On Thu, 9 Sep 2004 13:33:43 +0100, Martin Brown
wrote:

In message , Stephen Howard
writes
On Wed, 8 Sep 2004 15:06:57 +0000 (UTC), "Franz Heymann"
wrote:


"Stephen Howard" wrote in message
...

[snip]

If you're considering the 'organic' approach - hack the weeds down
as
best you can and remove the cuttings ( or burn them on site ).

I was told that burning garden waste is naughty.

Depends on the local bylaws I'd imagine.

In some regions domestic garden fires are banned (not that anyone pays a
blind bit of notice in Belgium). It turns out that a significant
proportion of dioxin pollution (and other bad stuff) comes from badly
constructed fires burning garden waste and domestic refuse. The
Organic(TM) fraternity prefer to ignore this fact - fire is "natural".

Don't recall ever seeing any organic gardening publications
recommending burning waste as opposed to composting it - save for
obviously diseased material.
Most people have bonfires because bonfires are fun.

Mind you, one has to wonder about the checks and balances - on the one
hand there's a load of bonfires, and on the other there's a load of
cars, lorries and heavy plant shoving garden waste around.
Compost miles, I suppose.

Fresh ashes can help to counteract the tendency for a polythene mulch
to raise the acidity of the soil.

I only burn my garden rubbish when it is tinder dry. Onions and fruit
trees seem to thrive on any charcoal and wood ash that remains.

That's a valid point - a soggy bonfire is not a happy bonfire.
Round about now I burn all the twigs and broken off branches from the
plum trees, and throw the ash round the roots - seems to work for me,
I get good yields in spite of being rather neglectful of my plums!

Similarly I too find it helps the onions along - those beds that are
treated with ash seem to produce more robust onions...though still not
so robust that they won't fall prey to a spot of grey mildew in some
years.

Regards,



--
Stephen Howard - Woodwind repairs & period restorations
www.shwoodwind.co.uk
Emails to: showard{whoisat}shwoodwind{dot}co{dot}uk