No Bonfire Joy

[veg4681]

It must have been the 3rd or 4th time I've been trying to burn down my last year's garden waste which altough the pile has reduced, it's still blooming there. On an incredibly sunny day like this, I should have been able to burn it right down but the twigs and branches are sticking here and there and not burning effectively enough to the keep the fire alive and going . I've really had it.

So how do you manage yours? Do you shred the twigs into manageable peices and then burn them in an incenerator in smaller quantity but frequently. This way you don't have problem with the bonfire pile getting wet with the rain. With the foul mood I'm in, feel like buying a garden shredder and an incenerator whatever the cost.

[Flummery]

We use an incinerator. You get a really whooshy draught through - so much so that we melted the galvaniaing off! It now rusts but it still burns like billy-oh.

[shirlthegirl43]

Echo Flum - our incinerator is rusty too!

[Tracey]

I had a really stubborn bonfire last year. Eventualy I tried soaking a rag in a drop of meths, putting it in the centre of the bonfire and then success.

[Digger-07]

I have a 1 foot square box made out of concrete reinforcing mesh. Easy to make just cut the sides to length with a hack saw then wire the corners together. This goes on the ground and a small burn started inside, once its going just pile the other stuff round it. The box keeps the centre open and the fire burns hot.

The mesh came out of a skip (where else do you get stuff for the plot from?)

[rustylady]

You can buy an incinerator for around £15. I resisted for ages, but it's worth it's weight in gold. You get better airflow and a hotter burn than a traditional bonfire. It is important to make sure that what you want to burn is reasonably dry. I stack mine and keep turning it. If you've got anything really wet and soggy it's obviously not going to burn straight away, and the chances are that if you put a lot of it on your fire the fire will go out.

[Seahorse]

Incinerators and the like are definitely worth it. I was bequeathed a large metal water tank by the previous plot holder, it's too battered and holey to use for water but it makes a great fire! I find if you get an intense burn going with dried stuff and newspaper (or similar) you can add quite green things and they will burn.

[bubblewrap]

We are not allowed bonfires on our site but the council provides a skip (see grape vine map)
House garden very small so most of the waste goes into compost!

[rosheen]

I thought backyard burning was illegal or is that just household stuff , is it still OK to burn garden waste?

[pigletwillie]

Tis in Eire rosheen but still legal over here. It was to stop people burning rubbish to reduce their rubbish costs.

[Minty]

Hi, try your local scrap metal merchant or refuse center for an old oil drum. I got mine from the local scrappie for "The price of a pint guv", and it works a treat(with a few puncture holes in the sides)
Minty X

[rosheen]

I'll have to hop on the ferry and burn it in Pembroke

[veg4681]

We use an incinerator. You get a really whooshy draught through - so much so that we melted the galvaniaing off! It now rusts but it still burns like billy-oh.

Echo Flum - our incinerator is rusty too!

How long would you expect it to last before a replacement is necessary? I think I saw one at Wickes for around £19.99.

[Two_Sheds]

I could never light a fire until last year, and this is my secret: a cardboard box. Stuff it with scrunched up newspaper, then turn the open top to the ground. Pile a little bit of kindling on top (dried nettle stalks) and a few bigger branches (bramble/ivy). Then set light to the newspaper. It will catch and burn quickly, so add stuff a bit at a time.
Keep it small, and add to it gradually. Don't burn damp stuff (or at least not until the fire is really hot)

If the fire goes right down, scrape out the middle a bit with a fork, and add more dy kindling till it gets going again. Its great!