I didn't actually realise you can buy a flame thrower for the Garden... I was trying to work out how to clear the weeds off my overgrown plot without using pesticides. I did turn round to himself in a fit of anarchistic dispair, and said I thought I needed to make myself a flame thrower.
Can't remember how I came across it on the internet, there are various sizes of these available from a dinky little wand that works on a small canister, for itsy bitsy weeding, to a sort of industrial job that allegedly works at 2000 degrees celcius. Well you can imagine what I opted for. I also have a tree stump I need to burn out, so I might get it going with the flame thrower. It works on parafin, so i need to find out where to get it from, probably by the 5 litre container.
Hmmm, other girls get excited about girly things... just doesn't do it for me. I will have hours of fun with a flame thrower.
Now I have worked out the safety lock on the chain saw is; push the handle foreward. I haven't realy got a problem with that either. Still, it is a bit vicious. I took out some angst using a hand saw on the branches I wanted cut back a few weeks ago.
I like the idea of 'toasting' the ground down to a few inches, however this will kill all the lovely microbes and ground bugs. I suppose if I do need sterile soil, I can just toast a trayful at a time.
I have come up with a plan for a DIY composter. I have a Large chemical drum Himself rescued from the dump. It's very thick plastic with a secure heavy duty lid. I am going to cut a reasonable size panel in it on the side, bolt the panel back on with a couple of hinges and a catch, and than put it side on, laying over a set of casters from an old hairdressing trolley.
Then I can add all my kitchen and bits of garden waste through the hatch, and give it a little turn every day. Once it's about 2/3 full, I will just leave it another 6-8 weeks to cook thoroughly. Empty it into a grow tub then grow next years cougettes and squash on it to make sure its got enough nitrogen in it, and all the seeds are dead. Then dig the whole lot into the raised beds that
I should have ready by then. If it's working properly I can just keep adding in these in sequence untill we reach a sort of cyclical stasis.
Oh well, back to the overgrown border. We just had a downpour, even the dog bolted for cover. Got something to eat and can go back to digging out grass roots. Ho Hum, only about 9 meters of neglected flower bed left. Thought I might as well dig everything out and re- plant what is worth keeping. I actually found the old brick border! Might as well take a before and after photo, just to prove I'm not slacking around all the time. Just broke a nail off, so will have to do a new set in a few days.
I want to write the rest of the counting game for Penny Lion and Tuppeny Bear, but as this entails showing my right hand with stickers on it, it will have to wait until I have sorted my hands out a bit.
Can't remember how I came across it on the internet, there are various sizes of these available from a dinky little wand that works on a small canister, for itsy bitsy weeding, to a sort of industrial job that allegedly works at 2000 degrees celcius. Well you can imagine what I opted for. I also have a tree stump I need to burn out, so I might get it going with the flame thrower. It works on parafin, so i need to find out where to get it from, probably by the 5 litre container.
Hmmm, other girls get excited about girly things... just doesn't do it for me. I will have hours of fun with a flame thrower.
Now I have worked out the safety lock on the chain saw is; push the handle foreward. I haven't realy got a problem with that either. Still, it is a bit vicious. I took out some angst using a hand saw on the branches I wanted cut back a few weeks ago.
I like the idea of 'toasting' the ground down to a few inches, however this will kill all the lovely microbes and ground bugs. I suppose if I do need sterile soil, I can just toast a trayful at a time.
I have come up with a plan for a DIY composter. I have a Large chemical drum Himself rescued from the dump. It's very thick plastic with a secure heavy duty lid. I am going to cut a reasonable size panel in it on the side, bolt the panel back on with a couple of hinges and a catch, and than put it side on, laying over a set of casters from an old hairdressing trolley.
Then I can add all my kitchen and bits of garden waste through the hatch, and give it a little turn every day. Once it's about 2/3 full, I will just leave it another 6-8 weeks to cook thoroughly. Empty it into a grow tub then grow next years cougettes and squash on it to make sure its got enough nitrogen in it, and all the seeds are dead. Then dig the whole lot into the raised beds that
I should have ready by then. If it's working properly I can just keep adding in these in sequence untill we reach a sort of cyclical stasis.
Oh well, back to the overgrown border. We just had a downpour, even the dog bolted for cover. Got something to eat and can go back to digging out grass roots. Ho Hum, only about 9 meters of neglected flower bed left. Thought I might as well dig everything out and re- plant what is worth keeping. I actually found the old brick border! Might as well take a before and after photo, just to prove I'm not slacking around all the time. Just broke a nail off, so will have to do a new set in a few days.
I want to write the rest of the counting game for Penny Lion and Tuppeny Bear, but as this entails showing my right hand with stickers on it, it will have to wait until I have sorted my hands out a bit.
Home made Composter
Components coming together. I might have to wait a couple of weeks to do this, as the inside smells of something perfumed. I chucked some vinegar in it and rolled it around a bit to see if that will sort it out.
The lid fits very well. The plan as said before is to cut a panel in it and bolt it back on with a couple of hinges, and put a catch on it, so it's like a giant tombola. If I can't find any other castors I'll use the ones off that hairdressing trolley.
Better put some breathing holes in it, or if it starts making methane it might bow up! Now there's a thought.
If I put a hozepipe off the top with a hoselock or something, and make a scrubber with a drainpipe full of water for it to filter through, a non return valve at the top of the drainpipe into something inflatable like a tyre I could make methane off this! Now how would I get that into the flame thrower... might just be better to see if it works, and use it to heat the greenhouse in the winter.
