A catalogue of trial, error and advice

twopenny

If you can stow away a lot of debris out of sight hedgehogs may hibernate there and rbins like it to nest in.
Fanciful? 
Worked for me 

Farway

ArbitraryRandom said:

RAS said:

Don't compost privet, the leaves contain a plant inhibitor which is why very little will grow under or near it. This is washed off the leaves into the ground near the plant. Maybe shred and pile somewhere separate for a lot longer .

Thanks - like I said, a lot to learn  

When I decide what to do, I'll probably still leave any clippings heaped up somewhere, but as I'm not really planning on 'working' the garden (i.e veggies or the like) I was thinking more as a safe place to put any slow worms I disturb than anything else.

I might invest in a compost 'bin' somewhere for the relatively small amount of proper compost I'll need to mulch around the trees and fruit bushes I'm thinking about, then leave the buddliea and privet trimmings in that back corner to be a habitat for things that wouldn't enjoy me turning it over?

Though, other than grass cuttings and autumn leaves, I'm not sure what I'm going to have to make compost from.  

From kitchen prepping, uncooked cabbage/ cauli / green veg trimmings, lettuce, soggy cucumber "ends", squishy tomatoes, apple cores etc In fact, any uncooked veg or fruit bought for eating but not used

I'd avoid eggshells, they can attract rats

RAS

Loo rolls, torn cardboard, shredded paper bills, shredded twigs etc,

Teapot55

@Farway on eggshells in the compost attracting rats we’re careful to put only eggshells from raw eggs in our compost. 

If we have had boiled eggs or if we’re peeling hard-boiled eggs they’ll have fragments of cooked egg which will definitely attract rats. Those ‘cooked’ eggshells go into this week’s food waste bag in the freezer (along with chicken bones, fish bones and dinner plate leftovers) then out on a Tuesday night in the food waste bin collected by the council. 

ArbitraryRandom

twopenny said:

If you can stow away a lot of debris out of sight hedgehogs may hibernate there and rbins like it to nest in.
Fanciful? 
Worked for me 

I'm conflicted - apparently one of the main predators of slow worms are hedgehogs. 

Farway said:

ArbitraryRandom said:

RAS said:

Don't compost privet, the leaves contain a plant inhibitor which is why very little will grow under or near it. This is washed off the leaves into the ground near the plant. Maybe shred and pile somewhere separate for a lot longer .

Thanks - like I said, a lot to learn  

When I decide what to do, I'll probably still leave any clippings heaped up somewhere, but as I'm not really planning on 'working' the garden (i.e veggies or the like) I was thinking more as a safe place to put any slow worms I disturb than anything else.

I might invest in a compost 'bin' somewhere for the relatively small amount of proper compost I'll need to mulch around the trees and fruit bushes I'm thinking about, then leave the buddliea and privet trimmings in that back corner to be a habitat for things that wouldn't enjoy me turning it over?

Though, other than grass cuttings and autumn leaves, I'm not sure what I'm going to have to make compost from.  

From kitchen prepping, uncooked cabbage/ cauli / green veg trimmings, lettuce, soggy cucumber "ends", squishy tomatoes, apple cores etc In fact, any uncooked veg or fruit bought for eating but not used

I'd avoid eggshells, they can attract rats

Thanks. I've been having a look around and it seems this style is the most popular/highly recommended of the type I'm probably looking for. Now to decide if I want to break out the tools and make it or just buy one flat pack. Slightly depressingly, looking at the current price of pressure treated wood and delivery, buying it pre-cut might be cheaper. 

RAS

Find four broken pallets, fix three together with tie wraps and nail a strut to support the top and bottom of the open side. You could use up any more decent slats to form a partial door/retainer on the open side.

ArbitraryRandom

RAS said:

Find four broken pallets, fix three together with tie wraps and nail a strut to support the top and bottom of the open side. You could use up any more decent slats to form a partial door/retainer on the open side.

Good shout, but that's harder than it might sound around here - lots of people have fires/stoves and from what I can tell last winter spooked enough people that they're already starting to stockpile anything that will burn.

I put some old architrave out the front to the to the tip and I had someone knocking on the door within the hour asking if they could have it (Yes, I know people shouldn't be burning old painted wood).  

I guess I could always wait until I order stuff that comes on pallets

ArbitraryRandom

Can I get help with a plant identification?  Most of what's left down that end of the garden is easy enough to identify, but I'm not sure what this (directly under the buddleia is. Leaves are distinctly arrow shaped, most around the size of a hand with closed fingers, and but couple of leaves are bigger than a dinner plate. Lords-and-ladies? Sorrel? Something else?
 

twopenny

Goid point but make sure the wood/pallets are untreated.
Learned that on this site   

Farway

ArbitraryRandom said:

Can I get help with a plant identification?  Most of what's left down that end of the garden is easy enough to identify, but I'm not sure what this (directly under the buddleia is. Leaves are distinctly arrow shaped, most around the size of a hand with closed fingers, and but couple of leaves are bigger than a dinner plate. Lords-and-ladies? Sorrel? Something else?
 

Lords & ladies, weed, pest or interesting species growing in the garden, take your pick. I leave mine because it is within bounds and there are not any toddlers about to sample the red berries