I have a burning question

[Beth]

The last few days I have been having a major prune of my incredible large long hedge :rolleyes: and I have cut and snipped and pruned away as it got neglected last year as the birdies decided they would have 2 broods of babies so I couldnt cut it back when I needed to.

any way, I now have mounds of hedge in my garden which isnt huge, amazes me how big the hedge is for such a garden to be honest
and I dont know what to do with it all.

theres no room in the compost for it even if I shred it as the 3 compost bins are full of last years trimmings.
the council dont operate a garden bin scheme
theres too much to take to the tip (not environmentally viable due to the amount of trips and fuel, we would have to make and the fact he doesnt want his car mucked up :lol: )

I have been putting little bits in my black bin under the normal rubbbish, but the council dont like you using your bin for garden waste, and to get rid of it like that will take about 6 months!

so I am left with one option, burning it.

Does anyone have one of those little metal bins with a chimney on it? and does it work? would it be worth me getting one?
does the little chimney reduce/contain the smoke?

I dont really want to bother any one with the smoke but I feel I have run out of options and there is still a good few meters of hedge to massacre yet!

HELP!!

[Bonkers Mad!!!]

i have one of those and i've used it once :yes:

i think i did it wrong though, i wasnt sure when i was supposed to put the lid on and when i did the flames shot out of the little chimney so high that they nearly reached the branches of a very tall tree in my garden. i pooped my pants and my mate almost wet herself laughing at me trying to hook a wooden broom under the handle to drag it further into the middle of the garden :lol:

there was quite a bit of smoke but the stuff was gone to to ashes in a matter of minutes.

we still giggle about it every time i suggest using it again, so far i've been too scared :lol:

maybe a job for Matthew ;)

[sp54]

We bought a garden incinerator and used it once but our NFH stood and taunted us and we haven't used it since as we now associate it with him :(

We have garden waste collection once a fortnight here now which is a big help :)

That was helpful wasn't it? :lol: :rolleyes:

We also bought a shredder but they are soooo flipping noisy we are too embarrassed to use it

[marieuk]

Hi all


Beth we have a garden incinerator we got it form our garden centre just before bonfire night as we had our little bonfire in it. It cost us about £16 pounds and like BM said it burns things down very quickly but you do need a bit of a clear space above it as it does have a high flame coming out of the top it was lovely to watch very colourful (im sure BM will agree) but we did not find it smokey.


Our council does not have a garden waste collection but what they do do is a service where you buy big green refuge bags form local library i think i paid about 30 pence a bag and then you fill with garden waste and phone the council arrange a date then they will come and pick it up (free as you have paid ofr the bags) maybe that is available where you are?




Have fun



Love Muk xxxxxxxxxxxxx

[Witheridge]

Well not sure if I can help you at all, but will give it a blooming good try, those incinerators you are talking about work quite well (if you don't listen to Bonkers Mad). but takes much long to burn the stuff as it's quite small.

I have found that building your own incinerator could be your answer, possibly!!...........now hold on, I am not mad, because I am talking about any spare bricks lying around, even breeze blocks or stuff of that kind and dry build it up like a BBQ type of thing...... as large or small as you need or have the relevent material for, they do work really well (build it with a honeycombe effect to let in plenty of air)

I think you will find this will accommodate the clippings really well...........once burnt you can stack the bricks up again..... till the next time.

Oh!! well I tried.

Witheridge,

[Beth]

thanks all :)

thats not a bad idea Witheridge :D

I guess I might have to wait aswell for the large "branches" to dry out a bit too :)

[mrmagoo]

Hi Beth,

I think that I solved the very same problem a few years back after mowing the front lawn I then cut the front hedge and then used the lawn mower to clear the hedge clippings from the lawn (and from the path the other side of the hedge) and got one of those metal (dustbin) incinerators you mentioned and burnt the lot in about 5 minutes.

Me and youngest son (piromaniac) have a mini bonfire every two weeks throughout spring/summer....great

ps metal dustbin/incinerator looks like rocket engine burning with very little smoke so pick a open space overhead.

mrmagoo

[Beth]

excellant :thumbs: might have to invest in one then
thanks everyone :)

:blowup:

[mazza]

Beth, I had a big prune - up last year and I was shocked at how much my hedges and stuff produced.

