Wiggly Wigglers

APPLE TREES from Wiggly Wigglers

2012-01-25T14:35:00.004Z

If you would like to have your own fruit here is a great selection of apples includes the most popular garden favourites from the early ripening Discovery to the delicious Cox to the world’s best cooking apple the Bramley. Most are self fertile but to ensure pollination choose any 4 trees sorts the job a treat.

We have trees are supplied in pots but bare root is best in terms of cost and they establish quickly and develop a healthy root system.

M9 and M27 rootstocks will produce a dwarf tree of about 8ft high to be planted about 6ft apart; MM106 and MM111 will produce a semi-vigorous tree of about 12ft to be planted about 15ft apart.

The larger the tree the greater the yield of fruit. Trees should be planted as soon as possible – makes sure that the soil is not frozen and the air temperature is above freezing. Soak the roots in a bucket of water for an hour before planting. If you are unable to plant the trees straight away they can be kept for a week in their packaging in a cool dry place such as a garden shed.

Red Falstaff ®
The select red sport of ‘Falstaff ’.Fruity, well balanced flavour, crisp and juicy.Frost resistant and self fertile.One of the heaviest yielding varieties.Can be stored easily and eaten throughout the winter.Highly recommended for every garden. (Norfolk 1983)

Bramley's SeedlingThe finest cooker in the world!Green to greenishyellow with a strong acid flavour. (Nottingham 19th Century)

James Grieve Red flush stripes over pale green.Crisp and juicy.Excellent flavour and reliable cropper – deservedly popular. (Edinburgh 1893)

Sunset
Similar to Cox but more disease resistant and slightly earlier.Red stripes and orange flush over gold.Sharp intense flavour.Heavy cropper.Excellent garden apple. (Ightham, Kent 1918)

Fiesta ®Syn : Red PippinCox’s Orange Pippin x Idared.Rich, aromatic and sweet with a crisp texture.Excellent garden tree with Cox-like characteristics.Very heavy crops.Ideal for northern areas. (Kent 1972)

LimelightDiscovery x Greensleeves.This improved Greensleeves type is abundant in cropping.The apple has a clean, smooth finish and seems to glow when ripe with the occasional attractive pink blush.It is crisp, refreshing, and very disease resistant.Makes a neat, compact tree.Bred by Hugh Ermen. (Kent 2000)

Newton Wonder Very late keeping, large yellow and scarlet.Cooks to a juicy, mild purée.Later in season makes fruity eating apple.Good in salads, stuffing and mincemeat. (Melbourne, Derbyshire 19th Century)

Blenheim Orange
Yellow-gold fruit has orange flush and a few red stripes.Nutty taste, sweet crumbly texture.An old favourite – cooks, eats and keeps well.When baked it keeps its shape and will produce a thick purée. (Oxford 1740)

Worcester Pearmain
Reliable crop of delicious orange-red fruit.Firm, juicy flesh is very sweet with strong strawberry flavour.A seedling of Devonshire Quarrenden.At its best when ripened on the tree and just before it falls off. (Worcester 19th Century)

Discovery
Worcester Pearmain x Beauty of Bath.Bright red flush.Crisp and juicy with a hint of strawberry.An excellent early dessert apple with good disease resistance. (Langham, Essex 1949)

Kidd`s Orange Red
Cox’s Orange Pippin and Delicious (direction uncertain).Sweet, crisp and aromatic, with a good balance of sugar and acidity.A good Cox alternative. (New Zealand 1924)

Golden Delicious
Well known crisp eater.Greenish-yellow turning gold.Sweet, honey flavour.Flavour is superior to imported fruit when grown in the UK. (USA 19th Century)

Egremont Russet
The flesh is cream, tinged yellow, sweet and firm with a rich nutty flavour.The usual russet to be found in shops. (Sussex 19th Century)

Cox Self Fertile
A self fertile form of Cox’s Orange Pippin highly recommended for less than ideal Cox areas.Heavy crops of the best eating apple in the world. (Bristol 1975)

Laxton`s Superb
Wyken Pippin x Cox’s Orange Pippin.Sweet and aromatic possessing certain similarities to Cox.Can become biennial bearing.A good substitute for Cox’s Orange Pippin in colder exposed areas.Purple flush and red stripes give this an old fashioned attractive appearance. (Bedford, 1897)

Saturn ®
Falstaff x Cox’s Orange Pippin.Very resistant to scab.Heavy crops of attractive, red blushed, conical fruit.Juicy, crisp and refreshing.Not particularly aromatic. (HRI, East Malling, Kent 1980)

Grenadier
Easy to grow, large early fruit which cooks to a sharp purée.The tree is compact making it ideal for the garden.A very good pollinator for Bramley. (Bucks. 19th Century)

Pixie
Good crops of small apples ideal for children, yellow with attractive red stripes and orange-red flush.Finely flavoured, rich with plenty of sugar.Keeps well.The picture shows ‘Red Pixie’, a sport with more attractive colour. (RHS Wisley, 1947)

Our farm is in The Sunday Telegraph

2011-11-13T15:40:00.001Z

Great article about British Farming in The Sunday Telegraph today includes Farmer Phil and our farm here at Blakemere

How to help underweight Hedgehogs

2011-11-08T16:22:00.004Z

HOGGY HELP

We've just had this note in from Carole E in Rotherham
"I've just ordered 3 x40g tubs of live meal worms for an orphaned hedgehog that we are hand rearing, as it is only a couple of months old and weighs 340g .
I just wondered if you could add something to your page to ask people to help underweight hedgehogs...
We rang our local Wildlife Trust and they are literally full so they asked us to raise 'Prickles' and release her back into the wild next summer . It would be nice if people ordered more of your live meal worms to leave out for hedgehogs... I know people feed birds regularly - we have ordered live grubs from yourselves last spring and we were lucky enough to have nest boxes full of babies... due to the live food available on our garden . We found Prickles rummaging around in the daytime bless her...so now she's in a suitable house with warmth, food and clean fresh water...and she is so content lol x"

From about middle of October until the spring ANY hedgehog weighing less than about 450g should be picked up and advise got from from a local rescue centre or hedgehog carer.

You can tell from the way a Hoggy looks if he or she is likely to have a problem. If the hoggy is healthy when turned onto its back he or she will be almost round. So that means that the distance between the head and the tail and from side to side should be near enough equal.
If the head to tail is much longer than side to side, then it is very underweight & thin.
There's lots more advice from The British Hedgehog Society and of course you'll know that Hoggies love our Hedgehog food and they really like a Live Mealworm Treat, and if you need a house for hibernation and shelter I know the very company...

whoohoooo, you can now buy Wiggly at Webbs.... almost

2011-10-23T18:55:00.007+01:00

Webbs and Wigglys are teaming up to offer "MILES BETTER" Birdseed....

Here is the News Release from Webbs at Wychbold....

Webbs News Release

Worcestershire gardeners are being encouraged to ‘Buy British’ to celebrate National Feed the Birds Day on Saturday, 29^th October at Webbs Garden Centre in Wychbold.

Customers to the award-winning garden centre will be welcomed by Herefordshire’s Farmer Phil and the team from Wiggly Wigglers natural garden products firm with his massive Combine Harvester. They will be urging people to think about feeding the birds this winter and giving customers the chance to win a year’s worth of their British birdseed.

Webbs is the launch venue for Wiggly Wigglers new ‘greener’ initiative for feeding birds with a mix of British only seeds – thought to be the first of its kind in the UK.

Heather Gorringe from the Wiggly Wigglers farm in Blakemere, near Hereford explained, “Our birdseed is locally sourced – sown, grown, cleaned and bagged by British farmers. We have 17 acres of sunflowers - the only commercial crop in Herefordshire - and we grow all the wheat for the mix .This enables us to have traceable seed with consistent quality and a unique and genuine story of how the product is produced and farmed, as well as the birds and wildlife which are supported on our farm before the product even gets to the customer.”

She added, “People often think of buying local when it comes to their food and yet with bird food we are shipping product that could be grown here from all over the globe. It's time to think about whether we can source locally. That way we reduce transportation (and therefore carbon), the birds get the benefit in the field (as they always get a feed before it is harvested) the farmer and the countryside end up with diverse crops which is of benefit to them and the environment. “

Ed Webb, Executive Chairman of Webbs said, “ We have a huge amount of interest from our customers on wildlife and feeding the birds particularly, so I’m sure they will be very keen to find out much more about this new ‘buy British’ idea from Wiggly Wigglers.”

Farmer Phil will at Webbs, Wychbold with Team Wiggly on Saturday 29^thand Sunday, 30^th October 2011 to answer questions and explain their bird feeding concept.

Note to News Editors:

1. For more information please contact Webbs Marketing Dept on 01527 860000 or Helen Griffee, PR, helen.griffee@webbsofwychbold.co.uk

2. Find Webbs on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/pages/Webbs-Garden-Centres/257930830892801?sk=wall and Twitter http://twitter.com/#!/WebbsGC for regular news and updates

3. For more information about Wiggly Wigglers, please contact Heather Gorringe Tel: 01981 500391 www.wigglywigglers.co.uk

PS: EVEN BETTER: We have made a Hopper for dispensing Birdseed which means that customers can fill and Re PHIL (!) their bucket at Webbs.

Latest Wormery review.

2011-10-22T16:09:00.003+01:00

Latest Review on the Wiggly Website - Thank you Sonia.

"I have had various versions of wormery from Wigglys over the years but for last few years have had a Worm Factory which is (I think)very similar to worm cafe. This is the easiest. Once I mastered putting in enough paper and cardboard I have never looked back and the compost and the worm tea are an essential part of my gardening. I put kitchen towel that has not touched meat or chemicals in the peely bin and also empty loo rolls. I start each new tray with a few torn strips of newspaper, and then I will also add any brown paper bags that come from veg on the market. During the winter I collect the worm tea in empty Ecover 5 litre bottles because in the spring and summer I will have plenty of use for it in my hanging baskets, strawberry tower and tomatoes. I do not buy food for any of those things, just use diluted worm-tea. I do buy the acid-lime balance stuff (for occasional use if the bedding starts to look a bit slimy), the worm treat and moisture mats but less than once a year. Once the system is up and running the outlay is pretty minimal. In all I have had a wormery or wormeries for 8 or 9 years and can't imagine being without one."

Sometimes people are put off having a wormery in case it's hard work or difficult. Worm Cafe (or Can-O-Worms) change all that because of two main reasons:

1: They are really easy to keep aerated as the air flows throughout the tray system naturally (unlike the solid bin type)
2: You can harvest the compost from the bottom tray without disturbing the trays above (much better for faster composting.

Review on Wiggly Flowers

2011-10-19T15:11:00.001+01:00

The latest review on Wiggly Flowers - Thanks very much Welly Woman

HALF TERM FREEBIE through the Sunday Telegraph

2011-10-03T15:44:00.004+01:00

Watch the Birdy!

Building a feeder makes everyone happy. The birds get extra food just as their usual sources disappear - so they'll stay and helpfully munch garden pests next spring. Parents feel a warm eco-glow for recycling a two litre pop bottle. And kids proud of their handiwork spend hours glued to the feathered feeding frenzy outside (much better than Hollyoaks.) We have a free how-to leaflet to download here.

The first 50 Sunday Telegraph Readers will also receive a free bag of 1kg of WigglySeed here. Claim yours by pressing "buy" on the free one :0)

New delivery charges for Postcodes BT, IM, GY, and JE

2011-10-03T14:38:00.001+01:00

New information on Wiggly Deliveries

Delivery in the UK (excluding postcodes BT, IM, GY and JE)

Delivery Services

All goods are sent on a next day delivery service. You do not have to wait in for the delivery to arrive, the carrier does not require a signature. Please note: even though we always use a next day delivery service, deliveries to remote areas of the country, especially the Highlands and Islands, will, most likely, take longer to arrive.

