - and having a name like Wiggly Wigglers you do get some odd requests... 
None more quirky than last week, when Radio 1 phoned up to ask for a bath-ful of mealworms to put their breakfast DJ - Nick Grimshaw into to raise lots of money doing something funny for Red Nose Day! We were pleased to help and took about 2 million of them up to BBC Broadcasting House where we met up with all sorts of celebs - Lenny Henry, Jesse J etc etc (you can see the full list and lots of photos on our facebook page  Our mealworm delivery seriously helped them raise £145k directly and San and I - the "mealworm carers" had a proper giggle!

Anyway, always keen to do our bit - once we had extracted all the Mealworms from Young Mr Grimshaws vest and shorts (that was my job....), we brought them back to Wiggly HQ, cooled them down after all the excitement, and they are ready to sell! These recycled mealworms will be just as tasty for your birds (maybe more so!) and for every 3 tubs you buy we will donate £1 to comic relief at our page. 

You can of course sponsor directly if you enjoy the Wiggly Mealworm Adventure Story - we will leave that to you.

BRITISH BRANDS and BRITISH FLOWERS
Can you help? We are looking for companies and especially British Brands who may find our services useful in terms of British Flowers.... We have already supplied the BBC, The House of Lords, and Jigsaw, and now we have just signed up our local Mini dealership.... whohooo! The advantage to the Brand is that if they are supplying a British product it makes sense to complement it with British Flowers. So, for example all the Jigsaw shops just use British Flowers, the Mini dealership will have a card in with their flowers explaining their commitment to British Flower Farmers. Apart from this, the flowers are fresher, they are scented and they are seasonal. We are not expensive and very keen to give good service through our specialist florist brand The Great British Florist  If you think this might be of interest to your company, or shop, or brand please drop me an email; wiggly@wigglywigglers.co.uk and we will see what we can do. (no pressure, no hassle) 

And finally
There's no way out of this one - it's Bad Joke Time...

What do worms leave round their baths?
The scum of the earth!

(sorry)

Heather and Team Wiggly
at Wiggly HQ

Free Flowers from Wigglys.... and you

Every now and again we invite our enews subscribers to nominate someone to receive a free box of cut flowers from Wiggly Wigglers. It's just a nice gesture and I have just spent a few hours reading through the nominations. Wow! There are some really amazing people out there doing really fantastic things.

Here's the email to give you an idea of what we were looking for:

"...and even better it's time for a New Year Wiggly Treat
We have 3 boxes of flowers to send out completely free to deserving recipients next week. (We like doing this every now and again and there are lots of lovely tulips and daffs about at the mo - so its a good time too)
If you have a lovely reason to send somebody who would really appreciate some flowers (for a very special reason) - please let me know and we will pick out the best ones and send them along.
Perhaps its a care home so the flowers would be appreciated by lots of people? or perhaps they are for someone who has done a really good deed?

REALLY IMPORTANT - How to nominate someone.
Email us
with the subject line
Free Flowers.
The name of the person they should go to
and the really good reason why this would be lovely for them and why you want to nominate them.

We'll choose 3 from the nominations - and we'll come back to you for all the details"

We received hundreds of entries and each person was either going through a really hard time or had helped others in amazing ways. Thank you all for entering.
However, we have to choose three this time.
The flowers will go to people chosen by
Helen Ager
Karen Willcocks
and Nikki Robinson

We'll do this again in a couple of months so if you would like to nominate someone sign up to our e-news and look out for the next wiggly free flowers moment.

http://www.wigglywigglers.co.uk/subscriptions/index.html

Christmas and New Year opening hours.

Christmas and New Year opening hours.

Office hours
You can phone us on Monday 24th until 1pm and then our office will be open for your calls on 27th and 28th December. We'll be back to normal on 2nd January.

Warehouse Despatches
Our Wiggly SALE starts 22nd December and so we will be despatching on 27th and 28th December.

Floristry Despatches
You can order flowers etc as usual but the only days we can despatch over the Christmas period is 27th for delivery on 28th Dec. (Back to normal 2nd Jan)


Mealworm Despatches
You can order mealworms etc as usual but the only days we can despatch over the Christmas period is 27th for delivery on 28th Dec. (Back to normal 2nd Jan)

Wiggly Customer - John Wilson

We are most pleased to supply fellow farmer John Wilson with all his birdfeeds and seeds. He feeds the birds at his home and also puts out food for the guests at his fab holiday cottages. If you want a lovely break in Northumberland - check Whitelee Holiday Cottages out... (they even use Bokashi to deal with the kitchen waste)
Thanks John!

Pride Of Herefordshire Awards

What a lovely evening we had at the Pride of Herefordshire Awards 2012. It was fantastic to be recognised for a environmental award - especially after reading about the previous winners (which included Will Vaughan of Pedi Cabs).  Thanks to Sanctury Group for sponsoring the award. 