I was doing my best to put most into compost and my recycling (garden waste) bin, ut it was only the tip of the iceberg.

then a friend of mine suggested I borrow her garden shredder and it was excellent. I got the boys to shred all the clippings up and it just got scattered all over the garden (around the base of srubs and the hedges). The shreddings acted as a fantastic mulch and really kept the weeds down. :thumbs: is this a possibility for you?

I was tempted with an incinerator too - I always wondered if they were any good! But I am now glad I used the shredder just for the fact it meant I barely had to weed the garden last year! :D

[mickturate]

Freecycle it!
somebody somewhere (close) just might want some good roughage for their composter!

try it, I don't believe you'll be dissapointed. :bigeyes:

[Witheridge]

Hi again Beth,

I think what Mazza had to say about mulch, is worth considering.............If you can bare to stand there and keep feeding the shredder, till all is done...............then it is true you have a good mulch for the garden.........it not only keeps moisture in during the hot dry Summers, but also surpresses the weeds.

Shredders are noisy things and a tedious job (when you have a lot) but it is somewhat worth it in the end!!

From a gardener who has tried it every which way!! lol.

Witheridge. :blush: B) :unsure:

[Beth]

I do have a shredder but only for light garden waste, And a lot of the trimmings....well they are branches :lol: we really really pruned it back, in some places we think it was 20 foot high :bigeyes:

I have spent a good 2 hours outside in the cold cutting up the cuttings with soem big pruners/lobers :lol: just to try to make my piles of wood smaller, and I still have over half the hedge to do! :o

we are on a corner plot you see and the hedge goes all the way round two sides, one side is privet which isnt too much of a bother, but the other side :rolleyes: there is holly, lilac, elderflower (big problem with that) rowan, hazel, forsythia and some other trees I havent identified yet :lol:

I will try to get you a pic at some point :lol:

[Witheridge]

How about trying both "Burning" and Mulch................problem solved!!!

Seriously though if you have very thick branches perhaps you might have to pay for someone to take it away..................if very, very thick trunks...........my hubby would slice it down the middle and we used to make edging's for pathways or for flower beds keeping them in position with little wooden pegs. (from the same sauce) natural material always being the best for garden design.

A picture of all shrubs and trees would be nice..........never know I might be able to identify some for you................lol.

Witheridge.

[Witheridge]

You know Rowan your a blooming genious you are..........now why could'nt I come out with that one :doh:

How about trying to use the bigger thicker branches also for making twig (sort of) Wigwams for climbers to twine themselves up, might not last too many Winters but will be used for a nice display in between times (then easy to dispose of)

Witheridge.

[Beth]

you lot are full of great ideas :thumbs:

I have a small insect wood pile already, but yes, it could do with bulking up, I think I have some toads under it at the mo so will have to be careful not to disturb them, and great idea about using the longer bits for climbers :thumbs:

keep em coming! :lol:


edit: I saw a butterfly today! :bigeyes: which was a shock as its still January!

[mazza]

Beth is any of your wood good for burning on a real fire? Maybe it can be used as fuel or kindling by someone?

Yes, the shredder took a while, but it was quite therapeutic and I hardly got a look in cos the small mazzas did it!! :thumbs:

[Beth]

ok, have bought the burning beast and it cost a small fortune :rolleyes: lit it last night and it took a while to get going and I am very impressed that only ash was left, it really did burn!

tonight however I am half frozen, :cold: stink of smoke and am ready to fling it across the garden!

will some one please give me some advice on how to light the ruddy thing!!!! :lol: :lol: :lol: :blowup:

I have put paper in it, I put paper at the top, in the middle and at the bottom, I pushed lit paper through the side holes, I lit the paper from the top, I tried to light the paper from underneath but to no avail, a few seconds of fierce flames flollowed by a lot of smoke and then *poof*, out it goes :banghead:

[magpie]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Rowan @ 26th February 2007 - 10:32 PM) 240936</div>If all else fails - try fire lighters - they sell them now for BBQs - but I remember them being used for coal fires B)[/b]

Hi Beth i think Rowan has the best idea , my freind uses fire lighters for his coal fire and they do work very well as paper burns too fast before it can get going.

Go with the fire lighters :D

magpie

[Domestic Goddess]

Any chance you could t*ss my NFH on top of your fire? I'm sure he would burn nicely!