Delivery Costs

Deliveries containing only LIVE! Birdfood, Fresh Flowers and/or Gift Vouchers qualify for FREE delivery.

All other deliveries cost £3.50 per order, no matter how large or bulky your order.
Priority Delivery Surcharges
We also offer a Priority Despatch service at a supplement of £2.45 and a Saturday Delivery service at a supplement of £6.45. You can choose your preferred delivery date when you checkout.
Delivery Overseas (including UK postcodes BT, IM, GY and JE)
All overseas deliveries are charged at cost. Please checkout as normal, where you will be advised of the costs for delivery to the UK. We will then contact you shortly after we receive your order to advise you of the expected delivery date and delivery cost surcharge. You will be able to confirm or cancel your order at that time.
Please call us on +44 1981 500391 if you need further information.

Join us at Labels for Tea, Cake and a lot more!

2011-09-12T15:33:00.005+01:00

Good afternoon fellow Wigglers

Richard (Manning) here, I’m ony here for a week so don’t fear you wont have to put up with me for long. I’m a student at the University of Exeter lucky enough to be allowed into the deepest darkest depths of Lower Blakemere Farm. Here goes..

With the wind sweeping in form the aftermath of Hurricane Irena, here on the farm we are preparing for a storm of FREE giveaways this Friday16th at Labels at Ross, just off Junction 4 on the M50.

Many of us haven’t the foggiest about how to make a wildflower meadow, or start worm composting, that’s why we are coming to Ross Vegas this week, to spread the good ‘Wiggly’ word and help you achieve the good life easy!

I’m not sure about you, but the idea of FREE tea and cake, the chance of winning a gorgeous Bouquet of flowers made by our own Wiggly florists, a FREE sample of orgasmic EasiYo Yogurt and a FREE Wiggly goody bag (come quick, only first 50 will get one)

To receive your free Victoria Sponge/Chocolate Cake and either Earl Grey, normal tea or coffee you must print this email off and bring it along!

Just make sure you get here between 12 noon and 4pm, with demonstrations of Yogurt making at 12 noon and 2pm and a lesson by our own florists on how to hand tie a bouquet and make your very own seasonal wheatsheaf!

To finish the day in style we will be giving away to one lucky Wigglet a free bouquet of flowers worth £40.

In the meantime of you do need any bits and bobs go to our website

Yours Wiggly,

Richard (Manning).

Interested in Bees, Honey, Beer, Orchids, Compost, Worms and all things Wiggly?

2011-09-02T21:41:00.000+01:00

Looking for something to do over the weekend? Interested in Bees, Honey, Beer, Orchids, Compost, Worms and all things Wiggly?

Come and say hi to Gwen - Master Composter and Worm Charmer - at the Bristol Botanic Gardens, where she will be manning the Wiggly Wigglers Stand this weekend:

THERE’S A BIG BUZZ COMING TO THE BOTANIC GARDEN

JOIN OUR CELEBRATION OF BEES AND POLLINATION

VISIT THE ANNUAL BRISTOL HONEY FESTIVAL AND THE NATIONAL GARDENS SCHEME CHARITY OPEN DAY

Saturday 3rd & Sunday 4th September

10am – 4.30pm

This year’s festival is brighter, bigger and better than ever with plenty for everyone to enjoy. On Sunday the event will be combined with the National Gardens Scheme Open Day to make for an enjoyable and interesting weekend highlighting the importance of bees and other pollinators for food production and the maintenance of healthy ecosystems. Butcombe Brewery will be offering tastings of nature’s bounty for the first time in the Garden. The event will highlight research by the University’s School of Biological Sciences into the current alarming decline in bee and pollinator numbers and what is being done to better understand the reasons for the decline and how it can be reversed. Exhibits by local cider apple producers and the Gloucestershire Orchard Group will highlight the importance of bees in production of fruit crops.

The Avon Bee Keeping Association will stage their annual Bristol Honey Festival displaying the very finest honey and bee products. A live hive will give visitors an insight into the workings of the honey bee, meanwhile talks and displays will introduce visitors to the importance and pleasure of keeping bees.

Orchid enthusiasts, including Writhlington School Orchid Project, will highlight the relationship between pollinators and flowers in a display of orchids. Local nurseries will be selling a wide range of plants aimed at providing nectar for bees and habitats for wildlife.

A display of work by a local stitched textile group will demonstrate work by students, some of which has been inspired by the Garden.

Free tours will be offered throughout the weekend giving visitors the chance to see and learn something new about the Garden which will be ablaze with September colour, including many autumn flowering salvias, anemones, grasses, toad lilies and hardy bromeliads.

Fairtrade tea and coffee with locally made refreshments will be available throughout the weekend.

Entrance to the Garden and the exhibition is £4.50 including tours. Children free.

Other Exhibitors will include:

Cleeve Nursery selling a range of bee friendly plants
Pennard Plants selling a range of late summer early autumn interest plants
Derry Watkins Special Plants specialist plants carefully chosen by this well known local nursery
Butcombe Brewery offering tastings of their range of beers
Wiggly Wigglers will demonstrate their passion for worm composting and show you how to make your very own British flower bouquet
Bees for Development will highlight their global work in support of bee keepers
Bee Guardian Foundation including talks by Dr Adam Hart who will highlight what gardeners can do to improve habitats for bees
Kelvin Bush Orchids will show case arrange of beautiful tropical orchids
Bristol Naturalists will highlight their work of recording, monitoring and promoting local biodiversity
Willa Ashworth sculpture will display her creative, original, garden metalwork, including plant supports, fire dishes and bird feeders
Alice Shields bee themed ceramics
Display of stitched textiles by local groups organised by Lynne Quinn displaying quilts

University of Bristol Botanic Garden,

The Holmes, Stoke Park Road, Bristol BS9 1JG

Tel: 0117 331 4906

Green Manures...

2011-08-29T07:05:00.005+01:00

If you have empty veggie beds after your harvest it's a good idea to pop in a green manure.
Green Manures do what they say on the tin. They are a green crop that is not designed to eat or to admire, it is designed to protect and add nutrients to your soil. Even better the cost is a packet of seeds.

Weed and rake your empty beds then sow the seeds. The plants will grow quite quickly.
If some get killed off by frost not to worry, just leave them in the ground and they will continue to give soil protection.

About two or three weeks before you replant your crops, cut and dig in the manure. This will allow the plant material to breakdown into humus, releasing nutrients slowly over the next growing period.

Easy peasy.

Mustard
Alfalfa
and more

Wrap 'n' Mat in the Mirror

2011-08-12T13:40:00.003+01:00

Lots of us really like Wrap 'n' Mat at Wiggly Wigglers. It saves using plastic bags and is easy to clean and perfect for kids lunches. The Mirror likes them too :0)

How to look after your Bouquet and Flowers

2011-08-09T11:03:00.008+01:00

How to look after your Bouquet

As soon as your flowers are delivered:

1: Carefully remove all external packaging, including the nappy. It is important to ensure that you retain the shape of the floral bouquet, leaving the securing string tied around the stems. The way the flowers are tied ensures that they will stand nicely in their jar and provide an great display from all angles. Wiggly Tip: Holding your bouquet over the sink is the easiest option.

2: Once all the packaging is removed but the bouquet still tied, lay the bouquet of flowers on their side and cut - at an angle of 45° - approximately half a centimetre off the bottom of each stem.

3: Fill the vase with room-temperature water to approximately three quarters full, adding the specialist flower food crystals provided. (Keep the spare packs safe – you will need those)

4: Put your flowers in a cool place out of direct sunlight and enjoy them :0)

Aftercare – really important.
Lightly spray your bouquet with a gentle mist of water daily.
Change the water every two days. Cloudy, discoloured or smelly water should be discarded and replaced with fresh, room temperature water. Remove dead or dying flower heads or stems from the bouquet. If the leaves on the fruit dry out – either leave them or just pick them off.
Always ensure that the vase you use is completely clean, as any residue can harbor bacteria, which can significantly reduce the life of your flowers.
A few days after receiving your flowers and placing them in their vase, it is a good idea to re-cut the stems. Trim another half a centimetre from the base of each stem, as this will remove any air bubbles that may have built up in the stem, and should help to revitalise the flower.

Emily popping one of our bouquets into the box in the Wiggly Floristry

The Florists - Em and Ricky with Monty and three different Wiggly Bouquets

Harvest Report - Lower Blakemere Farm 7th Aug 2011

2011-08-09T07:53:00.000+01:00

Harvest Report - Lower Blakemere Farm 6th Aug 2011

2011-08-09T07:14:00.003+01:00

Harvest Report 3rd August 2011

2011-08-04T09:43:00.000+01:00

Today at Lower Blakemere Farm we are harvesting Einstein wheat in Rolls Grove... with a One Foot Cutter. Yesterday Farmer Phil did 35 acres of grass seed today he manages .01 of an acre...

Harvest Report from Lower Blakemere Farm - 2nd August 2011

2011-08-02T21:17:00.002+01:00

Yep, there's no doubt about it.... I'm gonna try holding the iphone up the other way.... :0)

Wiggly Wigglers Composting Feature in Garden News

2011-08-01T21:35:00.002+01:00

Beehives have just come back into stock too :0)

Join our Wiggly Job Pool

2011-07-11T17:24:00.000+01:00

Job One:

Wiggly Wigglers - Casual Warehouse Pool

Location

Woodlands Farm Clehonger

Closing date for applications

31^st July 2011

We are looking for people to join the Wiggly Warehouse Team Pool… we need individuals who are flexible, are available ad-hoc and could often work a Wiggly Shift at short notice. (May suit school hours – may suit student)

Main duties would include:

Picking and packing customer orders ready for despatch.
A high level of accuracy and attention to detail are key to this role.

Hours of work:
Our warehouse is open from Mon – Thurs 8am - 4.45pm and Friday 8am – 2.45pm, however working hours can be flexible within these times.

To apply:

Download an application form at: www.wigglywigglers.co.uk/jobs/advert.pdf or telephone 01981 500391 and we will pop one in the post to you.

Please note that being included in the casual pool, does not guarantee work, nor is it a fixed-term contract.

Wiggly Wigglers – The Good Life Made Easy.

More than just worms! Wiggly Wigglers is an award winning,natural gardening company based on Lower Blakemere Farm in Herefordshire. We supply everything the budding Tom & Barbara (or even Jerry & Margo) needs, straight from our farm.

You can find out more at www.wigglywigglers.co.uk

Job Two:

Wiggly Wigglers - Customer Care Pool

Location

Lower Blakemere Farm Blakemere Hfds

Closing date for applications

31^st July 2011

We are looking for people to join the Wiggly Customer Care Pool… we need individuals who are flexible, are available ad-hoc and could often work a Wiggly Shift at short notice. (May suit school hours – may suit student)

Main duties would include:

Inputting customer orders onto our order processing system.
Answering customer queries and help out as necessary.
A good telephone manner and computer literacy is required for this role.

Hours of work:
Wiggly HQ is open from Mon – Fri 8.30am – 5pm, however working hours can be flexible within these times.

To apply:

Download an application form at: www.wigglywigglers.co.uk/jobs/advert.pdf or telephone 01981 500391 and we will pop one in the post to you.

Please note that being included in the casual pool, does not guarantee work, nor is it a fixed-term contract.

Wiggly Wigglers – The Good Life Made Easy.

You can find out more at www.wigglywigglers.co.uk

A £3.70 meadow!

2011-07-08T17:09:00.002+01:00

Mrs Tierney says: "Enclosed photo - view from my kitchen window. I've sent this to show the results from my 10g of flower meadow seed. Behind the daisies is a drop to a stream. Thank you!" It's lovely and not bad for a £3.70 investment! We've had lots of excited customers phone in this year. Farmer Phil spoke to a local customer who has planted a huge meadow and said it is currently absolutely breathtaking. The Wiggly Wild Meadow looks good too... Anyway what should be here is Mrs Tierney's scanned in photo and thanks for sending it in - fabulous, but unfortunately I do not know how to post a pdf up on Blogger..... oh....