Herefordshire's James Bevis and Josie Pearson were there with their medals and there really was some amazing winners - including on our table Abby Higginbotham who at just 15 raised £914 for the Special Baby Care Unit at Hereford Hospital. It was a great achievement and a proper thank you to the unit which saved her life when she was born at just 25 weeks and weighed 1lb 10oz! 

For all the details on the evening and all the fab awards and winners please click here 

Wildlife Helpers

There are many reasons to make your garden into a really good habitat for wildlife. 

If you are thinking mmmm… they will chomp their way through my vegetable patch – time to rethink and recognise that many of these creatures are on your side – working for you rather than against you.

Hedgehogs are one of the best garden helpers - ever....

It’s an exaggeration to say that hoggys eat huge quantities of slugs as they make up about 5% of a hedgehog’s diet. But they are a huge help and look so cool… They like all sorts of beasties who damage your crops like beetles and earwigs. You can persuade a hedgehog to call by regularly by putting out food, supplying a hoggy home, a log pile and a bit of long grass. It is really important that your garden has water and access – like a hole in the fence to allow your hoggies to roam freely.

Good time to pop a hoggy home and some food out now so that your hoggy can easily get ready for the winter months.

A Wiggly Update

To all those of you who filled in our recent customer survey - a huge thanks. It's great to find out where we are doing well, and even better to find out where we need to improve. I have included the results below.

That feedback has been hugely helpful in helping us focus on the future. You see, Wigglys is changing…  changing a huge amount – but in a good way for our farm's future…

This year Farmer Phil has planted much more birdseed, and at the same time one of our favourite projects has come to fruition. We’ve added a 2 acre cutting flower patch just outside our farm floristry, which is also about to expand.

All this means our focus will be much more on produce grown on our farm – British Birdfood and BritishFlowers.

This way we can ensure the products you buy are the best possible quality, are absolutely unique, are proper good old fashioned value for money, and are sourced as locally as physically possible.

We believe our future is in mixed farming and these crops help us to ensure our that our fabulous cattle are part of the mix, alongside our seed and flower production, and that our farm is sustainable.

I'm sorry to say though that what it does mean is that several of the products that many of you used to buy from us are not available. For example in particular many of you purchased your ecover through us. Now Ecover is now available in nearly every supermarket there is no way for us to compete. On the other hand we will be expanding our birdfoods, nesters and also we have a fab range of composting and wildlife gardening products.

We’re really looking forward to this coming year and would love to hear any feedback or thoughts that you have about our birdfood and flowers. Contact me at heather@wigglywigglers.co.uk

Here's the results from our latest survey. (this is from 1500 folks who have responded so far)

92.5% of customers find Wigglys very or extremely convenient to buy from.
92% of customers find Wigglys very or extremely professional to deal with. (and very friendly lots of you said - thanking you)
98.4% of customers find our product quality about the same or better than our competitors.
83.5% of customers find our prices as reasonable or more reasonable than our competitors (We're working on this, that's why you have a FREE DELIVERY WEEKEND...)
and 92% of customers like Wigglys and 96% of customers would like to recommend us.

 Thanks very much

Heather and Team Wiggly

How to deal with Chafer Grubs - naturally

Chafer Grubs are not all bad.... They make a tasty snack for all sorts of birds and if you have chickens they will love them. However, when those pesky grubs get out of hand they can really ruin your lawn, so here's how to recognise the problem and advice on what to do about them.

Now August is here, we all love what it brings in terms of sun and holidays, but on the downside it also means that young chafer grub larvae are active too.  So now is the time to order your Nemasys Chafer Grub Killer!

What are the signs that I might have chafer grub in my lawn?

If your grass seems to be growing too slowly, not growing at all or is easily pulled up and/or there are yellow patches appearing then it may be grubs attacking the grass roots (see below images)

As I mentioned lots of wildlife enjoy a chafer grub or two so if you see wildlife, such as badgers and foxes digging up your lawn or birds, such as rooks, magpies and crows feeding on it then they be in search of the grubs for food, and this can be the first signs to look out for a potential problem.

When should I apply Nemasys Chafer Grub Killer?

Apply to moist lawns during August and early October, when the young grub larvae are active.  Do not wait until too late in the season when a lot of damage has been done as, by this time the grubs may have started to move down deeper in the soil and become inactive until the following spring.  They lay dormant until the next year and, if the life cycle is not broken, then re-infestation occurs and the problem gets progressively worse.

What does a chafer grub look like?

Distinguishing between vine weevil larvae and chafer grubs is easy when you know what to look for!  Chafer grubs are creamy coloured, about 1.5 cm (0.6 inch) in length and have distinctive legs (figure 1).  They are found in the root systems of plants and lawns; whereas vine weevil larvae, which are legless white larvae with a hard, orange head (figure 2), attack the roots of a range of plants, but not normally lawns.

