Capping Fence Posts

Ever since I put the fence posts in with my dad a few years ago he's been on at me to cap the tops of the larger telegraph poles that we used as gate and corner posts. 

I know he's right on this one, left they start to rot from the middle out as the preservative is near the outside of the post.

Around the same time I saved a load of lead from a roof I was repairing to do the job, but never got round to using it!

This weekend I finally managed to get the job done. Pretty simple and it didn't take long, I just cut out some circles of lead with snips, bashed it round the top of the posts and fixed it in place using a few copper nails.

What to do with Sawdust?

I've been using my planner a bit lately with the work that I do and it's given me a waste product I'm not sure how to use. The offcuts make great firewood and kindling but the sawdust isn't as useful. 

Although I've happily been using the waste product from my brothers work, in the form of wood chip on the garden, I'm still not sure with what I should be doing with mine. Sawdust from dried oak boards produced loads of tannin when it gets wet and all the water that pools around it turns black, not something I want to be spreading on the garden then! 

The ton bag below was produced from one mornings worth of planning up oak boards, so you can see how easy it is to amass a fair pile in a short space of time. 

Any softwood shavings are used as chicken bedding that are then composted down, but I'm still not sure what to do with all these oak shavings or other hardwoods, I'm creating huge amounts but it would still be good to put them to use.

Any suggestions? And I haven't got any meat to smoke so that's out for now!

Making Compost Bins From Recycled Materials

Yesterday I knocked up some "rustic" compost bins and they didn't cost me a penny. 

I'm always thinking I need to sort out a proper composting system, as I use loads and produce no end of garden waste (lots of weeds as well). I'd put it off for the same reason as I had with the garden gates so I decided to just knock some together with what I had to hand. 

The area I chose to put it is just in the field outside the veg garden. This means I'll be able to fill it without leaving the garden and when I want to empty it I haven't got too far to walk. Unfortunately it's in full sun but I'll cover it with cardboard to keep the moisture in.

 The back is made out of an old shed I had put in the burning pile. I then added some posts in front to fix it to and to divide it up into four bays. I then added five posts four feet in front of these to fix the sides to.

 Using some old floor boards from our living room renovation (never throw anything away!), I nailed the sides on leaving a gap between each board. 

As you can see, it's certainly rustic (rough) but they'll do the job for a few years. I might add some removable front slats as well so they can be filled right up. 

The top bay will be for my chicken muck and the others will be for this summers garden waste mixed with straw and lawn clippings. My plan being to fill the one at the bottom, then move all that into the next one up and then fill the first again and repeat. That way I'll be turning my compost and be able to use it faster. I doubt it will happen though as I know what I'm like! 

How does everyone else make their compost? 

Recycling A Cardboard Box

When we gave Ev her new kitchen for Christmas we used the distraction to "remove" her old favourite toy before it fell to pieces.

 That's right, you guessed it - a cardboard box. It was her library, her house, her hiding place even a piece of modern art once she'd painted it!

 She'd sit in there and make tea...

And of course I had to go round for some tea sometimes, you were privileged to get invited in - even if you didn't fit!

I think children know that sometimes the best presents are free. This box gave her around 6 months of joy until it started to fall apart and now it's a mulch on the veg garden so it lives on a little longer yet!

 I think that's proper recycling of a cardboard box!

Recycling Old Fence Posts

With my full time homemaker job role approaching in the spring I'm always on the lookout to save money, and I managed to save a few pounds this week with some old posts.

Ken, one of our next door neighbours, was ripping out a section of fencing on the boundary to our field (not our fence though so we don;t have to pay for it) to replace it with new, higher fencing, that would keep in the mad boxer dog Jilly.

 The old fence post broke off at the ground, rotten where they were in the soil, but otherwise sound. The only trouble was they were destined for his bonfire. I intervened.

 10 minutes with the chainsaw and they all had new points added to them.

Voila! 11 new fruit tree stakes.

They'd be no good for fencing now, too short and not really a big enough diameter, but they'll easily last the few years they're needed to support a fruit tree and as I'll plant a few more this winter it's saved me a bit of money.
Anyone else got a use for old fence posts?