Enjoying the Wiggly Garden at Hay Festival 2011

2011-06-04T07:56:00.004+01:00

If you have yet to come to Hay Festival here's a few reasons why:

Gorgeous Countryside

Fantastic artists (I saw Kevin McCloud last night - it was brilliant)

It's not expensive - most shows are around £5!

Great food and Shepherds icecream

Nice Shoes from Zims

Great Festival Bookshop with lots of signed books.

Cafe Direct

and in Hay itself you have my favourite clothes shops

Number 2, Number 2 shoes, Flow and Goldsworthys as well as the best junk shops and a squillion book shops including the fab Booths

and lots and lots more including...

The Wiggly Garden inside Hay Festival

Anne Robinson planting Maiden Pink on the Wiggly Garden.

2011-06-03T07:12:00.006+01:00

We were really pleased to welcome Anne Robinson to The Wiggly Garden at the fabulous Hay Festival last evening... The last time Wiggly Wigglers had a "Queen of Mean" encounter was when our good old Wigglet - Ricardo appeared (for a very short time) on The Weakest Link! This time though Anne was absolutely charming and looked fantastic in a magenta dress and matching GORGEOUS high heels.... She remarked that perhaps they weren't the most appropriate for gardening... and I had to agree!

She explained she didn't like getting her hands dirty but loved her garden designed by Rosemary Verey who she was friends with.

Quite appropriate that she planted Maiden Pink which is now classified as a Nationally Scarce Species and is loved by Butterflies and Moths and will be a welcome addition to the Wiggly Garden. It is really really drought resistant and flowers between June and September.

Hope everyone had fun :0) Anne renamed Farmer Phil into Fred Farmer (!).... do you think it will stick? Thanks to Peter, Jo and all at Hay Festival for sorting this out for our Wiggly Garden Party.

Thanks to Nicola Goodwin for the first lot of photos.

Fledgings at Hay Festival on the Wiggly Garden

2011-06-02T14:08:00.001+01:00

Thanks to Ben Boston for this fab photo of the blue tits in clogbox at The Wiggly Garden at Hay.

The Wiggly Garden at Hay Festival 2011

2011-06-02T12:40:00.007+01:00

Our garden has a bugbox with solitary bees nesting in it :0)
The Wiggly Chicks on tour at Hay Festival.
Wildflower patch from Turf originally at Hay Festival.

Nigella on the Wiggly Garden at Hay Festival.

2011-06-02T12:03:00.003+01:00

Not the normal view of Nigella - but San was concentrating on making sure her goody bag was ready with a Wiggly Bouquet and some Wild Marjoram....
Anyway, Nigella planted lots of Marjoram on our garden. Not only is it great for making tea or adding to potato salads, it is a fabulous nectar source for bees. Getting Britain Buzzing!
Having planted the wild herbs she went on to speak at a sell-out audience at Hay Festival.

Master Composter & Master Gardener Conference 2011

2011-05-18T20:19:00.003+01:00

Hi Wigglers

How time flies when you're having fun!?

I was just looking back at my last guest post for Wiggly Wigglers back in August 2009 - National Master Composter Conference 2009 - and have to wonder where the time has gone?

The Master Composters did not have a Conference in 2010 and in the meantime we have been joined by the Master Gardeners. They are making quite an impact on their local communities - helping them to start growing edible gardens.

I was delighted to be asked by Heather to represent Wiggly Wigglers, leading the two workshops on Wormeries, at Garden Organic's Gardening Conference 2011 where the Master Composters & Master Gardeners had our very own special day on Sunday the 15th of May 2011:

Our programme looked like this (I know the text is very small but if you click on each image it will take you through to a larger image which is legible - remember to come back here!):

I chose to demonstrate the fabulous Wiggly Worm Café and have to say that it was not difficult to talk about "worm poo" and "worm wee" for over an hour at a time. I had two terrifically nice groups that asked some interesting questions and they in turn had some valuable knowledge of their own to share with their groups:

Our Speakers' biographies - yours truly duly mentioned:

I especially enjoyed listening to Dr Paul Alexander speaking about Peat - Consequences & Alternatives - it makes you think!

Once again we had lovely cake to look forward to for the afternoon tea break:

... and finally the "Master" Award, sponsored by Wiggly Wigglers, went to Vicky Cunningham - CONGRATULATIONS Vicky!

I'm already looking forward to the next Conference and hope that we won't have to wait so long this time!

Happy Composting

Gwen (aka @kompostgwen on twitter)
Bucks County Council Master Composter

Getting Rid of Slugs - the Green Way!

2011-04-14T12:16:00.003+01:00

Slug damage on farm....

Feeling a little Sluggish?

We all know the trouble with slugs... They get completely out of control in a jiffy and can destroy your crops overnight... In fact last year those pesky pests ate the first lot of sunflowers we planted for birdseed!
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.

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!

We have two pack sizes - the small is perfect for a garden and the larger one is designed for an allotment. You can order individually or we do a programme which will save money and protect your garden for the whole season. The soil is warm enough now so order now before they get to work on your hostas and lettuces....

Mothering Sunday - what it's all about.

2011-03-31T14:46:00.001+01:00

Mothering Sunday

Flowers make the perfect gift for Mothering Sunday and we've got some beautiful British grown blooms to make up into Bouquets and Posies for you to give.
Mothering Sunday was also known as 'Refreshment Sunday' because the fasting rules for Lent were relaxed, in honour of the 'Feeding of the Five Thousand', from the Bible.
No one seems sure on how the idea of Mothering Sunday began. However, it is known that on this day, around four hundred years ago, people made a point of visiting their nearest big church (the Mother Church). People who visited their mother church would say they had gone "a mothering."
Young British girls and boys 'in service' (maids and servants) were only allowed one day to visit their family each year. This was usually Mothering Sunday. Often the housekeeper or cook would allow the maids to bake a cake to take home for their mums. Sometimes a gift of eggs; or flowers from the garden (or hothouse) was allowed. Flowers were traditional, as the young girls and boys would have to walk home to their village, and could gather them on their way home through the meadows.
Mothering Sunday is always the fourth Sunday of Lent, so this year the date to remember is 3rd April if you would like to thank your own mum for what she has done for you.

Wiggly Service Announcement....

2011-03-31T14:01:00.008+01:00

Wiggle ON!

We're on schedule for a Wiggly Record Breaking Mothering Sunday, and our florists are in top banana form. Our farmers and our fabulous wholesaler have delivered in lovely British Flowers by the bucket load.... and Team Wiggly are busy arranging your the flowers and bouquets that will wiggle their way to homes all over the UK today, tomorrow and Saturday. Well done to Emily, Ricky, Ginny, Heidi, and Noelle... with lots of help from Gareth, San and Rach!

If you want to order Mother's Day Flowers - the last time to get flowers on Friday is to order before 4pm Thursday 31st March. The last time to order for Saturday delivery is 2pm Friday 1st April and please make sure you CHOOSE the SATURDAY option if you want the flowers there on Saturday otherwise we will send them for a Monday delivery.

Mothering Sunday is the fourth Sunday in Lent and if you want an excuse to eat cake it is also known as Simnel Sunday - yum! For more details here is the Wikipedia Link.

Diarmuid Gavin and Wiggly Wigglers

2011-03-07T22:07:00.003Z

Turns out Diarmuid knows lots about worm composting so when we were asked to take and talk about a Worm Cafe - it was having a chat with a fellow wormy enthusiast. We supplied a Worm Cafe for "This Morning" TV programme who were busy helping out a school in Cornwall overhaul a piece of wasteland into a lovely new productive garden.

Valentine's Day

2011-02-10T11:24:00.003Z

You may well be right when you accuse Valentine's Day of being a commercially driven free for all driving huge sales of sickly pink cards... but I think it's the best nice excuse to send the most loveliest bunch of British Flowers to a loved one. (Yes, I know - I am biased)

Proper British Flowers

Proper Brown Paper

Handmade Willow Heart

(and free chocolate too - might be a bar for you there tooooooo!!!)

PLEASE NOTE (not all the flowers in our bouquets will be red!)

We are at The Courtyard Hereford tomorrow night...

2011-02-07T09:59:00.002Z

We are at the Health, Wealth & Green Living 2 at The Courtyard Hereford on
8th Feb, 7.30 pm.

Speaker; Jeremy Leggett who, with Richard Branson & others, is advising government on mitigating the ‘Oil Crunch’ – due 2015 at latest!
Green Business Expo in foyer.

Tickets for the talk £5 from Courtyard Box office 01432 340 555

Hosted by Herefordshire Greenlinks, H&W Chamber of Commerce, Herefordshire Council.
Programme;
7.30 pm public talk in Main House by Jeremy Leggett, with Q&A
8.10 pm short presentations from stallholder Herefordshire Businesses describing their ‘best practice’ examples – some of the solutions to the impending energy crunch and other environmental issues. (approx half-minute each)
8.30 to 9.30pm networking and discussions around the stalls in the foyer, with draw prizes for contacts.
9.45 close

100 stems for £25...

2011-01-18T15:24:00.005Z

Great British Flowers
They're IN! This week sees a delivery of lovely English Daffodils and Soleil Dor (the tiny gorgeous ones) into our floristry on the farm. They will be available to send from Wednesday, and as you probably know they last for ages (and cannot fail to cheer up your room.)

We have put together a massive 100 stems so if you have a friend in a rest home these flowers will be enough to fill several vases with sunshine... There's no foliage with these - they are purely a lovely green wiggly box packed with yellow stems.

There is no delivery charge so you can send as many boxes as you like... whether you want to say "Get Well" "Thank you" "I'm sorry" or "Happy Birthday" just let us know and we will hand write the card with our wiggly fountain pen!

We have put together a special code to claim them at a really good price of £25.
To claim click here
or pop S1599
into the search box next time you are shopping online at Wiggly Wigglers.
This offer is limited... as the saying goes - when they're gone... they're gone!

What to feed birds now...

2011-01-11T10:16:00.005Z

We have found several dead birds in and around our farm since those really cold nights - minus 13 and beyond... Most of them are young birds and I think they have failed to work out where the warmer parts of the farm are... The cowsheds are one of the most popular roosting sites. Birds lose so much weight overnight that a good breakfast can really help survival rates. Currently I am feeding fat and seed filled coconuts, WigglySeed Extra, British Mix, Huskless, Niger and Mealworms. My approach is there's lots of tiny seeds in there to appeal to small birds (hemp, linseed etc), you cant go wrong with sunflowers and sunflower hearts, and mealworms are the equivalent of chocolate to me (and they contain water which really helps when everywhere is frozen solid)

I'm also adding another dose of roosting pockets to hide in amongst our wisteria in the house - I'm thinking if there's anywhere near as much warmth escaping from our sash windows as the draft coming in through them (!) this might help protect those little tweeties from the bitter cold.

Here's our latest 5 star review on roosting pockets

Shelley Smith wrote this 5 star review

We purchased 20 of these roosting pockets to place all around our garden. We weren't sure if they'd all get used or not but wanted to offer as much roosting space as possible. We've been delighted to see that they have ALL been used! We've even spied a few while they were in use. They come in different shapes making it perfect for a wide variety of visitors as well as placements. We highly recommend these to anyone thinking of getting them...it's always best to get a few more than you originally think you can accomodate as there's always other places where they will be perfect. Of course the more roosting places in your garden, the more visitors you'll have!

Long-tailed tits like a lovely bunch of coconuts!

2010-12-04T08:58:00.005Z

"I thought you might like to see just how popular the filled coconuts are with our long-tailed tits..."
says
Lucy Rutherford.

Wow, aren't they fabulous!

Long-tailed Tits can be found throughout the UK, all year round. Some leave Britain in September, and return any time between February and April. I thought their favourite foods were insects but they are definitely partial to a seed and fat filled coconut....

