Melinda's Garden Moment Radio Tips
Melinda Myers
Nationally known gardening expert, TV/Radio host, author & columnist with over 30 years of horticulture experience and tons of gardening information to share! www.melindamyers.comMelinda's Garden Moment videos will help you create that beautiful landscape you’ve always wanted. Each week throughout the growing season, a new gardening video will be added right here, so be sure to stop back. You can also watch Melinda’s Garden Moments on your local network TV station affiliate.
Get the best value for your dollar when purchasing birdseed.
Inexpensive birdseed often contains a high percent of cracked corn, oats, wheat and sorghum (also known as milo). Few types of birds eat these seeds so much of it ends up on the ground, creating a mess or sprouting into weeds.
Instead, select the best seed or mixture for the birds you’re trying to attract. Visit allaboutbirds.org for help with your selections.
Sunflower seeds attract the widest variety of birds. Black oil sunflower seeds have a high fat content and thin shells that are easy for seed eating birds to open. Striped sunflower seeds have a thicker, harder shell that can help limit some unwanted visitors to your feeders.
Unfortunately, the squirrels also like sunflower seeds. You may need to add squirrel baffles or use feeders that are better at excluding these hungry critters.
A bit more information: Many individuals, myself included, find safflower seeds to be less appealing to squirrels. These seeds attract cardinals and other big-billed birds. They do not, however, attract as wide a variety of birds as sunflower seeds.