That might be my next project... better not make holes in the blue tub until I have thought this through a bit more.
Components coming together. I might have to wait a couple of weeks to do this, as the inside smells of something perfumed. I chucked some vinegar in it and rolled it around a bit to see if that will sort it out.
The lid fits very well. The plan as said before is to cut a panel in it and bolt it back on with a couple of hinges, and put a catch on it, so it's like a giant tombola. If I can't find any other castors I'll use the ones off that hairdressing trolley.
Better put some breathing holes in it, or if it starts making methane it might bow up! Now there's a thought.
If I put a hozepipe off the top with a hoselock or something, and make a scrubber with a drainpipe full of water for it to filter through, a non return valve at the top of the drainpipe into something inflatable like a tyre I could make methane off this! Now how would I get that into the flame thrower... might just be better to see if it works, and use it to heat the greenhouse in the winter.
That might be my next project... better not make holes in the blue tub until I have thought this through a bit more.
The very untidy overgrown flower border.
It is full of weed and grass roots since not being able to do gardening for 18 months. It has been a bit daunting knowing where to start. Stll any start is better than no start, and with recent rain the ground is coming to hand very easily.
The Paving slabs were a bargin at the auction, I want to pave the front garden in France.
I have been wondering how to put a heat exchanger into a slabbed area. I was thinking along the lines of using a squared labarynth, or a circle I suppose. Laying a long flexible pipe in a loop from the centre of the pattern and working outwards. Put a water suppy in one end, and use this water either directly as it gets hot, or have it drawn into the hot water tank. The idea is to pre-heat the water before it goes to the tank. Might as well get evacuated tubes and stick them on the roof, but I do like tinkering. Say there was 40 litres of water in the pipe, and it heated up in a sunny spot near the house, I could pump this directly to an outside shower. It's pretty well how compost heap showers work.
Now theres fun. You put your pipe in coils through a compost heap, and run water through it, It's surprising how hot it gets. A guy called Jean Pain came up with that. Wonder how hot a grass clipping heap would get? We have a lot of grass. Hmmm.... Put the plastic composter inside the grass heap me thinks. Then make the methane... It should work anything that runs on gas.
It is full of weed and grass roots since not being able to do gardening for 18 months. It has been a bit daunting knowing where to start. Stll any start is better than no start, and with recent rain the ground is coming to hand very easily.
The Paving slabs were a bargin at the auction, I want to pave the front garden in France.
I have been wondering how to put a heat exchanger into a slabbed area. I was thinking along the lines of using a squared labarynth, or a circle I suppose. Laying a long flexible pipe in a loop from the centre of the pattern and working outwards. Put a water suppy in one end, and use this water either directly as it gets hot, or have it drawn into the hot water tank. The idea is to pre-heat the water before it goes to the tank. Might as well get evacuated tubes and stick them on the roof, but I do like tinkering. Say there was 40 litres of water in the pipe, and it heated up in a sunny spot near the house, I could pump this directly to an outside shower. It's pretty well how compost heap showers work.
Now theres fun. You put your pipe in coils through a compost heap, and run water through it, It's surprising how hot it gets. A guy called Jean Pain came up with that. Wonder how hot a grass clipping heap would get? We have a lot of grass. Hmmm.... Put the plastic composter inside the grass heap me thinks. Then make the methane... It should work anything that runs on gas.
This is the extent of my labour today. Well I have had a job trying to lod this picture, so this is my last attempt. If all you see is a blue rectangle it's because I can't even consider trying to upload this photo again. Well that's the best I can do.
I sifted through all that ground to try and get every last grass root...
I have always had a problem with the ground not filling up by the wall. So I banked up the ground on the wall side, so that I can put small dinky pretty trailing stuff over the wall. Then I can put all the tall stuff where I dug it right down. I found the old edging brick. Just ordinary old red bricks. Used a broken flower pot to give my Hollyhock some protection, as this and the green bush stuff are the only things I havent moved. I think the green stuff is yarrow... and a few blue flowers.
The plan is to keep the field side of the border clean with the flame thrower, so i don't want anything planted close to the edge of the field. Yes it's a field! It is listed on the Island plan as a field, not a garden.
I am crackered. Thank goodness Himself made a shepherds pie with crushed jersey royal topping and fresh broad beans tor dinner. He did some pickled Cucumber which we had as a snack with some pakora earlier. I like. I have got some dill for the next jar. He did them with Honey, vinegar and water. I sugested doing them in long strips and then I can use them when I make sushi.
I sifted through all that ground to try and get every last grass root...
I have always had a problem with the ground not filling up by the wall. So I banked up the ground on the wall side, so that I can put small dinky pretty trailing stuff over the wall. Then I can put all the tall stuff where I dug it right down. I found the old edging brick. Just ordinary old red bricks. Used a broken flower pot to give my Hollyhock some protection, as this and the green bush stuff are the only things I havent moved. I think the green stuff is yarrow... and a few blue flowers.
The plan is to keep the field side of the border clean with the flame thrower, so i don't want anything planted close to the edge of the field. Yes it's a field! It is listed on the Island plan as a field, not a garden.
I am crackered. Thank goodness Himself made a shepherds pie with crushed jersey royal topping and fresh broad beans tor dinner. He did some pickled Cucumber which we had as a snack with some pakora earlier. I like. I have got some dill for the next jar. He did them with Honey, vinegar and water. I sugested doing them in long strips and then I can use them when I make sushi.
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