Until 8th December you can claim a FREE pack of 6 Fat and Seed Filled Coconuts when you place an order online with Wiggly Wigglers.

Long-tailed Tits make a delicate little nest out of moss, lichens, wool and spiders' webs, lined with hundreds of soft feathers. You can help them out by putting out a nesting spiral for them. It's a bit like you can order your bed and have it delivered by nightfall...

Their nests are deep and dome-shaped, and the entrance is at the side, near to the top. The usually build low down in trees, bushes or brambles.

Composting Leaves

2010-10-17T17:54:00.002+01:00

Raking leaves is over-rated as an activity in my World. Why, oh why do we love to see leaves on trees and yet get into a complete frenzy about clearing every leaf that dares to fall to earth?

Whilst a rake seems a reasonable way of going about it – a leaf blower is complete overkill if you ask me. We’ve all suffered the weekend lawn mowers droning up and down. Moving on to Sunday leaf blowing is just a step too far, I think… there’s even a facebook group – I hate Leafblowers

As for leaf blowers – they need blowing up if you ask me. After we have suffered from the constant mower droning syndrome, do we really have to move on to leaf blowing throughout the Autumn months?!

If you need an excuse to calm down on the leaf front, they do provide great food for your earthworm population who will come up onto your lawn at night and chomp through them and then produce fabulous worm casts.

Whilst you have a small amount of leaves they make a great addition to your compost heap – especially if you have added lots of grass clipping over the summer you can also easily make leaf mould. Leaf mould is a very good soil conditioner – it can help replace peat, and it really helps retain moisture in your soil.

Easy Steps to making leaf mould

Collect autumn leaves. All types can be mixed together (avoid evergreen leaves)
Water them, if dry, to help them rot
Pack leaves into a suitable container – black plastic sacks with holes will do but hessian sacks - Leaf Bags work better (and look lots better…)
Ignore them for at least a year or two…
Use your well rotted leafmould as a soil conditioner and mulch.

Getting your wormery ready for the winter

2010-10-03T17:38:00.000+01:00

The nights are drawing in, the temperature is dropping and the rain seems to fall day and night. None of this is good news for your wormery.

If you have a Worm Cafe then the rain isn't so bad because the air holes are in the sides rather than the lid but if you have a Can-o-worms then you need to keep an eye on how much rain is seeping through and filling the sump. In the summer this is a good thing because you get to feed your vegetables (and especially tomatoes) on a daily basis and get rewarded with a bumper crop of beautiful, home grown veg. However, as winter approaches you'll be less inclined to venture out and don't have so much veg to water/feed anyway. This results in the sump getting full quite quickly so you need to keep an eye on it and often empty it daily or, not only will the wormery get cold and wet, it will fill up with water and drown your worms. Too much wet also encourages anaerobic conditions that can kill your worms as the food rots and the compost becomes compacted.

So what should you do?

Firstly, try and move the wormery somewhere out of the rain - a shed or garage is perfect for over wintering as it will help keep the frost, as well as the rain, off. If you can't move it under cover keep it as close to a house wall as possible so it gains some heat and is at least a little sheltered from the wind, rain and frost.

During the summer I often rely on shredded paper and cardboard for keeping the wormery dry and this doesn't alter much in the Winter either as paper is good at drying a wormery out when too wet, keeps the compost aerated by stopping it getting compacted and adds much needed carbon for the worms while also producing great compost that can be used for top dressing your plants or improving the soil in your borders.

However, it also helps to try and keep the rain out and the worms warm so that they will continue to break down your waste as well as they can during the winter months. For both the Worm Cafe and Can-o-worms it's well worth buying a couple of moisture mats (these are good for the summer as well but less necessary when it's warmer). They keep the worms in the dark (so they work better), dryer and warmer. It's worth noting that the worms will slow down a bit as it gets colder anyway so every little helps to keep them active.

Another great addition for the can-o-worms is a rain cap. This fits on the lid of the Can-o-worms like a shower cap and keeps a lot of the rain from washing through the wormery. At £6.00 it is well worth it if only so you don't have to venture out on one of those miserable, dark, wet and windy winter evenings to make sure your worms aren't drowning!

If it gets very cold and falls below freezing for a length of time then it really is advisable to get them under cover but if that's not possible then bubble wrap, old carpet and placing it near the flu from the central heating will also help. Not too close to that flu though as the last thing you want is them being affected by carbon monoxide poisoning!

You'll also want to feed less when it's very cold as they do slow down quite a bit and uneaten waste can easily rot, causing acidic and anaerobic conditions that will make the wormery smell and possibly kill off your worms.

And don't forget that you can join the brilliant discussion groups in the Wiggly Wigglers Facebook group where there's plenty of like-minded people willing to share their experiences and help answer your questions with tried and tested advice. It's a great community and everybody is really helpful and friendly.

Viral marketing: Five of the best international campaigns | memeburn

2010-09-30T07:18:00.000+01:00

Wiggly Wigglers number three on the list! Along with Zappos and the Meerkat!
Thx
Viral marketing: Five of the best international campaigns | memeburn

18th Sept - 3rd Oct British FOOD Fortnight

2010-09-15T09:40:00.005+01:00

3 large boys back at school enjoying local beef...

The aim of British Food Fortnight is to:

* make the public – and in particular young people – aware of the diverse and delicious food and drink that Britain produces and the many food experiences available
* increase awareness of the health benefits – and pleasures - of eating quality, fresh, seasonal and regional produce
* increase the amount of food education in schools by encouraging teachers to hold special events for young people during the fortnight in the hope that this will generate the enthusiasm & interest necessary to sustain similar activity year-round
* encourage producers, retailers, restaurants, pubs and tourism outlets to all take a proactive role in educating the public – and in particular young people - about the food and drink that their region produces.

And ultimately to nurture a renaissance in the pleasures of preparing and eating regional food and drink. You can take part...

TWITTER

If you sell or eat British Food during British Food Fortnight - please Tweet and add the hashtag #BritFF to help promote British Food - YUM!

Birds of a feather

2010-09-05T17:52:00.003+01:00

Feeding our garden birds can make a huge difference to their numbers (and it’s very enjoyable too!) However, just occasionally you may come across a dead or dying bird near the feeder. More often than not this turns out to be a greenfinch, - but it could also be sparrow or another type of finch. The diagnosis is that more likely than not the bird will have contracted a form of food poisoning, like salmonella.

These problems are less likely to occur in the wild as birds just wouldn’t feed in such large numbers at same time same place day after day…

However the good news is that this problem is very easily sorted:

• If you feed a seed like Black Sunflower which has a husk, then clear up the waste regularly (add them to your compost heap - worms adore them!).

• If you don't have the time to clear up husks, feed foods like Sunflower Hearts and Huskless mixes .

• Feeders and bird tables need to be cleaned every few weeks using a proper disinfectant.

• It’s a good idea to move your feeders or bird table to different positions around your garden every few weeks.

• Keep your bird bath clean and refresh the water regularly.

Use gloves, wash your hands and pat yourself on the back for making sure your birds of a feather can still flock together!

Sail Away with me...

2010-08-04T16:13:00.006+01:00

It's always important for us at Wiggly Wigglers to try out our products but I have to say when we started to sell Ecover I wasn't that keen. I liked the blurb...

Ecover is an international company active in the production of ecological detergents and cleansing agents. It was founded in 1980 in Belgium. Ecover has been a trendsetter from the very start: as a pioneering company, it marketed a phosphate-free washing powder even before phosphates were branded as a problem.

But, what dear heart if your whites come out grey... or you smell just a bit off... and people can't bear to say...

But there were three things that changed my mind.

1: Mrs Dowell in our office uses it (and her whites are white)

2: I tried it myself and Farmer Phil did not complain..

and

3: The highest rated B and B in Shropshire (according to Tripadvisor) uses it herself (Karen Thorne Hopton House B and B)

Here's what she said...

I run a luxury B&B with lovely white sheets so have always avoided green products. However I decided to give them a go. I'm now very happy with Ecover Laundry Liquid which I use when the washing is quite dirty ( otherwise I use my ecoballs )]

So that's it - I have been powered by nature since then!

Anyway turns out Ecover have a racing yacht and invited both San and myself from Wigglys to be the fifth man in the Extreme Sailing at Cowes! Whoohooo! (Must be spending too much!)

Along with us went Rach (who had a lovely bus ride round the Isle of Wight as we lived it up on the yacht and at the bar) and also the team from So Organic and Jamie and Jonny from one of our favourite companies - Abel and Cole! (Good Buzzy Bee event lads!)

Before we got on, the tune "Sail Away with me honey..." was gently playing in the back of my mind...
Once on board with Mike Golding, two Olympians and "Animal" it ranged from "Eternal Father strong to save" to "Hold on Tight to your dream..."!!!

Things got quite hairy out there... I'm not entirely sure of what was going on but I know this:

One boat crashed.

Our boat sails started making a noise and our boys had a bit of a rumpus about this and the twirly thing (I think)

There was some waving of flags and shouting.

The boat tipped from this side to that and our job was to crawl from one side to the other and try not to get in the way!

Tacking was less violent than jibing...

and lastly it was FAB! A mixture of speed, salt, beer, freedom and friends.

A very good day!

PS: Thank you to Ben from J P Morgan who gave the three of us a lift to the fish and chip shop in Southampton too!!!

PPS: If you would like to be powered by nature too you can get all your ecover supplies from here (!)

PPS: You can pronounce ecover as follows:

Eee cover

Eh co Verrr

ehco Verrr

Doesn't seem to matter!

YOU are invited...

2010-08-04T15:51:00.004+01:00

YOU are invited to the launch of the New Wiggly Shop at Labels Outlet Shopping!

Please join us for the launch of the new Wiggly Shop on Thursday 12th August at Labels Outlet Shopping. You'll find us on the upper floor at Labels right by the food hall.

Open all Day

Come along anytime between 9.45am and 8pm and find out how to make a wormery, how to hand-tie a beautiful posy of flowers and how to stay green as you clean!

Plus there'll be a draw to win an amazing worm cafe out latest generation wormery, worth £99!

Free Goodie Bags and Demos

Every hour, on the hour, we'll be holding we'll be holding quick 10 munute Wiggly Talks, answering your questions and giving away lots of FREE Wiggly Goodie Bags!

Labels has everything for you and your home. With a Coffee Shop, Seafood Bar, Food Hall with Deli and Master Butcher, and now, of course, a great new Wiggly Shop. See you there!

Wiggly Talks Timetable

10am How to make a Wormery

11am How to hand-tie a Posy

12pm How to hand-tie a Posy

1pm How to ‘Clean Green’

2pm How to make a Wormery

3pm How to ‘Clean Green’

4pm Attracting Different Garden Birds

5pm Our Top Ten Tips for

‘Making the Good Life Easy’

6pm How to make a Wormery

7pm Our Top Ten Tips for

‘Making the Good Life Easy’

Talks will last about 10 minutes and there will be time for some questions,

plus we’ll be giving away 10 Goodie Bags every hour - what fun!

Plus if you print off this invitation and bring it on the day it will entitle you to a lovely cup of Earl Grey Tea (or normal tea, or coffee, as you prefer) AND a slice of chocolate cake (or Victoria Sponge) in Labels' Coffee Shop. How can you resist?

Wiggly Summer Sale on!

2010-07-27T19:58:00.003+01:00

First things first - Farmer Phil has started harvesting (as usual on my Birthday!) Unfortunately he has had three breakages and one calf drop dead since the start... which was Sunday. We are all hoping that it goes much much much better from now on. If the machinery goes well and the weather stays fine the grass seed is yielding pretty well (touch wood...)

Today I have been to a FWAG meeting (Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group) because I am on the board of trustees. They are a great bunch and deliver wildlife conservation with farmers using 80 advisors on the ground working to make practical differences day by day.

