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Archive for Green Stuff
Freecycle: Hardcore Wanted
On Wednesday I posted out for some hardcore. We’re looking to finish off the IBC foundations, lay a new path and put a firm base for the shed.
Before laying down slabs on a saturated clay soil, it’s always good to put down a decent layer of hardcore. We ran out when trying to sort out the base for the pizza oven and the three IBCs.
A quick post on Freecycle and a couple of hours later, someone made a generous offer. Katie even wanted her fairly wobbly and dangerous front wall knocked down, so we happily obliged with our sledgehammer!
Coop Composting Carrier Bags
Whilst in Wales last week, I noticed the coop carrier bags all the scout shopping in were different to normal bags. They felt more ‘filmy’ and soft. The answer, was printed on the bag.
The shopping bags were all compostable carrier bags – not these ‘bio degradeable’ ones from the likes of Tesco which suddenly at a point in their life disolve into what looks like mouse bedding and which do not disolve without oxygen (so useless in a land fil situation). These ones act as compost caddy liners and disolve down with the food. What a brilliant idea, but unfortunately not something that is likely to be with us very soon – even though we’re in the same country.
I’ve emailed the co-op to see when these carrier trials might be extended to the rest of the UK, but until the government starts charging for the use of plastic bags like Ireland, it seems a bit distant.
http://www.resource.uk.com/article/Columns/Carrier_bag_levy_mixed_bag
Bushcraft Fire
Over the last couple of weeks I’ve been absent due to a couple of holidays, the first a weekend with the bushcraftuk forum and the 2nd with my scout group.
On the bushcraftuk bushmoot 2011 I got the chance to find and make my own fire drill set and light a fire, make a powerful bow and practice plenty of other skills. There was also a fair amount of drinking…
How it’s looking
Thought you’d appreciate an overview of the garden now we’re getting ready to put in the allotment shed and install the “new” greenhouse!
Comfrey Bocking 14 super fertiliser!
Recently I bought some comfrey off a seller on eBay. It’s a type called bocking 14 and it’s especially good rotted in water as a fertiliser. I paid for six plants (though I’m sure one would have been enough but the seller only did them in lots of six.
I got seven, which was nice. This is them about 2-3 weeks on and they’ve bedded in nicely.
Now of course I’ve got to find somewhere to put them…
Weeding
This is about as close as cats come to helping with the weeding. Unfortunately our garden suffers with bindweed something cronic, so the few beds we’ve dug are quite infested.
On a positive note the gooseberries which looked like they’d died after the move have picked up and the first few leaves have started to appear.
Similarly the grape which promptly died has also started to exhibit signs of life and new growth has started to appear.
We’d got bored of looking at our IBCs in the centre of the garden so they’re now in their final resting place – except they still need a layer of hardcore under them!
Eight down, three to go!
Finally finished the tree planting session. I have to admit when my wife first bought the trees in march, I thought I’d have them in in a month. Well technically they were “in” but they didn’t fair very well as it was only temporary as we pulled out the conifers. When the local garden centre started to sell up stock due to an impending closure, and all three trees we’d bought almost lost all their leaves due to our haphazard watering scheme it really put the pressure on to get them in!
So here we are – all eight in, well manured and staked (most the lidl fruit trees were at 70′ rather than 90′!) now just to choose the final three!
Staking trees
Having walked round B&Q looking for something to stake and tie my trees I was disheartened to see that nice rounded pointed posts were £7.99 and rubber ties were £1.50ea.
Silly money really, my trees were only a little more than that!
So I hit upon an idea, some pressure treated timber £5 cut in half (£2.50) and sharpened with my trusty gransfor brux axe and a trip to the bicycle repair shop heralded some busted inner tubes.
Couple of nails, vola! Staked and tied trees!
As you can see below, our rescue cats couldn’t be more pleased!
Privet moth on ash
I was privileged for my cat to find a privet moth caterpillar. This is the biggest domestic moth in the southern part of the country…
So large I compared it against a pint glass
And 2p
And finally a profile shot
It was found on an ash tree I’m looking to get rid of, so I don’t mind this one having a snack!
