Stumped? Pesky blackbirds and useful coffee grounds

I gave up trying to grow sedums in a pot because blackbirds kept pulling them up. Now they've turned their attentions to my new bedding plants (impatiens and viola), pulling them up and pecking them to bits. As fast as I replant the ones that are not too damaged, they are pulled up again. How do I deter the birds? The trick may be to keep the pots away from the birds until the roots have meshed together. If you have a greenhouse, grow the pot on in there until the growth is dense and settled in, so making it harder for the blackbirds to hoick out. If you don't have a greenhouse, you will need to protect the pot in some way while this growth takes place, and I'd suggest a little cage fashioned from chicken wire placed over the top. Water well to encourage good, strong growth, too. This set-up may look ugly, true, but you should be able to remove the cage after a few weeks and enjoy the plants in all their glory. Every week I acquire a large bag of used coffee grounds from a local coffee shop. I spread these on my vegetable beds and put them on the compost heap. How should I use them most efficiently, and what are the pros and cons of using them? It's all pros. Coffee itself is acidic, but the brewing process renders the grounds neutral. They are a fabulous source of nitrogen, so need to be balanced by plenty of carbon-heavy ingredients such as cardboard, screwed-up newspaper or light, twiggy growth. Adding the grounds directly to the soil also works, because worms love the stuff and soon take it to lower levels, where it improves the soil structure and moisture retention. Most advice recommends digging grounds into the soil rather than leaving them on top to be incorporated naturally, but I don't see why you shouldn't. • Got a gardening question for Lia? Email [email protected]