Behind the scenes at Wigglys:
Well Nicole and Rach have been to the fabulous mail order company "Lands End" to learn about best practise in customer service and delivery so we aim to implement the three top things over the next few weeks - Nicole and Rach are passing on all the detail on Wednesday. This was through our trade body Catalogue Exchange.

Lots of really lovely flowers in the floristry at the moment - I know cos I can hear the oooooos and ahhhhhhs from the wiggly flower shed... and we had two lovely weddings last week - congratulations wedding folks!

Now then for June, and everyone else we now have wish lists on the Wiggly website - just try it out by using the wand on each product - fun for sure, but completely inspired by you dear wiggly groupy!

Lastly we have over 200 products in our proper Wiggly SUMMER SALE -
enjoy yourselves!

http://www.wigglywigglers.co.uk/shop/sale.html

and finally...
How did the farmer fix his jeans ?
With a cabbage patch !

Wiggly Shop at Labels at Ross...

2010-07-20T18:17:00.005+01:00

Come and see our little shop!

Its on the second floor inside a very BIG shop...

Labels Outlet Shopping at Ross on Wye - Junction 4 off the M50!

We've got British Flowers, and lots of goodies and practical gifts for practical people!

Watering your garden....

2010-06-29T19:54:00.003+01:00

Haws watering can - a classic...

July is usually the hottest month of the year.

If it is absolutely tipping down when you are reading this… – it’s time to purchase the water butt… If you have a dust bowl outside your kitchen door – it’s time to wish you had purchased a water butt…

Anyway, whatever the weather if you have a veggie plot you should be reaping the rewards right now - with home grown strawberries, freshly picked salad and herbs, - as well as beetroot, onions, garlic, peas and best of all new potatoes… YUM! By the way some varieties don’t actually flower, so if your spuds have been in the ground for ten weeks you have official permission to try a test dig…

When watering your vegetables there are a few tips which will help ensure you get the most out of the water you have got. Some plants are pretty drought tolerant once established, - like root vegetables and onions, so the main ones to concentrate on are the lettuces, the tomatoes, the peas and beans, the squashes and courgettes. Leafy crops need a regular soak.

Water early morning or evening when the temperature of the air and the soil is cooler – otherwise you will lose a lot of water to evaporation. The rule is to soak not splash. Water the soil not the plants, so that the roots get plenty. You will get the hang of how much to water based on the following important indicators: the soil type in your garden, how windy it is, whether or not you have mulched your garden, how much organic matter is in the soil , and of course when it last rained.

The last element is of course how impatient you are…– there’s only so much time you can spend out there holding the hosepipe in your slippers before the first Earl Grey Tea of the day beckons…

2010-06-27T09:14:00.001+01:00

A treat for you this week. Please wiggle your way to the facebook group and see Simon Crumb's video of "Herbert having his supper" Herbert is a hedgepig and this is such a treat.

Farm News:
After successfully planting 630,000 sunflower seeds, checking them and tending to them.... those flippin' slugs have chomped the lot! And so Farmer Phil, not to be deterred has replanted 630,000 sunflowers...

We had a Duchy of Cornwall farm walk Friday evening where Graham Taylor of Silviculture and Farmer Phil gave a talk about the woodland on our farm that is being used to offset HRH Prince Charles carbon footprint whilst growing timber to be harvested in about 80 years time. Our farm benefits from some brilliant new wildlife habitats too. On the walk we saw a ringlet butterfly and much more. The walk was a sell out (I think it was the refreshment reputation) It finished in the wiggly floristry and the only hiccup was a pigeon who for some reason flew into the farm kitchen and caused absolute havoc - mostly with the cacti and parsley...

Farmer Phil has been making hay... it is the best hay I have ever seen. Prices are going up too as yields are down due to the cold dry spring. Farmer Phil's yield was pretty good though at about 8 big bales per acre. Each of those are currently worth £12 - £15. Five days work, 500 bales = 1 happy farmer.

Behind the scenes at Wiggly Wigglers.
Thank you Dell. Thank you Dell. Dell sponsored me to go to China and 74 other women entrepreneurs. It was proper cool, swopping ideas with others who have huge businesses and tiny businesses... Watch this space I got a corking idea from it for our farm. The chinese people were really friendly. Mind you I wouldn't want to live in Shanghai... I saw no birds, no sheep, and no hedgehogs on this trip!

Now then, more excitement... we have taken on the potato shed next door to the potato shed that acts as the wiggly warehouse. This will mean we can be a bit more efficient hopefully and once we have some extra racking can keep all our packaging in shed two.

The flowers in the floristry at the moment are wonderful and to this end you can get more for your money at the moment. There's £5 off cut flowers in the wigglenews here:
(more on hoggys here too)

Mostly folks buy them to say thank you as far as we can make out... thanks for the weekend, thanks for the new grandchild, thanks for being there for me...

Well, there's lots more news but I expect you are bored now so...

and finally:

I didn't get this one but Farmer Phil has explained and it is QUITE funny...

'Hedgehogs. Why can't they just share the hedge?''

Wiggle On
Heather

Wiggly WINNER

2010-06-16T13:06:00.004+01:00

Whoohooo!

We have just drawn the winner from the draw in our talks pavillion at Hay Festival.

Congratulations to Richard in Marden Herefordshire! He has won £150 of Wiggly Vouchers. Thanks to all that entered.

Sorry if you didn't win - there's always next year....

Country Bed and Breakfast...

2010-06-07T19:33:00.005+01:00

Hopton House B and B - the barn room

Gwaenynog B and B from the front

I have experienced the two best B and B's I've ever stayed in during the past couple of months. Neither is very far away from Wiggly Wigglers and both do delicious breakfasts...

On Saturday we wiggled our way to Kington, then Knighton then Welshpool - stopping off at Powis Castle and eventually arriving at Gwaenynog. It's, about a mile from the River Vyrnwy at Dolanog and a 5 minute drive from Llanfair Caereinion in Mid Wales, an area of outstanding natural beauty. A four poster room, free wifi, an ipod charger and Earl Grey tea - what else could you need! During the night our hostess had to put up with a bit of Gorringe Junior sleepwalking... first into the airing cupboard and then into her bedroom!!! (Thank goodness he avoided the paying guests!) Then in the morning we were treated to a yummy brekky before we headed out!

This standard of service reminded me of the best B and B in Shropshire - and it's not just me that says... Hopton House Bed and Breakfast is number one on Tripadvisor. On further investigation I have found the common ground between the two... Mrs Karen Thorne at Hopton House does courses for prospective B and B owners and Fiona Potts from Gwaenynog completed the course. So, what needs to happen is for Mrs Thorne to publish a directory of who has passed her course with flying colours and then unsuspecting tourists like us can wiggle our way around the countryside from delicious breakfast to breakfast... (In March I stayed in the worst B and B I have ever endured in Looe Cornwall - one of my favourite places on earth.... If you were the owner of that B and B please book on Mrs Thorne's course directly! :0)

PS: By the way I knew they were both good eggs because they both have loads of bird feeders out... :0)

Hay Festival Ticket Winners!

2010-06-01T17:38:00.002+01:00

Piccy is of the Wiggly Garden...

The winners of the Wiggly E-news Subscriber draw for tickets to Hay Festival are:
Maralyn Christie and Sylvan Bentley.

Have a wonderful time.

If you did not win please do come and see the Wiggly Garden right in the middle of Hay Festival. We are there each afternoon to answer your questions.

Birdy Problems...

2010-05-18T13:00:00.004+01:00

They may look calm on the outside but this time of year can be really stressful for your garden birds.

There’s very little natural food about in terms of seeds and berries, and often temperatures can be really variable with bitterly cold nights… All this when they are busy laying eggs, and trying to protect and feed their new broods. To top it all in Spring and Summer those pesky humans often radically reduce the amount of food they put out!

Many songbirds can lay an egg a day, then they sit on their eggs for 12 – 14 days, and 14 days later the baby birds are ready to leave the nest! As the birds’ equivalent of the maternity ward gets into full swing with more and more mouths to feed, - what’s really needed is plenty of protein rich food.

The best food at this time of year is live insects. Fledglings have no way to drink and so their parents deliver insects which are made up of fat, protein and most importantly – water. If your garden has plenty of plants which encourage insects by default, - then you are seriously helping the survival rates of your bird population. If not, feed live mealworms or waxworms and you will be providing the readymeal equivalent.

It’s common in late Spring to find young birds sitting on the ground or hopping around without any sign of their parents. This is perfectly normal – the chicks often spend a day or two on the ground before they’re able to fly, and the parents are probably keeping a watchful eye around the corner, or collecting food, so unless there is immediate danger best to leave well alone. Mother Nature really does usually know best.

you made your bed, now lie in it

2010-04-13T12:56:00.002+01:00

at last planting season is here! next to my bed sleep dormant seeds - waking slowly to the world of light and heat. my cold frame is looking a bit battered after falling off the shed so i've invited it indoors despite last year's how-many-more-pots-are-you-gonna-have-on-the-windowsills-and-for-how-long conversations!
i'm now looking at the bare earth on fast forward -- imagining the flowers and green leaves filling all that empty space. it's positive, and i feel that familiar spring feeling of total renewal.
been watching the birds too -- oddly we seem to have a robin/blue tit pair -- they are always together. and my blackbirds are back. they all have distinctive white marks on their head so i'm pretty sure its last year's pair or their progeny.
the worms too, guided by good advice on the mondo bizarro wiggly worm facebook group, are awake again. (who would have thought that the quickest and most thorough replies you could get online would be from keen worm composting enthusiasts?!)
i guess it's the deskbased amongst us who most need the balance of a bit of earth. quick replies and up to our elbows in dreams of chucking it all in for a simpler life.

messy play

2010-03-24T19:45:00.003Z

well, i *was* organised before my little helper decided to muck in -- still, the seasons seem so mixed up at the moment it may not hurt to just throw some seeds toward my raised beds and wait and see....

sunflowering

2010-03-04T14:13:00.003Z

i think i am coming out of hibernation. i've been out round the garden having a nose at the various tiny shoots and i'm now allowing myself to believe that the last of the snow -- well, i don't want to tempt fate!
the end of winter means unearthing the random pack of seeds i bought as a wiggly bargain sometime when spring seemed very remote indeed. i've taken a new tack this year and decided that whatever i got in the pack, i would grow. seems like i still don't have much work till april apart from general pottering and repairing a collapsed fence unless the uk is struck by a heat wave. worse, i'm harbouring a strong desire to grow pumpkins and squash and they don't go in for ages yet!
sunflowers are on the list this year too -- my jerusalem artichokes in pure home compost reached stupendous heights last year so i'm thinking of a skyful of yellow.

which makes a nice change from grey.

My Dream Farm

2010-02-27T10:29:00.004Z

We were so pleased with our bit in My Dream Farm. You can listen to our interview with Jen and Bek on the Wiggly Sofa here
It was in fact hissing down on the day Jen and Bek came but we all enjoyed it - and even Farmer Phil got in on the act - if you watch carefully you can see him on his John Deere trundling down our drive filled with traffic calming measures - that well known device the speed holes...
If you missed My Dream Farm you can still see it on Channel 4 on Demand!
The Wiggly Florists - Laurie and Hannah have gone into serious training for Mothering Sunday... This involves flexing their secateurs, twirling their ribbons and box making as opposed to kick boxing. Your mum knows you love her - she just likes you to show it...
The Wiggly Florist is proud to use just British Flowers.
Mostly this week we have available
Mums
Alstromeria
Pussy Willow
Catkins
Paperwhites
Anenomes
Tulips (lots of tulips)
Lilies
Rosemary
Dogwood
and lots more

A huge well done to Jen and Bek (and indeed to our Laurie), their wedding flowers looked utterly loverly. You can find them at Blooming Green.

Vote for us at the European Podcast Awards.

2010-01-24T16:24:00.002Z

The second European Podcast Awards are now underway!
And what's more they will be offering everyone who votes the chance to win some great prizes from their sponsor OLYMPUS.

