burning

Hello,

Can I ask some advice?

I have two compost bins which are jammed so no more room at all, it is weeks away from being ready, but I still have lots of bits that need to be dealt with. I am thinking about burning and using the ashes in the garden. The stuff is mostly holly branches and ivy with hefty chunk of laurel branches mixed in. It is currently under a sheet of tarpaulin but I am running out of room fast.

What procedures are there out there-eg informing council.

Making sure that the neighbours whose kids are a local terror have their washing on the line etc:D:eek::D

 

I'm not 100% sure, but think there can be detrimental affects from using too much ash 9maybe depends what's burnt, and around which plants you spread it?)

Could you take it to a council recycling/composting station instead of burning it? Could you shred it first, thus making it take up less space, you could then compost the shavings.

I would ring the council first - i think it'll vary from region to region. i rang our council once re. an extremely smokey bonfire which caused me to bring in my washing and close all the house windows (it was several streets away, and blowing into the primary school playground first - where the children were playing). Think there was nothing could be done as long as it was 'clean' smoke, and not happening frequently - but it might differ where you are. I seem to remember there being a time restriction where we used to live.

 

Hi JarBax,

Thanks, unfortunately our local council is about as much use a a chocolate teapot, and after some time dealing with where to direct the call I was given the number of the community college to ring?!

I can make potash with it, it could take a couple of yrs to compost down and be usable at all, and the cost of taking it to the dump, then getting it weighed in and the rest far outweigh the environmental impact which must be practically nil when you consider the fumes, and plastic used for the all the stuff I will purchase (after driving to the place) to use instead.

I will burn it anyway, and need some "recipes" for making potash really.



Thanks, and its a shame about your washing, my bad neighbour deserves it though.

 

Hi Lollipop,are you talking of burning the stuff in your garden or do you have an allotment or any large piece of land where you could burn all the holly and ivy?

We do all our burning at our allotment and then after it has cooled down we just rake it into the soil.We have done this for the last 28 years of having allotment plots and we have found it has opened up the soil quiet well.

Potash will come from the items you burn though it's goodness will be leached out of the soil once the rain gets to it.Anything woody will burn well and will make lovely ash though if you want to use it around your plants it will be best to bag it up or put it into a covered bin or bucket and leave it about six months,then it will be fine to use it.

I usually do my own thing rather than what the experts say and have learnt from trial and error over the years.

There will probably be other members who will come along later who will be able to put you right.:thumb:

 

Hi kandy,

I would burn in my own garden, I live in a semi rural area along the east pennines. The farmers and allotment holders nearby burn their own aswell and that is what gave me the idea.

Is is a primitive fire- ie woodshavings as tinder and blowing and then away or is there a technique. Quite frankly I would love the advice of an experienced gardener such as yourself.

 

Just a thought, my cherry tree which has canker and therefore has to come down-can I burn that and use it too

 

Hi Claire As long as you don't start the bonfire when people have got their washing out or their house windows open you should be fine.Some people have old drums that they use as an incinerator,chopping up the branches first.

If you are going to do the fire as a pile of wood,then I would find a spot away from over hanging trees either in your garden or your neighbours garden and then use some cardboard boxes filled with old newspapers and small pieces of wood or branches,which will help to get the fire started.

If you use matches just be careful not to get burnt and try not to use petrol or parrafin to get it started as sometimes those material can be a fire hazard.

Yes you can burn the cherry after it has been taken down but you will probably have to leave it a couple of weeks before burning it as the wood will be green and might start spitting when it is on fire.

Are you taking down the cherry tree or having some one to do it for you?

 

Make sure the rubbish your burning is dry and the wind is low then set light to it.

In my own garden I use an old oil drum and burn in the late evning as there are houses around. In the gardens I work in i obviusly burn during the day but only if the rubbish is really dry (all of these propeertys are rural).

 

Hi and thanks very much for the tips.

Kandy-i am going to take the tree down myself-I am very sentimentally attached to it, and want to do it myself-plus I am 5'11" and (I`ll say it-I don't care it's all relaxed muscle anyway) 12 st so have the physical strength-just the quivering lip might put me off. I can let it dry out but for how long do you think?

I will probably get an incinerator from the local DIY down the road, and use that.


Where I am it tends to be pockets of houses together, and then miles of farmland around so it won`t be too bad plus I can give a nod to those around and warn 'em.

 

I avoid bonfires this time of the year because we have farm land nearby, and tinder-dry (well, give or take rubbish summer weather!) standing crops.

 

I use a shop-bought incinerator which is very good for small amounts but soon clogs up with ash if you burn a lot.

With respect to fires - it is mainly common sense, working out when you are least likely to annoy neighbours (time, wind direction etc). Remember that the wind can vary and shift direction quite dramatically and sods law dictates that smoke will be drawn towards your neighbour's washing line.

The other aspect is safety. Even if you can't see them, it is likely that your smoke will contain sparks which could ignite a nearby field. The heat from the fire also reaches a long way up, so be very careful of overhanging trees, even if they seem a good distance away. Also, keep kids away as they are fascinated by fires and will inevitably burn themselves.

I scatter my ash generally around the garden and give good dollops to my fruit trees which seem to like it. If I have a lot I put it on my compost heap to dilute it. I haven't noticed any detrimental effects so far.

 

okay, I will follow all the tips.

thankyou loads-can alway rely on you

 

A neighbour once told me that you're supposed to wait until 7PM, but I don't know where he got that idea from. I guess it comes down to common courtesy. If the wind is blowing straight across your garden to the neighbour's, then maybe wait (unless you don't like them).

I usually wait until about 8PM when all the younger kids in the neighbourhood should be either in or getting ready for bed, if the neighbours have washing out, let them know a couple of hours in advance, then just burn it. I try to make sure the stuff earmarked for burning is nice and dry, and try to get the fire raging as quick as I can so as to minimise the smoke.

 

I don't do bonfires in the garden. I do have a woodburner indoors and save wood for use on that when it is cold. On summer evenings I burn wood on the chimina. We do have a shredder and used to shred wood, put it in black bin liners and wait for it to rot down for use in the garden but we haven't done that for some time. :thumb: I put the ash onto the compost