Help MBE grow his dinner 2012

emiff6

emiff6 wrote: »

Tree's gone! :T Perfect sunny day for doing the job, too.
It wasn't that big - a rowan...

Lotus-eater wrote: »

Unless you're drilling into the hardest wood I've ever come across, then something is going wrong. Still sounds like drill bits to me. Or maybe you're drilling too fast.

The wood will only get harder the longer you leave it btw.

If you were a bit closer, I'd say come round and I'd sort you out.

Thanks for the offer Lotus-eater - I wish you could sort it out.

It's certainly the hardest wood I've ever tried to drill - tried slow, fast, in-between, nothing worked after the first inch.

I know wood gets harder, hence why carpenters use green oak, not seasoned, but I honestly don't think this COULD get any harder!

Sambucus_Nigra wrote: »

Is your drill turning the right way? [Don't laugh - my students do this all the time, make it go backwards to get it out of holes then forget to switch it back again].

I'm not laughing, and I did check - twice! It has a rocker switch anyway - top half forward, bottom half reverse.

Needless to say, the chainsaw went through the trunk like a hot knife through butter!

What else can I try?

I'll have to get my bro to bring the bit he uses for RSJ's, next time he's over this way, perhaps that will work.

emiff6

I've just planted some chilli seeds - no idea what variety - they're out of a packet of dried chillis I bought to make chutney with at the back end of last year - may grow, may not - nothing lost if they don't, 'cos I only use chillis for chutney and pickle.

Now off to sow cabbage, kale (black tuscan - love it), and sweet peas. Going to sow them in modules and put them outside under a cloche.

Got flower seeds to sow too, but as I've cleared a three foot space at the end of the garden to give the fencers room to work next week, I haven't really any room to put any more seed trays. Trying not to have ANY on windowsills this year. (oops - except those chillis, he he he).

djohn2002uk

Lotus-eater wrote: »

Or maybe you're drilling too fast.

That's the answer. With wood you need to drill slowly,
1 To allow the drill to "bite" into the wood, and
2 To stop the drill from just overheating and trying to burn its way through.
Most important the drill needs to be really sharp.

mrbadexample

hazzie123 wrote: »

The baby is well wrapped up on a night and not cold before someone is about to shoot me down as a bad mother.

I've never grown one of those either. What sort of compost do you use? :rotfl:

mrbadexample

Last year I wanted something to take on the patio weeds with. I thought about a weed wand, but thought that rather than spend a stupid amount on one, I'd just buy a blowtorch.

Tried it out today, as the weeds are already coming back after the pressure-washing they got a couple of weeks ago. IIRC, you're supposed to just warm them up a bit, rather than fry them to a crisp? I guess that denatures the proteins in the leaves. Please let me know if I'm doing it wrong.

I started thinking about my bee log. Lots of hassle to clean round the entrance of each hole to make it nice and smooth. Then I remembered the blowtorch in my hand. :think: Fire + wood splinters = no wood splinters. :idea:

So I've blasted the entrance to each hole, just to burn the worst off, then used a nail to clean them out. Well, most of them anyway, I doubt I'll have got them all.

This was easy, and fast - the log is now back in position:



My only worry is that the bees won't like the burnt bits. I guess it's like showing someone round a new apartment where the front door is scorched and the frame is black and smells of smoke. You'd think twice, wouldn't you?

It'll weather away eventually - just hope I haven't put them off this season.

kazire

I have this plum tree patio type got it in a set of 4 fruits all others have buds and look reasonably healthy however this plum looks dead and pretty much is it only has 1 bud a




Any ideas on going about making it survive ? Should I cut back to good? Leave it alone ? Feed it ?? Help!!

mrbadexample

It's not dead if it's got a green bit, but I don't know how you should help it.

kazire

Here's just some pics of my garden for your leisure I need to decide where to put my veggie patch yes there is a lot of logs which need to be moved! Any volunteers??? I did move a few today and filled up the log shed but the main bulk is still there!


Opposite the greenhouse is my small veggie border did well with beans and thing courgette took over the path still got leeks Spinich a few carrots and cabbage

Small dwarf apple trees not very good thinking about removing them and putting in one bigger tree but then again don't want to block out the light for the greenhouse?? I don't know decisions decisions!




Had a quick tidy up of the greenhouse it will do for me I'm not the tidiest


Hope these r ok will annotate in a bit if I get time

mrbadexample

kazire wrote: »

there is a lot of logs which need to be moved! Any volunteers??? I did move a few today and filled up the log shed but the main bulk is still there!

I'll volunteer to move a bootload round to my house.

I like your garden too.

kazire

Haha after all the effort OH put in braking the logs up he's not letting any go anywhere! other than our fire lol


We need to try and get rid of the stump now any ideas? OH being him wants to set fire to it in situ!!