• Use Nemasys Chafer Grub Killer to deal with a chafer grub infestation, without any of the precautions associated with chemical use, such as excluding children and pets from treated areas until dry or the question of what to do about grazing pets, such as rabbits and guinea pigs.
• Apply to moist lawns during August and early October. This is when the young grub larvae are active and the temperature is above 12ºC (54ºF).
• Immediately after applying the nematodes, water the grass well so the nematodes are washed into the soil to reach the roots where the chafer grubs will be. Make sure the lawn does not dry out after applying nematodes. Keep the lawn well watered for at least two weeks.
• Do not apply too late, since the grubs start to move down deeper in the soil and become inactive until the following spring. However, as this move downwards is temperature dependent, in some years it may still be alright to apply later. As long as the grubs are near the surface and the soil temperature is above 12ºC (54ºF) nematodes can still be applied.
• The nematodes (Heterorhabditis sp) seek out the chafer grubs and attack the pest by entering natural body openings. Once inside, they release bacteria that stops the pest from feeding, quickly killing the pest. They do not stop there. The nematodes reproduce inside the dead pest and release a new generation of hungry infective nematodes, which disperse and search for further prey.
• To Order Nemasys Chafer Grub Killer it's in stock now so please click here.

Nemaslug - How to get rid of Slugs the Green Way

Slug populations were suppressed by a dry spring last year; but this year they are back with a vengeance. Wet conditions are perfect for their development and you may have already noticed the uneven feeding damage that they cause along with the slime trails that they leave behind them. New spring growth and young plants are particularly vulnerable to slugs and a single slug can consume twice its body weight per day!!! That could mean that you find considerable damage without very little warning....
The wet weather is set to continue into June so act now to protect your garden, and in your garden it really is best to avoid old style blue slug pellets.! They use chemicals and if the slugs are then eaten by other birds and animals this can cause problems further down the food chain, apart from which if you want organic veggies of course they are a No No! So what are the alternatives? Well, you could spend your nights collecting them outside with a torch but this method is certainly not "The Good Life - made Easy....) Although your birds and your hens may well enjoy the treat... You could go for barriers - Slug Gone is great because it provides a barrier that irritates the slug's foot, and  how about SlugX - this was voted best tray in a Daily Telegraph trial - and they will die drinking beer (!) which can't be all bad... BUT our favourite and the one that all the organic farmers use that works fantastically well is Nemaslug which you can water on and will sort those pesky pests out for a good six weeks, and is perfectly safe for children, pets, wildlife and bees.

Luckily, rain also benefits the nematodes in Nemaslug making it a great way to control slugs when they are at their worst. Additionally, as slugs become more active during periods of wet weather they will encounter more nematodes and this will enhance the rates of infection too.

How does Nemaslug (Nematodes) work?

1: You water your Nematodes onto the soil and they seek out the slugs down in the soil.
2: The Nematodes kill the Slugs and become adults inside the dead slugs
3: A new generation of Nematodes are produced.
4: The new Nematodes are released as the pest decays in the soil
SORTED.

Why is it good?

1: Unique, works underground where 95% of slugs are found.
2: Long lasting control (six weeks)
3: Really economical - it protects plants for a few pence a day.
4: It even protects vulnerable potato varieties, germinating seeds and young seedlings.
and even better The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh says it is fab and they are an Official Endorser.
5: Nemaslug works at 5 degrees (pellets require 7 degrees)
6: Works really well in wet weather which can be a problem with other methods.
7: Large slug species can be controlled when Nemaslug is applied early.
8: Can be used safely on food crops.
and lastly it's Safe for children, pets, wildlife, and bees... Nice!

and of course available from Wiggly Wigglers!

Grow your own Raspberries

Why bother?
A punnet of raspberries from the supermarket is one of the most expensive fruits you can buy, and often whilst they look lovely and red and delicious they are a bit of a let down on the flavour front.
If you grow your own you can not only save money but you can produce the most delicious flavours ever (I know even I have succeeded!)
The key is to pick different varieties so that you have fruit throughout the season instead of one moment of bulk....
To do this you need lots of different types of Raspberry Canes and they will deliver you a proper return on your investment.
10 raspberry canes will produce well over 40 punnets of fruit (imagine the cost!!!) and you will be able to crop for around 6 weeks in the summer and the plants will remain productive for between 8 and 12 years!
Our Raspberry Canes are ready to plant straight outside when they arrive and are probably one of the best ways of saving money and having a tasty treat that you can possibly do in your garden.
Remember there's also the other ways you can preserve them too - puree, jam and of course Raspberry Ripple icecream YUM

They really like a moist soil, though heavy clay is not suitable. Light sandy soils are OK, as long as you are prepared to water weekly in the warmer summer months. For tip-top results with your raspberry plants the soil should be neutral, although raspberries are better than most plants in moderately acidic soils, and are an easy plant for beginners to start with.