So, if you love the Wiggly podcast, please vote for us at http://www.european-podcast-award.eu/uk/start/vote-and-win/business/type/player/uid/906/podid/906.html

Thanks to Megan for nominating us!

The Wiggly Proper Sale is ON!

2010-01-01T10:08:00.003Z

Lots of Billy Bargains....

including

FREE Mealworms!
Our best selling LIVE! Mealworms are on a very special Buy Three Tubs, Get Three Tubs FREE deal until 25th Jan 2010!
OK, what we're really hoping is that you'll help spread the word about this super effective birdfood by giving the free Tubs to your friends and neighbours, so that they'll find out for themselves just how much birds appreciate the extra protein and fat that only LIVE! Food can supply. (And, while you're at it, if you could lend them your trusty copy of the Wiggly Catalogue so that they can become good old Wiggly Customers too... hint, hint!) But we quite understand if you'd prefer to give your own birds a treat this winter.
Whatever, the main point is that the bird population benefits, and that's a good thing for everyone. (Although, if you could pop round with just one Tub? and our Catalogue? Go on, New Year wishes and all that! If you get on well with your neighbours, well that's brilliant, and if you don't, who knows what benefits your little gift might bring?)
Go to the Wiggly Proper Sale

Wishing you a very Happy Christmas

2009-12-23T21:43:00.003Z

Inside at Lower Blakemere...
...and outside!

Thank you to all our readers, listeners, and indeed customers for helping to make 2009 a good one.

Wishing you a very very Happy Christmas from all at Team Wiggly.

Natural decorations

2009-12-17T19:20:00.005Z

I had a brief moment of festive creativity at the weekend and this is what I came up with:

A table centre piece - I added some pheasant tail feathers from a recently butchered (and delicious) pheasant

A conveniently placed bunch of mistletoe by the front door so I can pounce on unsuspecting house guests

A pheasant feather, holly and mistletoe wall hanging for my kitchen

All very enjoyable to make and so much nicer than tinsel!

We're busy...

2009-12-10T21:35:00.002Z

Just to let you know we are very busy Wigglies just at the moment. We are bringing in extra Wigglets over the weekend and will ensure that all your orders are despatched in time for Christmas...

Last Christmas order date for despatch in time for Crimble - 21st Dec 2009 (on of course all items in stock.)

Thank you for your orders.

The three best sellers in the last 3 hours:

Worm Cafe with Value Pack and voucher

Bird Taster Pack

Hazel Truffle Tree

Happy Christmas!

Trees!

2009-11-29T17:53:00.004Z

As we all know, trees are wonderful things and they are certainly one of my favourite subjects to photograph. One of my favourite places to go, particularly in the Autumn, is Queenswood Arboretum in Herefordshire where you can see amazing leaf colours like this:-

But leaves are not essential. I am quite fond of dead trees too and here is one the one at Lower Blakemere Farm that I took on Open Farm Sunday in 2008 whilst on Farmer Phil's tractor ride:-

Wiggly Photos

2009-11-21T16:42:00.002Z

The latest Wiggly catalogue has landed and you may have seen (on Page 21) some photos of Farmer Phil's lovely bright sunflowers. The sunflower patches are just down the round from Blakemere Farm in Preston-On-Wye and Bridge Sollers.

Heather asked me if I could take a few photos and since I don't need asking twice when it comes to photography, off I went with my trusty Nikon D90 (best birthday present ever). That few turned out to be 80 plus and if you have the time, you can see them all HERE!

If you were lucky enough to receive a Wiggly box of sunshine, this is where the flowers started life.

I have been interested in photography for quite some time and have owned many different cameras. My current baby is the Nikon D90 which is a DSLR. But I also currently own a Canon Powershot (digital), Canon EOS 3000 SLR and a Lomo which is a mass produced Soviet camera that takes wonderfully retro looking pictures.

Wiggly Podcast 0202

2009-11-19T14:50:00.001Z

Have you listened to the Wiggly Podcast lately? Go on give it a go!

The Destruction of Indestructible Socks
The main topic of the show is the annual trauma of testing Phil's cows for TB, but Heather can't make it to the Wiggly Sofa so Richard and Phil host the show together for the first time. They introduce some Phil bashing from listener Ken Boulton; a frankly amazing impression of a bunny in distress; full coverage of the visit from the TB vet; and even manage to plug some Wiggly Products. It's as though they had a script...

We love lovely letters!

2009-11-05T15:51:00.002Z

Here's one that came in just now after one of our mealworm dishes was a little worse for wear when arriving in the post.

Dear Karen,

The postman has just delivered the replacement dish, and it is in one piece. Thank you for your prompt response, the dish is now under my beech hedge full of worms, I will check it later and (if the black birds, robins and local pheasants leave any) add some peanut bits and raisins for my two hedgehog visitors, just in case they are still foraging. I have a small Silver Birch tree about 10 feet from my patio door which is festooned with the apple houses, live food feeder, Suet cake cage, peanut and seed feeders I purchased from you in the summer. I spent a lovely half hour or so about a week ago when I sat at my dinning table and watched: - half a dozen long tailed tits (I had to look these up as I'd never seen any before), a small flock of gold finches, a couple of haw finches, a green finch, robin, a couple of dunnocks and a grey squirrel all at the tree at the same time. The squirrel was taking pieces of suet ball hung in the apple houses, eating some then burying the rest in different parts of the garden (not sure if it will be in tact when he looks for it again later though).

This all started because I bought a 'Can o Worms' from your stall at one of the Gardener's World Live' Shows a couple of years ago (which I might add is going strong) and of course browsed your catalogue. I didn't have any trees in my old garden and even though I rented a property on a working farm didn't see anything like the diversity of wild life I have seen since moving here in March of this year including (for a few weeks just after I moved in) a young fox who visited the garden every morning.

Many thanks again not just for the good service but for the sheer beauty happening outside my patio door, I forgot to mention the two Jays who periodically visit the suet balls and have done all summer.

I would be very happy for you to use this email as a testimonial on your web site if you wished.

All the best
Julia

greenhouse envy

2009-11-03T20:46:00.003Z

apparantly, the more urban a population, the more romantic their view of nature. or so says radio 4 as i'm washing the dishes. i'm sure this conflicts with a more interesting (and trashier) story about new yorkers having a fear of grass and leaves but i'm willing to admit that as the nights draw in i idealise my little 'yard-en' more and and more.

the victorians (who would have occupied my house -- albeit with 5 children according to the census--where did they *put* them??) had a thing about ferns and i kind of fancy having a go at this myself. they despaired at the inability to grow plants outside because of the thick pervasive smog in most cities and so, to make a long story short, it became fashionable to grow plants and lichens in glass boxes and even in 'living pictures' which could hang on the wall.

as new kinds of glass developed, they went mad for houseplants -- particularly ferns. a fashionable house had to have many plants -- they showed not only status but moral fibre.

i like the victorians. the more i learn about them the more i think this neighborhood must have been absolutely bonkers and nothing like we might think. for example -- whereas we have a fashion for stripped floor boards, they liked to paint them black with tar or resin. i can't imagine a darker colour adding much in the way of happiness to last you though winter though i can imagine it as a fitting context in which to sit and construct myself some bizarre glass boxes with tiny pseudo-tropical environments inside.

well, just about anyway.

for those of you who are tempted -- here is a mad blog i've found about houseplants btw
http://blogginghouseplants.blogspot.com/

Smelly Feet? you NEED goat socks!

2009-10-28T16:45:00.005Z

I've just received this note in from Christine:

"...anyway, about comfort socks, I wear mine with my walking boots, I've got really smelly feet but they don't take up the smell! I bought for my of the plain ones for my son and girlfriend for wearing in bed, they love them. I've been shopping with you for some years now and always have been pleased with my purchases. Thank you so much, Christine"

She is right you know. They are made of mohair and goat hair is a bit like the hair on your head. It insulates, but breathes. Some people not too far from me now hardly ever wash their goat socks anymore... But of course this is not a Wiggly recommendation! In fact I can vouch for machine washing and even tumble drying (if nec) your Wiggly Goat Socks! ORDER HERE!

Aconbury Wood

2009-10-27T07:39:00.002Z

Coppicing is a traditional method of managing woodland in which young tree shoots are repeatedly cut down to near ground level. In subsequent growth years, many new shoots will emerge, and, after a number of years the coppiced tree is ready to be harvested, and the cycle begins again. (Note that the noun coppice means a growth of small trees or a forest coming from shoots or suckers.)

The woodland is harvested in rotation, - just as with the crops on our farm. In this way, a crop is available each year somewhere in the woodland. Coppicing has the effect of providing a rich variety of habitats, as the woodland always has a range of different-aged coppice growing in it, which is really beneficial for biodiversity.

Chestnut can be grown in this way and because it is straight and really hard the orginal use was to provide hop-poles to support the hop plants whilst they are growing . Nowadays is it usually cut on a 12 to 18 year cycle to make into cleft chestnut paling fences or stakes.

One of the local woods on the Duchy Estate runs a project, in conjunction with Wye Wood, to encourage people with both physical and mental health problems to learn traditional skills and improve their quality of life. Partly funded through the local Primary Care Trust and the Forestry Commission, people are referred to the project to take advantage of woodland walks or to develop their skills through learning traditional crafts. The result of all this is healthier, happier individuals …and these lovely feeders. Made from Chestnut, a naturally durable hardwood (fence posts made with Chestnut last longer than those made from Oak!), these lovely feeders will last in your garden for many years to come.

phoenix poppies

2009-10-20T11:51:00.003+01:00

well, beggars can't be choosers so i've decided that if i can't remove all the stuff my neighbors keep dumping into the shared alley behind our houses, i can at least beautify it! and doesn't it look gorgeous? okay, there's some work to do and even since this pic i've noticed that drainage is a big bad issue but...into this wheelbarrow i've dumped some mushroom compost and 2 packets of poppies and wildflowers. i'm hoping that come spring something beautiful will rise from the ashes. the larger vision is that the same plants will selfseed the whole quarter mile corridor of decorative tellys and beer cans.
if anyone can recommend plants (from seed) that i could throw on the ground and which would probably grow just about anywhere i would be grateful. meanwhile my small and secret mission continues....

The Postal Strike

2009-10-20T09:10:00.005+01:00

Following this week's announcement that Royal Mail Strike action will likely affect deliveries across the

, we have made our decisions on how to ensure we provide an excellent service. This is our top priority...

So:

Where it is possible this week we will upgrade your order to go with a courier (in our case Business Post and APC) so that your deliveries will arrive right on time - no problems. You will already be aware most of our deliveries and ALL of our flowers get sent this way anyway and so will be unaffected.

For small amounts of LIVE food (under 1 kilo) please order today TUESDAY (before 2pm) so that we can get your order in the post and delivered before the strike starts. We will bring all those orders on a multimail standing order basis forward from Wed, Thurs, Friday to today so that these wont get caught up.

Our courier does not need a signature so when you order if you are not going to be in please pop a note to say where you would like your order left and this should minimise the strike action.

Cross your fingers it will all be sorted out in the meantime!

Heather

Thank you Wiggly Wigglers from Kingsley St. John's primary school

2009-10-18T11:11:00.000+01:00

Recently Wiggly Wigglers offered the chance of some re-furbished wormeries for organisations and schools. Kingsley St. John's Primary School were lucky enough to be chosen for one and I went along to help set it up and explain the hows, why and what's to the children.

Please visit the following blog post on how the wormery was set up.

And thanks to everybody at Wiggly Wigglers for donating the wormery - it is much appreciated by everybody at the school.

Zagreb Floristry

2009-10-16T17:48:00.003+01:00

Here is a spot of inspiration for the Wiggly Florists me thinks...
Rach and I spotted these whilst in Croatia the other day encouraging young potential entrepreneurs to start their own business.
Aren't they lovely?

