OCTOBER 2006

A study published in the journal Global Change Biology has, scientists say, provided conclusive proof that the climate change has affected the timing of the seasons, making some of them begin up to eight days. In Spain, which had the largest rises in temperatures, the seasons began up to two weeks earlier.

Seventeen nations took part in the research with scientists examining 125,000 studies which involved 561 species. But what are the implications of this? Does it matter if seasons move? Just change the calendar! Yes it does matter, really quite dramatically. Interdependent species could become out of synch. Tim Sparks from the UK's Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (CEH) gave the example of caterpillars feeding on oak trees and birds feeding on the caterpillars. If these species do not remain synchronised there could be problems for any one of these interdependent species.

This report is obviously bad news for nature but we don't live in isolation from nature and farming is only really management of natural resources. There is therefore the possibility that this could knock on into the human food chain as well. So it is time to take even more note of what is on your smallholding or garden and we have started a regular series of identification guides to help you. But we'd also like to hear from you with your observations. This year, for example, the berries on the hedges around me were ripe by the middle of August - a time when we are historically supposed to be sitting on a beach in blazing weather. Will this leave the birds hungry later on in the winter I wonder?

Feeding Poultry We also start a new series of questions and answers taken from our website, www.smallholder.co.uk Feeding poultry is something that arises again and again and there is much to be said on the subject. Our apologies last month for giving the impression that kitchen waste could include meat or that you can feed raw meat to poultry; these are both banned and all your kitchen waste should be of vegetable origin.

This is very important indeed. My parents, back in the sixties, used to tie up a chicken carcase for the wild birds to peck at; now we realise this could be dangerous and it should be wrapped and disposed of responsibly. If you do use kitchen waste for your poultry do please be aware that it cannot replace a balanced poultry layer's ration. The laying hen has a huge strain put on her body and needs to receive not only protein and carbohydrates but also vitamins and minerals to enable her to reach her egg laying potential. Scraps are an addition to the diet, not the mainstay. Unfortunately my hybrid layers had not read Smallholder with regards to chickens and meat and to my horror when I went to see what they were so excited about in the yard recently, they were busy trying to swallow a small and very dead mouse! They are also excellent fly catchers and race about the lawn jumping into the air every so often! They are not good gardeners though, digging just that bit too enthusiastically, so our veg patch is fenced off from them and flowers are hung up in baskets!

Speaking of gardening Autumn is a strange time in that you are harvesting and storing as fast as you can go but also planning ahead for next spring. Looking at the seed packets, I see many can be started in January and so I have put them out ready to cheer myself up in the dark days after Christmas. I visited some Seed Trials this year to look at how established varieties and new introductions were coping with the challenging' summer and came away determined to try and do better' with the veg patch and flower garden next year, without the help of the hens! I think it is always worth visiting Open Days and Seed Trials, they give a lot inspiration and new ideas to try. Our maize has done well this year but best of all is the golden and white beetroot which sailed through the dry summer and loved the wetter later months, stayed pest and disease free and has left us feeling like we might start to look like a beetroot if we eat much more of it. It tastes just like red beet but without getting covered in red dye every time you try to peel it. We have had it hot and cold and in a variety of recipes and still it comes! Our coloured cauliflowers have so far escaped the attention of any hungry insect mouths so I have hopes of them coming through the winter. It's been a difficult year for bees though with extremes in temperature which must have tried their patience. My bees were particularly bad tempered during the cold spring and they are usually an easy going colony.

Do, please, keep logging on to our web forums, though we are also happy to hear from you by email or letter, and sending your comments and questions. We have an awesome range of experts here at Smallholder and we will do our best to answer them for you.