How to plant your Summer Fruiting Canes

Step One: Soak thoroughly in the plastic they come in before planting
Step Two: Dig a trench about 30 cm deep by a metre wide and mix in lots of compost or well rotted manure into the soil you've dug out - your Worm Casts will be perfect for this
Step Three: Loosen the soil in the bottom of the trench to help with drainage
Step Four: Raspberries need a bit of support during the growing season so put a couple of poles into the ends of your trench - 2 metres high would be great and then fix a couple of horizontal wires to them so that you can tie your raspberries to them as they grow.
Step Five: Plant each cane about 40cm apart and put the soil back in and firm and water.

Autumn Fruiting Raspberries don't need support so you dont need to plant them in rows. Pop them in (add your worm casts etc) and let them grow as they want. A few sticks will help them but they will manage fine on their own.

Your canes are root wrapped so need to be planted asap - like NOW!

Raspberry Allgold

Scrummy - and YELLOW!

Sweet and squidgy, the fruit is lovely and is similar to cropping to Autumn Bliss so treat the same. Even better this fruit is a great attractant and nectar source for bees and beneficial insects

Harvest from Mid Aug - Oct (Self fertile) Produces fruit in the first year. Needs no supporting canes

Autumn Bliss
Heavy cropper, bright red - needs no support. Loves deep moist soil and lots of sun (but it will stick shade quite well) Great for Jelly and puddings - Yum.


Glen Ample
Brilliant for bees your cropping will start early July and carry on until Mid August. High Yield too.
Glen Cova
An early fruiting variety. High yieldswith firm good sized tasty fruit.
This fruit keeps well and freezes well.

Cropping starts early July and carries through to the end of July.

Octavia
Bridges the gap between Summer and Autumn fruiting, prduces good flavour and thrives in good deep moist soil.
Ready for picking August, and happy in a Northern garden too.


Raspberry Tulameen
Nice long picking season that starts mid July and continues on to mid August - and the highest yields are early August. Excellent flavour and conical shape which look great when picked on the plate.

Raspberries are high in fibre, iron, potassium and Vitamin A and C. For best results choose different varieties for the different parts of the season.

Why plant a native hedge...

Ooooo.... there's nothing better than a native hedge for your wildlife.... and you. Planting a native hedge for wildlife makes a great habitat but it also delivers in terms of aesthetics and food source for you too! You'll achieve year-round interest with seeds, berries, blossom and flowers as well as lots of different type of foliage (and thorns!). You will see an increase in insects, mammals and birds in your garden who will use your hedge for food and shelter. Butterflies will find it a useful source of nectar and so will moths too who will visit at night and be particularly pleased to find a blackthorn blossom on offer.



Don't worry about planting in a straight line or putting your hedge in around the edge of your garden - we've put a Wiggly Hedge right through the middle of our garden - it helps to section things off and screen different parts of the garden. If you only have a small amount of space you can still go for a few hedging plants - the more diverse the better. What to plant Choose a mixture of hedging trees and shrubs; birch, beech, oak, hazel, dogwoods and hawthorn are ideal. Add an occasional honeysuckle to creep up your hedge - looks fab and great for moths.


The best and cheapest way to create a native hedge is from bare root saplings - whips. Don't be put off by the fact that they look like sticks on arrival - they are dormant and will soon green up once planted and Spring has sprung! Your native hedge will look fabulous and nowhere near as formal as many of the hedges that people have chosen lately.... privet.... or leylandii... Your hedge will make a fabulous barrier, is really hardy and can stand a good pruning without a problem. It will look wonderfully diverse - because it is!

Preparing your soil.
In a perfect world - remove any weeds and large stones, dig the area over and incorporate some organic matter. In an imperfect world stick your spade in the soil and make a good size slit to pop your plant in. Any time from autumn to spring is great for planting. Just make sure the ground isn't frozen or waterlogged.


How to plant
Plant your whips in a staggered double row roughly half a metre apart. Water well in and give your new hedge a thick mulch (Strulch is perfect). This will help to reduce any competition from weeds as the hedge gets going.


Maintenance
A few worm casts will encourage your hedge to grow and best to top up the mulch. If you have really dry periods it will be a good idea to water every now and again during the first couple of years of growth. You can give your hedge a good trim in the Autumn. There wont be any nesting birds then either. Be bold.... Cutting back hard will help your hedge thicken up which will look better and provide a more sheltered habitat for your birds, bugs and butterflies.

Native Hedge Packs and Edible Hedge Packs are available to plant until end of March.