Scrapheap Challenge

[veggiechicken]

Has your other plot been taken on now (not the chicken one, t'other one). Just wondered whether you have any regrets?

[Snadger]

Has your other plot been taken on now (not the chicken one, t'other one). Just wondered whether you have any regrets?

No regrets VC. I just need to get my soft fruit from that plot along with a greenhouse and a polytunnel! Not a lot really. lol!

[Snadger]

Nice to see you've got a plan Snadge.....................

Just call me Colonel John Hannibal Smith big fella.................

[Snadger]

Spent another day on 'Scrapyard challenge' today! Managed to dis-assemble the remaining shed floor. This was hard graft with axe and crowbar, but I got there in the end and burned the majority of it. This hut wasn't set on RSJ's just two humungus concrete roof supports!

Established an area where the chicken coop and run will be and delineated it with the only remaining mesh panel I have left. Moved the wire I hope to make the run with, inside of the run area. Moved door and some of the 8X4 boards to one end of plot. Still a lot of 8X4's to move, but that's an early morning job rather than when I'm knackered!

Next priority is finish moving the boards,tidy that area up and then start transporting the soft fruit bushes from my other plot.

[Bigmallly]

I feel shattered just reading your posts Snadge. Sounds like you are getting there.

[Snadger]

I feel shattered just reading your posts Snadge. Sounds like you are getting there.

This extreme gardening is a shock to the system, but I now feel I AM getting there I'll get a few more piccies next time I'm there, and let you judge!

[Snadger]

Back to the plot today. The plan was to move the big pile of 8X4 boards. This was a bit harder than anticipated and four were too rotten to be re-usable so became fire fodder.

It never ceases to amaze me what turns up on this plot. Under about a foot of debris was what looks to be astroturf. I managed to get two strips up but there is still some buried at depth.


Maybe my version of a shrunken head will keep trespassers at bay!






There's a lot of creeping buttercup on the plot which I know likes wet. acid soil. My solutiom is to cover the area with the old gypsum based plasterboard and cover that with hoss muck to keep it down. Once we get a bit of rain, this should turn to mush and act as a lime top dressing. It will hopefully blank out the buttercups and I'll plant tatties through the mulch!

[Muddy_Boots]

My mate had a half plot and managed to get the rest after the other plotter gave it up.

He told me this week he was digging the weeds in when all of a sudden he hit what he thought was a stone. Moved the spade and hit more stone!!! found the edge and managed to dig up a slab, then another, then another ..... got 8 out all about 6 inches down. He's still scratching his head wondering why the guy before buried those slabs.

[Bigmallly]

He's still scratching his head wondering why the guy before buried those slabs.

Heavy duty weed suppressant............................It was most likely a path at one point, then the tenant must have found it easier just to put soil on top rather than lifting them.

[Small pumpkin]

I'm loving the shrunken head............very mad max

[Jay-ell]

Heavy duty weed suppressant............................It was most likely a path at one point, then the tenant must have found it easier just to put soil on top rather than lifting them.

Could have been a green house base. Got a nice big area my self with slabs a few inches under the soil/compost surface.

[Snadger]

Finally got a few more piccies of the dereliction. I now have a tattie field. I have planted lots and lots of Charlotte,Desiree,Elfe,Kestrel and just bought some Kerrs Pink and PFA today to finish off planting the left side of my new plot.



My method of tattie planting! The ground is like concrete so I have been adding Cardboard and plasterboard as a mulch and planting through it. I follow this with one wheelbarrow load of hoss muck per row, filling in the holes after dropping a tasttie in with some slow release fertiliser. I have now ran out of cardboard and plasterboard so now I just do as the piccie below shows. I'm leaving the holes until the tatties i have just bought harden there shoots on the greenhouse staging. The broomshank stuck in the ground is where I hit something big and unmovable when digging. I had just spent 2 hours digging out another huge lump of concrete so didn't fancy another digging spree! I'll get whtever it is out when i dig the tatties uo.

The last piccie is of progress on my Summer house. It may not look much but it is mahoosive and is totally constructed from timber i have recycled from the plot.I am well pleased with it but its been a lot of work. The front three right hand panels will have floor to ceiling glass panels in (Designed around existing size glass which fits inside and is held by thin wood strips back and front) and there will be one around the corner next to the door. Roof spars to go in next.
This has all been constructed with a hand say, a claw hammer, a posidrive screwdriver and a spirit level. No electric or battery operated tools were used, so I'll have muscles like Garth by the time its finished.
The left hand section will basically be a shed to hide my tools. I may even incorporate three glass panels into the right hand section of the roof as I'm getting short of usable timber to cover the roof. Undecided where the woodburnewr will go yet?
I've left the roof spars the original length with 7 inches overhang at the back and a nice little overhang at the front



Total cost to date ............under 30 quid!



I have changed my plans fro the chicken coop and run also. Rather than putting them down the pointy end of the plot I intend putting there coop to the left of the summerhouse with a run constructed up to the fence level with the front of the summerhouse. The reasoning behind this is they will get more light and be less susceptible to vandalism.

[Snadger]

Back on plot toady with camera in hand! First piccie is of the tatties i still have to plant. PFA and Kerrs pink plus an assortment from the bottom of various peoples fridges.They are shown being guarded by a tiger cub.By the end of today I had planted the 'Fridge sprouters'

This is as far as I got with the tattie planting today. The block on the right is all tatties right up to the summerhouse.That's an awful lot of tatties!


Summer house is progressing well also. I spent the other day in the pee-ing rain cutting and fixing the roof spars into position. I can start making it watertight next by adding a roof, but will leave the glass panels to last for safety reasons! Thinking about attaching some vertical boarding to the left side to take away the starkness of the two sheets of ply that form the wall.



I am also on the hunt/trying to blag a small opening window, preferably with frosted glass for the left hand side.
I'm starting to run short of timber boards so I might use glass in part of the roof as well.. It's been designed with this in mind as i have eleven large sheets of glass and i only need three for the front and one for the right hand end.

[veggiechicken]

Love the tiger with his paw on your spuds
Are you building a little lavvie in the corner, with a frosted glass opening window
Don't let jay-ell persuade you to have the one with holly in the bowl!

[Snadger]

Love the tiger with his paw on your spuds
Are you building a little lavvie in the corner, with a frosted glass opening window
Don't let jay-ell persuade you to have the one with holly in the bowl!

I want somewhere to hide my garden tools as the left side is basically the 'Shed end'. I don't want any thieving toerag to see them though so will build a half width wall on left side. (Bearing in mind the front and other end will be glass) It will get fairly dark in this corner, so a little light may be needed. Dunno whether to put the small window on the end though then I can keep an eye on the chooks!

Bob Flowerdew keeps his wee in milk cartons to add to his watering can as a liquid feed.What is offputting though is he stores the full cartons along the front of his shed!