Greetings from Birds & Blooms magazine! We hope you enjoy this month's newsletter, which includes some spring cleaning advice, a unique "gutter garden", a killdeer-watching tale and more. Read on and you'll discover...

> Win a Mantis Tiller!
> Now's the Time
> He Gardens in the Gutter
> They 'Go Wild' with Feeding!
> The Ol' Broken Wing Act
> Find Answers Fast
> Attract More Wild Birds

Now's the Time

JUST AS you clean your home when you expect visitors, cleaning your birdhouses will entice more flying tenants in spring. Old nests, broken eggs, mites, etc. discourage birds from taking up residence.

One of our field editors, Karen C. of Elgin, Oregon, says she likes to get outside in late winter to clean and repair nesting boxes.

"It's too early in our part of the country to be digging around in the flower beds," she says. "But there are some nice sunny days that demand I get outdoors, and cleaning birdhouses is a perfect excuse."

Karen visits each of her nest boxes and removes whatever she finds inside. Then she checks to see if any repairs are needed or if the roof or sides need a few galvanized nails to tighten the house up.

Her target for completion is no later than early March. "Here in our area, bluebirds often begin nesting before the official start of spring," she notes.

He Gardens in the Gutter

LIKE MANY other people, Henry A. of Saint Ann, Missouri has to live with arthritis that keeps him from bending over. But that doesn't keep Henry from working in his herb garden.

"I love to use fresh herbs in my cooking, so I had to come up with a solution to my problem," Henry says.

"I decided to attach an aluminum rain gutter to the deck railing. I filled it with good soil, planted several herbs and by golly, it worked!"

Henry's "gutter garden" spans 18 feet and contains 10 different herbs. Besides being practical, it's easy to make--simply attach the rain gutter to a deck railing with gutter straps, drill drainage holes in the bottom and add a good grade of topsoil.

"Water regularly, but be careful not to drown the herbs," Henry advises. "It's a great way for people who can't bend to still enjoy gardening."

They 'Go Wild' with Feeding!

THOSE who find that year-round bird feeding takes a big bite out of the pocketbook might try this blooming idea from Mike and Mary A. of Kerryville, Texas.

"We filled our backyard with wildflowers," Mike says. "When they mature and go to seed, there's plenty for the birds to eat. The only thing we provide are two birdbaths."

The wildflowers they plant include early bloomers like bluebonnets and Indian paintbrush, which are followed by red gaillardia, yellow coreopsis and sage.

To further improve the wild habitat, Mike and Mary have planted trees and shrubs that provide food, shelter and nesting places for birds. They've been so successful with this combination that chickadees, Bewick's wrens, cardinals and mockingbirds have all nested in their yard.

To view a photo, click here.

The Ol' Broken Wing Act
By Janeen J., Roundup, Montana

KILLDEER have been a part of our life everywhere we have lived.

But the things most familiar are often the things you know least about. That was the case with killdeer nests--for many years, we never saw a nest or fledglings. So our goal was to witness the nesting process of the killdeer.

It took some reading and a lot of searching before we actually found a nest (they're on the ground). It was like playing the children's game of "hot and cold"--the closer we got to the nest, the more frenzied both adult birds got. They would start their "broken-wing act" to lure us away. It was quite convincing.

My husband, Jimmy, is a sharp-eyed cowboy, and he finally found the eggs. They were brown with black speckles, blending in with the dirt. It's a wonder they hadn't been stepped on by us or our cattle!

Jimmy checked the nest every day. The eggs hatched and the baby birds grew. As fledglings, they were fluffy and speckled for camouflage.

One morning, they were gone. But we sure enjoyed seeing the killdeer family.

To view a photo, click here.

Find Answers Fast

TRY the Birds & Blooms on-line Bulletin Board!

This easy-to-use service allows readers with access to the Web to post questions and share information and ideas on-line anytime.

Feel free to ask your question or respond to other readers searching for help on various subjects, such as bird feeding, flower gardening and butterflies. The Bulletin Board gives you a chance to quickly find solutions to your backyard dilemmas. And you'll see for yourself just how friendly our readers are.

To access the Birds & Blooms Bulletin Board, click here.

Here's a recent conversation from our Bulletin Board:

Subject: Question About Growing Veggies

Posted by: 57TransArmyWife_NY

I live in an apartment building where we are allowed to grow things in pots on our patios. Has anyone grown any type of veggies in pots? What types? This will be the first time I have grown anything from seed, so I am looking for a little bit of help.

RE: Question About Growing Veggies

Posted by: Phantomfyre

Peppers do great in containers. They like it hot and are pretty tolerant of drying out once in a while. Tomatoes are more sensitive about water but can do very well in containers also. Just be sure the plant will have enough room for a good root structure (especially tomatoes) and check often to see if they need water. Good Luck!

RE: Question About Growing Veggies

Posted by: Motherdude

I've grown just about everything in pots--even dwarf corn. I went mostly for dwarf/bush kinds of plants and had lots of success. What really surprised me were the beets, carrots and sweet potatoes--they were great. 

RE: Question About Growing Veggies

Posted by: markk_NY

I like to drop a few sweet basil seeds around veggie plants in containers. Basil naturally deters insects, smells great and goes well with most vegetables. If you have some climbing structure, bush type beans or snap peas may work well. They'll give your container garden some height.

To access the Birds & Blooms Bulletin Board, click here.