GARDENING TIPS AND TRICKS

How much topsoil?

Remember those word problems in math class?

Here’s one to help determine how much topsoil or mulch to use for a given area of your garden.

First determine the area needed to be filled by multiplying its length by its width in feet.

Now divide the square footage by 6, and you’ll get the cubic feet needed to spread a two-inch thick layer of mulch, topsoil or compost. (bagged products are sold in cubic feet).

Help for the birds

Be a buddy to the birds by providing nesting materials.

Fill a berry basket with short pieces of string or yarn, some pet hair, dried grass, twigs and straw. Hang the basket in a tree, where it will be accessible to nesting birds.

To hold all those materials together, provide the birds with the “mortar” (mud) they need to hold their nests together. Dig a shallow hole roughly two feet across and four inches deep in the center; slope the sides to create shallow edges.

Soak the area well, then use a hand-held cultivator to mix the mud and water into a slurry. Mist the hole lightly, and water it every day or so.

It won’t take long for the birds, as well as the butterflies, to start hanging out at the local mud hole.