A catalogue of trial, error and advice

-taff

If you can find a second hand one for the expense I can't recommend a hotbin or a mini hotbin highly enough. It takes most of my waste including kitchen scraps and the odd piece of meat or some bones and gives me good if a bit wet to start with compost and leachate to feed with. I've had nearly every type of compost heap or bin over the last twenty five years and these just blow everything else out of the water.

twopenny

I had a varigated one which I actually bought but it got out of hand and I couldn't dig it out. Started seeding everywhere!

They are prolific to put it politely. I'd be inclined to get rid.

Just been watching an old Gardeners World and thought of your meadow idea. This lady has done it along with all sorts including privet. Starts at 35min in

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m001cc4b/gardeners-world-2022-episode-27?page=1

Picked up her idea to use watercress in my pot pond to keep it shaded and clean. Off to the supermarket tomorrow

The first gardener had 60yrs in one garden and I'm thinking that there may be some easy care ideas there too. Just wonderful............of course now I want a rill, a grass garden, a wildflower patch etc.

FreeBear

ArbitraryRandom said:

FreeBear said:

ArbitraryRandom said: The previous owner, for some known only to them reason, decided to plant a pyracantha in the front garden and it's ripped me to shreds every time I've as much as looked at it. I'm hoping a local gardener will pop over sometime in the week to quote for getting rid (plus some other little jobs that are best done with the right tools).

If you are ripping out an old concrete shed base and digging out a new one, it may pay to hire a mini-digger plus operator for the day. Get them to rip out the pyracantha and turn the soil over.

You'd be surprised just how much can be done in a single day with an experienced operator - Last time I had one, it cost me £250, but it was worth every penny.

There's only a 3 foot passage down the side of the house unfortunately, but I am currently googling tool hire to see if I can get one of those big drill things to break it up over a weekend. If I can get it broken up then I can (slowly) shift it into the front then hire a skip to get rid. Or at least that's my current line of thought. 

You can get micro-excavators small enough to fit through a standard doorway. If you are planning on disposal rather than recycling as hardcore for a new shed, you may well find a grab hire to be cheaper than a skip. Pile the rubble on top of the pyracantha, and the gab may well pull it out for free.

ArbitraryRandom

Another question if you don't mind (I hope it's okay I'm keeping all these random things on the same thread as I try to learn what I'm doing?) 

I 'rescued' this plant pot from next door a few weeks ago and it's not doing well. The tenants moved out in November I think and the landlord is currently clearing it. Not sure how easy the pictures are to see:

- one of the branches of holly has lost almost all of it's leaves - the remaining few are very dark green. 
- the other branch has a fair few leaves but they're kind of a pale yellow-green? 

The plant pot is currently in full sun as I try to figure out how best to help, I think it was used to prop open a gate so in almost full shade, but it's not perked up at all and they show no signs of new growth. 
 . 

Farway

That poor old holly, it has been starved & neglected. Scrape off the weeds on the soil surface, either lightly mix in some blood, fish & bone or general fertiliser, like Growmore into the soil surface, give it water and just keep an eye on it

For a quick perk up, if you have any, water with liquid fertiliser mix, any will do for the moment

twopenny

While faway is right I never want a holly in the garden again!
Prickly leaves underfoot and pruning and disposal a nightmare.

But maybe if it has berries (female) and you love Christmas it would be a bonus.
If those two survive they may make pom poms in pots which is trendy.
Keep asking questions, it keeps us entertained. Much easier to give advice than do the job   

ArbitraryRandom

twopenny said:

While faway is right I never want a holly in the garden again!
Prickly leaves underfoot and pruning and disposal a nightmare.

I wasn't planning on having holly (I'm trying to only add plants that are in some way useful to myself or nature), but I couldn't just leave them there looking so sad... I might be able to find a home for them when rejuvenated (says the person with two formally stray cats). 

They've had some random food I found in what was left behind by the previous owner (seaweed meal?) and I'll pick up something more suitable when I'm out later. I've also trimmed the dead leaves off the top of the one - should I be cutting down to where I see a bud or leaving those dark leaves for now (assuming they're doing something beneficial)?

Clearing out the pot, there's also two small springs of mint coming up, so I've left those for now and will look to get a larger pot to transfer the holly into - leaving the mint in this one. 

Some success with a compost heap - I posted on our local market place that I was looking for pallets or a compost bin (and added the picture). Someone came back to say they had basically that exact one that I could have if I collected. They'd ordered it then just left it outside for months. I put it together yesterday and the wood isn't great (wet through and some of the slotted bits have broken off) but I think it will function (essentially as somewhere for me to mentally designate 'compost heap' to dump things in). It doesn't have a top - should I cover anything I put in there in cardboard or just leave it for now?

-taff

You can cover it to stop it getting too wet but it's not essential..

ArbitraryRandom

Next question  

I've 'found' a 35L tub (40cm diameter and 35cm high) with handles (so when it's full I can move it if needed). This will certainly be sufficient for the holly in it's current state and hopefully for a good long time yet until it recovers and I decide what's happening to it.

I've also picked up a generic 'all purpose' compost, some 'perlite' (which apparently helps drainage), some plant food, and a bag of 'strulch' (which from what I can tell is basically straw I could have gotten from the pet shop!) to go on top and keep the moisture in. Why you want white pebbles to help keep things dry and straw to keep them wet I have no idea, but that's what I bought  

But, it's got me thinking - I'm not yet decided on the trees, but I know I want some fruit bushes (I'm thinking 2 x honeyberry and a 'dwarf' mulberry at the moment). Is there any guidance/can you give an idea based on your experience what size tub is needed for plants of different sizes? i.e. how quickly they might outgrow a pot. 

The RHS gives a full grown 5-10 yr size for honey berry at 1.2m h+w (though I'm planning on tying it up to a frame/arch) and 1.5-2.5m for the 'mojo' mulberry, which again looks like it can be trained to a column/trellis. 

I'm not at the moment thinking about keeping them in the pots forever, but if it takes me 2-3 years to get the patio done (not unrealistic given other work I want to do on the house and the time I've got), will 35L be enough do you think if I got 4 or 5 of those tubs now and started with 9cm potted plants? Or will they get 'near' to full size by then and I'd be better starting with a larger pot now?

ArbitraryRandom

And today's job just done: opening a new bee hotel, with my own roof enhancement because I wasn't entirely convinced by the little strip of copper they were using to seal the top. 

Possibly a little late for this year for eggs, but will hopefully give the adults somewhere to nap come winter. If anyone has any recommendations, I'm keeping my eyes open for something similar to put up for butterflies.