Hey Mr Robin!

2009-10-02T15:59:00.012+01:00

Wiggly customer Dawn just sent in these wonderful photos and describes how her garden birds appreciate their mealworms:

"Our main client is a very friendly robin that has been visiting since last year - he greets us every morning and often sings for his grubs & takes them from the hand.

In the spring he brought his wife along and she also took grubs from us and it was a very hectic time keeping up with their family's demands! We would often work in the garden and have both robins flitting around hoping for grubs - landing on tools and even at the breakfast table!

Keep up the good work of providing these things - although we have some beetles and a large tub with baby wigglers there is no way we can keep up with demand!

It is so wonderful to be able to have the trust of a wild creature and to be able to photograph it without disturbing it - he is a wonderful poser and at times seeks out the lens when he see the camera, I am sure he checks himself out! No doubt he will adorn many a Christmas card.

I have attached a couple more photos that may amuse - for one I turned around and saw him sunbathing next to me after a busy morning feeding his family, the other was taken in early spring when he was wooing his lady."

dark berries

2009-09-19T11:04:00.003+01:00

thank you maud hartley on whose grave i have at last found some respectable brambles! collecting them was a treat -- i must have got about 2 punnets but not without considerable odd looks from passers-by. i dunno but i guess it's the ultimate compost?

autumn must be here because i've been missing canada and craving carbs. a blackberry crumble with some lovely cooking apples did the trick. i use weetabix crushed up to add a bit of crunch to the topping.

have any of you got leeks as young as mine? at the DIY shop about 2 weeks ago i saw a box and decided to wack them in amongst my green manure (courtesy of my Wiggly seed box) -- i'm a bit dubious about whether they will survive but as veg go they are pretty stiff-upper-lip so no doubt they will be fine. or at least they won't complain too loudly.

as october is just around the corner i'm kicking myself that i didn't get growing pumpkins -- i'm not really sure where they might fit in our classic victorian terrace garden. ideas welcome. i saw an amazing display of hanging gourds in london once....i'll get there -- now let me see if i can find you a picture...

Mutant mistletoe

2009-09-17T13:55:00.004+01:00

I just had to share this crazy picture of Wiggly Wigglers' mistletoe berries just starting to do their stuff from Antony Martin. Berries are available anytime but we won't despatch til Feb 2010.

Wedding Flowers

2009-09-10T21:50:00.001+01:00

Lovely note we've had in today - congratulations to the happy couple too!

Hello there

We just wanted to email to say a huge thank you for our amazing wedding flowers. We have been to about 15 weddings over the last three years so we wanted something different and eco-friendly. We were astounded to see the fantastic flowers you sent for us for our wedding on 1st August 2009. The flower girls magic wands were beautiful, the bridesmaids wrist coursages and buttonholes were perfect, the posies we ordered as thank yous for the mums were so lovely in the little jam jars and my brides posy was just what I wanted - natural and beautiful. I have never seen so many beautiful flowers as those in the cut flower boxes - they were the freshest flowers we have ever seen. We truly can't thank you enough. They were just what we would have picked if we had come to wiggly ourselves! They were such good value for money and all with a clear conscious too. We will send you some photos as soon as we have some.

Thanks again so much. We will most definitely be recommending wiggly to everyone!

Warmest wishes

Gorringe on Twitter for Farmers

2009-09-05T21:37:00.004+01:00

My list of "things I would like to do before I am dead" includes having an article in print in the Farmers Weekly (plus speaking at the Oxford Farming Conference, and mastering heelies, ballooning over Kenya...and several others...)
Anyway, this week I have a whole column in The Farmers Weekly to encourage Farmers to Tweet.
It may not be as eloquant as Mr Naylor's effort but it is the page before...
If you want to find Farmers on Twitter follow @followfarmer

FREE Organic Veggie Seeds from Wiggly Wigglers

2009-09-01T21:55:00.003+01:00

Don’t miss The Wiggly E-Newsletter!

“A Little Bit of Countryside in my inbox – and super special offers to boot,” says Mrs B York (Thank you @mrsbyork)

Free veggie seeds when you sign up to the Wiggly E-News. Lots to choose from, please pass the news on if you think you know someone who would like to try planting a packet of Organic Asparagus Pea or Chicory Witloof or even Turnip Purple Top Milan!

Here’s just 5 more reasons why you shouldn’t miss it:

1: Exclusive offers to subscribers

For example, we managed to get hold of Peonies from a farm, and offered a Pile of Peonies Bouquet at a proper Wiggly Bargain price! For

August 2009 we had a standard bouquet in white with Asters, Phlox, our own Wheat and Grasses with a saving of £12… now we’re farming!

2: Free Stuff!

Occasionally, we pass on freebies. In May 2009 we handed out free tickets for events at the Hay Festival. In July 2009 we gave away £10

worth of Wildfl owers. And of course you get invited to all our events.

3: Handy Tips and Gossip

We include relevant tips and gossip from the Wiggly Team and other members of the Wiggly Community – whether it’s a customer who wants

to share a composting tip,Terry Walton explaining how to keep your rhubarb sweet, or even Farmer Phil reporting on the farm harvest…

Wiggly Gossip will deliver that perfect, unbelievable fact for your next night out!

4: Easy Present Giving

Do you hate trudging around the high street, but still like to give your loved ones great gifts? We regularly highlight practical, corking products

which can be wrapped for you and delivered next day if need be.

5: Lastly, it’s extremely easy to unsubscribe!

We shouldn’t like to send you our E-News unless you are enjoying receiving it, so unsubscribing can be done at the click of your mouse.

And no need to worry about junk emails, we don’t pass your details on to any other company at all

A beautiful place to rest

2009-08-27T13:41:00.015+01:00

Heather has always joked that she would like to be buried with a bag of worms to help her on her way back to the earth. A bit extreme maybe, but more and more people are now choosing green burials in wild meadow or woodland sites rather than municiple cemeteries.

When you start to look at funerals from a green point of view, it does become rather troubling. Have you stopped to think about where the wood to make coffins comes from? And what about those floral tributes spiked into oasis? Like most flowers, they have probably travelled 1000s of miles to get to you. OK, well, what about cremation? I find it shocking to discover that each cremation produces on average about 50kg of CO2, or that the mercury from dental fillings is emitted into the air.

All in all, dying is an environmental minefield!

But there is an alternative and green funerals are on the rise. There are now more than 200 natural burial sites around the UK. Some of the sites near to us are truly beautiful.

Have a look at the Humber Woodland of Remembrance. The owners are as much guardians of wildlife as guardians of a burial ground. Diane Thomas uses the Natural History Museum's postcode plant database as her bible of what is allowed to be planted there.

Another magical place is Usk Castle Chase which is run by Native Woodland. Again the site is managed to maintain it's natural habits. The Gwent Wildlife Trust have helped to plan the burial scheme and promote wildlife conservation.

Now this brings me back to the issues of flowers and floral tributes. Of course a wreath of MUM in white carnations is just not going to fit in to these tranquil settings. But a Wiggly Florist sheaf of English flowers, local foliage, all hand tied with rafia, would be simple, seasonal and natural.

So I'm making it my mission to change the face of British funeral flowers and spread the quiet, peaceful beauty of Wiggly flowers to funerals across the land.

Oh, and I'm off to book myself a plot!

guerilla tuesdays

2009-08-25T13:05:00.004+01:00

well, urban foraging brought me home about 10 brambles wrapped up in a muslin square -- not great so i've had to hit the farmers market a few miles away for some damsons. i'd somehow blocked out the pain of picking out all those damson pits from the last time i made jam -- next time someone stop me!

point being however that there is a distinct surfeit of concrete and weedy patches round here which could, with some love, be turned into productive growing space. something which is particularly on my mind today as i've be watching a woman and her daughter who go up and down our street looking through the bins for food. makes you stop and think.

one positive re(action) to all this is guerilla gardening -- check out the blog (or if you're into print in the way i am its a beautiful little hardback book). i'm wondering about sending some seed bombs into next door's decaying garden !

We've got better delivery rates for Highlands and Islands..

2009-08-20T21:43:00.002+01:00

You may remember that last year we had to pass on surcharges for delivery to the far flung corners of the UK, which made Wiggly delivery for some customers very expensive. Since then we have been looking for a way to improve this situation, and finally we've got it.

We have now found a local, independent courier company - CS Couriers - who link in with other local delivery companies to provide a nationwide service. This means that delivery throughout the UK - Highlands, Islands and Northern Ireland included - is back to £3.75 for any size order. (Live Mealworms qualify for free delivery as usual.)

So, I'm delighted to be able to say "Welcome back!" Of course, if you are pretty remote it may mean that delivery takes 48hrs instead of 24hrs.

Cauliflowers and Caterpillars by Simon Sherlock

2009-08-19T20:57:00.005+01:00

Burying Bokashi in a trench for your veggies gets all those beneficials rockin' - This however is not Simon - this is Ricardo. Heather

Here's is Simon's update:

Sharing your vegetable garden with nature

For the most part I love butterflies and do everything I can to encourage them, along with other beneficial insects (bees, ladybirds and lacewings etc) into my garden. Not only do they help pollinate the plants but we're helping to keep their numbers up in these desperate times (times where even the bees are disappearing faster than our pensions). The garden without nature flitting from flower to flower and singing in the trees just doesn't seem complete and lazing in your garden (children permitting of course) on a warm and sunny day gives great pleasure, a feeling of well being and quite often a desire to drink beer. Maybe that's just me.

But this year my enjoyment has been marred somewhat, and it took me a little by surprise.

For this is the year that I decided to grow some vegetables outside – I purchased a couple of raised beds to complement my array of potted vegetables and, using the contents of my wormery and Bokashi bins (as well as a hefty dose of compost from my three compost bins) set about creating what I hoped would be some very successful (though admittedly quite small) vegetable plots.

Planted up with cauliflower, spinach, rocket, onions and a few carrots they soon filled out and I have been astonished at how well everything has grown, as well as how much food can be produced from such a small area. The cauliflowers expanded at such a rate that from early June we were lobbing off the odd leaf for our tea and one leaf, along with some spinach, was often more than enough veg on the side of a meal for the wife and I.

The florets of the caulis soon followed, filled out nicely and, even with such a small plot, we were harvesting more than we could manage and had to give a few away.

But where were the pests everybody complains about?

There were no carrot fly on the carrots, very few slugs and no pests on the leaves. I thought (rather smugly) that I had it made – that or the Bokashi has some other magical ingredient for keeping the beasties at bay. But that was in June when it was very hot – as soon as the rains of July arrived all hell broke loose. Suddenly there were slugs everywhere (early morning and evening patrols were required and were reasonably successful I thought) and, whenever the sun came out, the butterflies appeared.

Previous years joy at seeing a pair of Cabbage White's flitting around the garden together soon turned me into a Victor Meldrew as most of their 'flitting' was being done all over over my lovely cauliflowers! I couldn't squash the eggs quick enough and there were soon lots (and I mean LOTS) of small caterpillars hatching out. Who can believe the speed these little so and so's grow! And the more they grow the more they eat, until a mere two weeks later we are left with two small patches of doilies, I mean cauliflower leaves, that have no chance of recovery! Luckily we have finished the florets now, but I did read that new ones will grow if the plant is left intact (and it has some leaves to take up the rays of the sun of course, unlike mine).

So next year I will be extra careful, less smug and will even try some of the organic brews for deterring them from laying. There are a number of brews you can use as an organic gardener, such as soaking nettles in a bucket of water until they rot down and the water stinks. It's very nutritious as a feed and the theory is that it smells so bad that the butterflies won't land on the leaves to lay their eggs. Definitely worth a try next year I think.

I've also read that companion planting with celery will also deter the cabbage white. The trouble is that celery deters me as well as I hate it, but it's probably worth a try.

I'm sure there are other great methods for deterring pests so why not leave a comment below or share your methods in the Wiggly Wigglers Facebook group?

