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"garden virgin" - wrote in message
...
Hello,

We are new to gardening, sorry if all of this sounds daff but...

1. We have a brand new composter, basically a green plastic bin with a lid
&
a removable base which we've installed in the back corner of our garden.
We
have lots of brown leaves from last autumn lying around the garden, should
we put these into the composter first then kitchen wastes like veg.
peelings? which would rot down first basically? and how long does it take
for it all to breakdown into compost? do i need to stir it from time to
time
or do i just leave it to do it's thang.

Put it all in as it comes and build it up to the top. It will settle over
twelve months. we have two, one of which is now only half full due to
rotting down.


2. the garden wall looks sad & old, still solid though & not falling over
yet... i'm thinking of giving it a once over with a metal brush & patching
up any loose mortar, do i buy ready mixed cement/mortar from a DIY shop &
patch it up & paint it over after with masonry paint to protect it from
the
elements? it's already painted white but it looks like it was done many
years ago.

Contact a local builder and see how much it would cost to render it. Not as
much of a cost as you may think. Is it your wall to do this or a neighbour's
wall?


3. we are going to put a wooden trellis on one side of the *repaired*
garden
wall once it's done. How do i fix/attach it to the garden wall? We are
going
to plant a rose for this trellis & from what i've seen, the trellis needs
to
be a few inches away from the wall.

Use cotton reels to stand it off. The latest ones are plastic so will not
rot


Thanks.

city folks/garden virgins.

Mike
My type of gardening :-))