What to Burn?

[crucy86]

Hi All,

I have been doing some reading regarding composting and what you shouldnt put in a compost bin. I have an incinerator but not entirly sure what I should be burning and what I should be composting.

I presume I should burn things like couch grass etc? Is that correct?

Thanks,

Craig

[Two_Sheds]

You shouldn't need to burn anything* Smoke is a pollutant, and very annoying for anyone with washing on the line.

Everything you remove from the soil has nutrients in it, which can be used by your veggies. Perennial nasties like couch, bindweed etc can be burnt to a crisp on a path for a few (sunny) days before adding to the compost heap


* I do admit to burning holly leaves though, because I get a lot and they just don't rot down. I dry them right out then burn them on Nov 5th, or when a neighbour has a BBQ on the go

[Dorothy rouse]

You shouldn't need to burn anything* Smoke is a pollutant, and very annoying for anyone with washing on the line.

Think I might send your above quote to one of my fellow 'lotties', he told me he was going to create, 'a bonfire area ' on his plot, cos having a bonfire was the only way he could entice his children to the Plot!

So agree with your statement, lucky for me I don't live nearby, however my Lottie neighbour does, and gets v annoyed. Difficult, cos he is a nice chap.

[Alison]

Think I might send your above quote to one of my fellow 'lotties', he told me he was going to create, 'a bonfire area ' on his plot, cos having a bonfire was the only way he could entice his children to the Plot!.

Is he bringing up a pyromaniac?

More seriously though, I hate bonfires, nasty smelly things and would happily support a ban on them at our site which would include those in incinerators.

[Dorothy rouse]

We aren't 'allowed' them on our site either without permission, as I said it is difficult, we are only a site of 16,so no one wants to upset anyone.

[Greenleaves]

I have a drying rack, actually an old fold up sun lounger with the fabric replaced with chicken wire. I put the long bindweed roots on there to dry and then add them to the compost heap. Dont have couch so cant say about that. I have also tried drowing them without success.

Not a fan of fires unless the last resort and then only around bonfire night.

[snakeshack]

I save up all the burnables ,mostly sticks and bramble stalks & have one fire on nov 5th. Everything else is composted

[bobbin]

Bonfires a no no on our allotments. I'm very pleased to say. Not only because I live at the back of them and it used to be a nightmare with constant burning. Now it's two a year, biggies but one is on nov 5th.
I think burning can be the lazy way out for some folks rubbish. However it didn't stop one of our lottie holders having his own burn up yesterday. My house and yes washing stank to high heaven.
There's a problem with bonfires and I might add electric items such as industrial strimmers/ mowers and hedge cutters. That being,folk forget their allotment is NOT their back garden. It's council property and therefore the "up yours I'll do what I want " school of thought is unacceptable. I'm afraid I did express my disappointment at one of our lottie holders,when he decided to use his ear splitting industrial strimmer at midday on a recent beautiful hot Sunday. Ten mins I could have lived with. 40mins I was wondering if it would stop anytime soon.(I was very polite but in a kind of despairing way)had it been any other day of the week I'd not have said anything.
So please don't burn stuff. There's always an alternative.

[mrbadexample]

I burn things I don't want to compost all the time. Weeds like couch grass, herb robert, dandelions: whatever I don't fancy chucking on the heap.

Even if I have no weeds to burn I have a fire regularly. I love sitting in the garden on an evening with a nice fire going in the chiminea and a couple of beers. So whatever weeds I've recently pulled up go on too. There are never very many because I have fires quite often. I keep them good and hot so they don't smoke, and I seldom light up before 10pm so washing is in and windows are usually closed anyway.

However, my neighbour thinks nothing of lighting his stinky barbecue at 5pm on a beautiful Saturday afternoon, when I've got all the windows and the back door open. I have to shut it all up or the house stinks of it.

So which is worse?

[Alison]

I burn things I don't want to compost all the time. Weeds like couch grass, herb robert, dandelions: whatever I don't fancy chucking on the heap.

Even if I have no weeds to burn I have a fire regularly. I love sitting in the garden on an evening with a nice fire going in the chiminea and a couple of beers. So whatever weeds I've recently pulled up go on too. There are never very many because I have fires quite often. I keep them good and hot so they don't smoke, and I seldom light up before 10pm so washing is in and windows are usually closed anyway.

However, my neighbour thinks nothing of lighting his stinky barbecue at 5pm on a beautiful Saturday afternoon, when I've got all the windows and the back door open. I have to shut it all up or the house stinks of it.

So which is worse?

Am glad I don't live near you or you neighbour by the sounds of it, fires are antisocial even when kept well under control.

[bobbin]

mrbadexample..is your post a windup?? If not in glad I don't live next door to you and your neighbour as well. What is it with men and bonfires? Don't really think there's much between your type of fire and your neighbours. Just think fires unnecessary.

[crucy86]

Thanks for the replies all.

I didn't realise there wasn't really any need! A fair few allotments here have burners and are occasionally on so assumed it was the thing to do!


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[Bill HH]

I quite like the smell of a bonfire. When I was farming we had huge ones after cutting very high hedges, I once lit one that must have been 30 feet high only to suddenly realise it was under some high tension electricity cables (11,000 volts) I was in a panic, thoughts of huge bills from the electricity board, and newspaper stories of "Farmer blacks out Redditch". The cable expanded with the heat and got lower and lower until I could stand it no more and did a runner on my tractor (if you can run on a tractor). next day I sheepishly returned to the field to find the cables back where they should have been. Phew! Now I live in Torquay I don't have fires because its a bit too close to neighbours.

[taff]

I have a metal bin I burn any big twig waste.
When I trim the two neighbours buddleias [ tha's why I hate them] I leave the branches to dry out over winter, then burn the follwing spring. The ash goes on one of the beds, I cover it with grass clippings, and the toms and beans go in there.
I did hugelkutur them a few times, but that experiment was a failure,mostly because I didnt cover underneath completely befoe I built it so the couch grass invaded, and due to me not keeping on top of it, it overran the bed.This year is the couch grass bed experiment.

So I do burn some stuff, but I drown/dry bindweed/couch grass usually. Nettles go in a barrel of water.

[taff]

Oops, just realised what I said - the nettles go to make feed rather than drown, but I suppose the end resultis the same really