New Wedding Theme at Wiggly Wigglers

2009-08-18T20:27:00.002+01:00

If you know someone who would like a "green" wedding they may find the new Wiggly Wedding Theme useful...

migrating toward winter

2009-08-17T15:09:00.003+01:00

at 4.16 am i'm sitting up in bed. it's dark and my daughter has just fallen back to sleep. that's when i hear it -- the eerie sound of migrating geese. it starts as a distant, faint sound -- i almost wonder if it's a memory -- but it swells and surges over the house -- a confident cry cry cry. i'm dying to rush to the window and look to see if i can make out the V of wings but she's asleep on my lap and i don't dare wake her. it lasts ages and can only mean one thing -- those first signs of an encroaching winter....

there's no denying it -- the garden knows before i do. i look at the flowers who have dropped their petals overnight and am sort of startled awake -- that time already? soon i'll be harvesting the winter veg that i put in as a 'long term' project and saying goodbye to all the soft new growth on my fruit trees.

it comes, and it goes and it keeps on rolling forward. but geese overhead take me back to my dad shouting for a younger me as i rush from wherever i am -- hurling myself down the stairs and into the backyard eyes skyward -- a migrant himself in Canada he never tires of the romance of the geese and their seasonal flight.

Happy harvesting hormones

2009-08-15T10:54:00.001+01:00

I think that there must be a happy hormone released when I get up early on a bright sunny summer morning and look at out at the meadows beyond my house, where they have just started haymaking. This view, smell, temperature and light combination certainly affects me in a such a positive way.

One of my favourite things about this view and these meadows is the way they are harvested in strips, or rather odd shaped parcels. They are in fact ancient Lammas Meadows along the banks of the River Lugg, which date back to medieval times.

The land is farmed according to commoners' rights through the Autumn and Winter, with local farmers using it for grazing cattle. Then from 2 February (Candlemass), the grass is allowed to grow until Lammas Day, traditionally the 1 August, when weather-permitting, haymaking begins. The meadows are owned in strips marked by dole stones. Each farmer may harvest at slightly different times, allowing a jigsaw puzzle of cut strips to emerge from the long grass, revealing the division of the meadow. Some make rectangular bales, and some round - a difference which for some obscure reason, that no-one else gets, amuses me enormously!

Lammas actually means 'loaf mass' and the day was traditionally celebrated with bread being made from the season's first wheat. The Real Bread Campaign this year has promoted a celebration of bread and lammas listing Local Loaves for Lammas events all over the country. How wonderful it would be to celebrate fresh bread, summer and the harvest at one of the oldest and most important Lammas Meadows in the country.

Anyone want to help for next year? I can already feel the happy harvesting hormones kicking in with the scent of freshly baked bread. Hmmmm.

reverse atkins with chips

2009-08-14T21:19:00.003+01:00

this was meant to be a before and after but oddly has become an 'after and before' -- in any case giving you the main headline first which is that i've had about 60 potatoes! for some unknown reason they were getting blight (odd as i'm sure it's several miles to the next potato plant but there you have it) -- so now we're on a hardcore starch diet for the next few weeks.

the plants were getting ridiculous anyway -- overshadowed only by the muscles from brussels (sprouts) . in fact, i was a bit tentative about digging all the potatoes as they are underpinning the sprouts i think. it's the first year with these 1 x 1m beds and i packed it in not counting on the vagaries of the english weather!

anyway -- short and sweet but yeah, come round for chips!

The very hungry catapillar

2009-08-14T10:38:00.004+01:00

Wow. Look at this ginormous catapillar! Those are Alison's fingers in there for a bit of scale.

Apparently it's the catapillar of the Elephant Hawks Moth and it lives in Alison's polytunnel. I've been told that it becomes a beautiful pink moth, although so far I've never seen one, yet...

Wiggly Lavender

2009-08-12T20:40:00.000+01:00

great for bees and great for the bath.

National Master Composter Conference 2009

2009-08-11T21:21:00.027+01:00

Hi there Wigglers

In my last guest blog I told how excited I was to be accepted onto the Master Composter Scheme and before I knew it the Annual Master Composter Conference was upon us (25th July 2009):

Bucks Master Composters made the front page!

and I gradutated as a fully certified Master Composter:

Gwen receives her graduation certificate from Alys Fowler

We had a very interesting program which looked like this:

and we all agreed that the workshops were very well thought out:

and these were our speakers:

Emma Cooper, author of the The Alternative Kitchen Garden: An A to Z and a fellow Master Composter (Oxfordshire), and fellow Wiggler!, is much more eloquent than I am and if you'd like to read in more detail about our day out at Ryton please follow these links:

The Master Composter Conference 2009 - AM

The Master Composter Conference 2009 - PM

All that is left for me is to post a photo (or two) of the lovely Wiggly Cake, in the form of a wormery, that we received from all at Wiggly Wigglers to enjoy with our afternoon tea:

Follow these links if you want to see some more piccies from the day:

Gwen's Master Composter Conference '09 piccies &

Garden Organic's Master Composter Conference '09 piccies

I'm happy to be a Master Composter and love being a Wiggler!

More mealworm wonders

2009-08-11T09:00:00.003+01:00

Another joyful LIVE Mealworm tale from our customers...

Posted on our website by Sue on 24 July 2009:
"I have a lonely young jackdaw - we think he was a 'runt' - who we've named Rudolf because the other jackdaws won't let him join in any jackdaw games ... he loves the worms and flies as close to me as he dares at feeding time. Because he's so tame I wait until he's had enough before I go away - to give him a proper chance at the worms before the other birds get there. He also gets 'top ups' through the day to make sure he's getting a good start in life!"

So of course I had to email Sue and find out how Rudolf is getting on. Here's her reply:

"Rudolf is doing OK – loves his worms, which is why I ordered an extra batch outside of my regular Birdy Box. I tried him on dried ones until the wigglies came; ‘alright, I s’pose’ was his sulky response. I’m not sure what his problem is – he can fly, walk and perch, but he can’t seem to do the usual jackdaw thing of hanging upside down on the peanut feeder, for example, and knocking everything out. Perhaps his legs aren’t as strong as they should be, or perhaps he’s a couple of feathers short of a full wing … But he is getting more confident."

Keep those Mealworm stories coming in. An Observer Mealworm Feeder to the best one, the one that brings a tear to my eye, and makes me smile at the same time!

actias artemis

2009-08-10T18:57:00.004+01:00

it's 4am and i'm not asleep. i'm thinking about moths. i am partial to the beauty of a hairy dusty moth so this isn't that unusual but i should really be in bed. i was thinking about white gardens, you see, and the fact that they are supposed to attract moths. i think on g.world they are calling them moon gardens or some more romantic name. anyway, it's 4am so i decide to see what my garden's doing in the moonlight.

it's strange to be in your familiar space at night -- walking out into the chill in my bare feet, i immediately notice my senses / instincts are on alert. it's odd but i'm almost afraid. i walk down the path, gingerly -- not knowing what to expect -- it's so quiet! I've always been fascinated by the disappearance of colour at night and tonight is no exception -- i'm staring at the fennel thinking 'yellow, yellow' but can't make it out.

so what kind of nutter walks around their garden in bare feet and pants at 4am looking for moths? one, i suppose who wants to tell you about the giddy excited feeling i got in my belly as i felt myself shrugging off the veil of being 'human' and once again becoming an animal, at night! i think it somehow explains why my daughter, at three months, calms instantly when taken outside. we're fooling ourselves that we're not animals -- and then we're human, all too human.

see you in the moonlight! by the way, i've just discovered a whole host of moon moths (see link)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Actias_artemis

Podcast 194 is coming soon...

2009-08-09T21:44:00.002+01:00

Heather and Richard gather on the Wiggly Sofa for the last time before the summer holidays to present a garden oriented Episode.
Richard waxes lyrical on the best time for cutting a flower meadow, comparing his own meadow field with the meadow in the Wiggly Garden in the Hay Festival grounds, and Rachel gets a guided tour of the foliage cutting patch from Hannah.
Plus a Monty Cast; mating Woodpidgeons; overcrowding in the nest and hand rearing a baby Thrush on Wiggly LIVE! Food.
The Wiggly Podcast returns on September 21st.

time in between time

2009-08-08T12:23:00.003+01:00

I've planned almost too well because for the moment, there's not too much to do in the veg patch. My winter crop of brussels sprouts, potatoes, parsnips and carrots are happily stretching up and down as the case may be (not to mention taking up all the available room after growing ridiculously huge in this wet/hot summer) and i'm here tapping my toes wondering what to tell you about!

Those veggies went in when i was pregnant in a rare moment of effective forward planning -- knowing that i would have limited gardening time and even more limited planting. In fact, the timing couldn't really have been worse from an allotmenteer's point of view as my due date was right on easter weekend when the majority of us in the midlands are planting as much as humanly possible in a rush of joy at the soil and the air finally warming up!

I have, however, ruthlessly felled my garden peas and so have probably half a square meter to play with. Trouble is i have, as usual, about a hundred competing ideas about what to put in!

The gardens and plots we have / and the ones we dream of ...

What is a Master Composter?

2009-08-07T12:17:00.005+01:00

"Master Composters are volunteers who encourage people in their local community to start composting at home, and offer support to people who are already home composting and may be having difficulties or need encouragement.

Anyone can be a Master Composter – you do not have to already be an expert in composting as Master Composters are trained in 'how to compost' before they start their activities. There are Master Composters of every age group and they come from a wide variety of backgrounds. This contributes to the effectiveness of the scheme – Master Composters can reach parts that other compost promoting activities cannot reach as they talk to their friends, family and neighbours, attend village fairs and it has even been know for a Master Composter to hold a compost-themed children’s birthday party!"

HURRAH!!! (6th of May '09)

I was accepted onto the Master Composters' Course, in association with the Bucks County Council, and I've done my two days' training; the first day at High Heavens, a large scale in-vessel composting site in Buckinghamshire, and the second a day at Ryton, Garden Organic's site near Coventry.

In the coming year I'll be "paying it forward" with 20 hours' voluntary service in the Buckinghamshire county, promoting home composting.

If you live in the county of Buckinghamshire (or Berkshire) and need assistance with either setting up a new composting system/current composting system please do not hesitate to contact me.

If you live in other parts of the country you might be able to contact someone more local by following this link: The UK Master Composter Network.

Next blog: National Master Composter Conference 2009

Introducing "Kompost Girl" - another Guest Blogger

2009-08-06T13:19:00.005+01:00

Hi there Wigglers

My name is Gwen, aka Kompost Girl, and I'm one of your new Guest Bloggers - composting, and more specifically vermicomposting, is my passion!

I graduated as a Master Composter, at the Master Composters' Conference which took place at Garden Organic near Ryton, Coventry on the 25th of July '09 and I'll be entertaining you with my composting adventures over the next week or so.

Tomorrow: "What is a Master Composter?"

our expanding tiny world

2009-08-05T20:04:00.004+01:00

how little we know of our world. today has been microcosm and macrocosm -- the tiny world of an insect nest found several feet down in my compost heap. tiny red jewel-like eggs.

a few weeks ago i went for a long walk in a local park. i strayed a bit off the main path and ended up in the overgrown periphery. i met a woman there who was collecting wild cherries. it was like the park expanded. how fantastic to suddenly find that it has old cherry trees. but how melancholy to think how little we know of the world or perhaps how much we have forgotten-- how many trees could you identify?

rachael writes in response to my tuesday post about forgotten orchards and a project to map existing trees --- layers of time. i think about this in my victorian terrace garden as i'm unearthing victorian rubbish -- best find, a clay pipe stem -- strangest, an old bottle of HP Sauce (with sauce still in!) ha. planting veg where hands have been planting veg since this house was not a house, but open fields.

on a more mundane note, the compost heap has been lovingly restored to its Dalek-composter and i'm hopeful i've got the recipe right for great soil next year!