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Burning wood in the house
Can anyone tell me if when wood will spark and when it won't?
I mean I (think I ) know that burning resiny wood causes sparks. And I also know that damp wood will cause sparks. But what about bone-dry resiny wood(ie pine etc).Could that be safe? My first impression is that sparking is greatly reduced but I am still wary. Any one have first hand experience here? thanks |
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Burning wood in the house
In article ,
beccabunga wrote: geordief;867856 Wrote: Can anyone tell me if when wood will spark and when it won't? I mean I (think I ) know that burning resiny wood causes sparks. And I also know that damp wood will cause sparks. But what about bone-dry resiny wood(ie pine etc).Could that be safe? My first impression is that sparking is greatly reduced but I am still wary. Any one have first hand experience here? thanks Any wood from pines or firs will/can spark, whether wet or dry. The other one to watch for is willow, which is particularly explosive, especially when burnt wet. And poplar. Regards, Nick Maclaren. |
Burning wood in the house
wrote in message ... In article , beccabunga wrote: geordief;867856 Wrote: Can anyone tell me if when wood will spark and when it won't? I mean I (think I ) know that burning resiny wood causes sparks. And I also know that damp wood will cause sparks. But what about bone-dry resiny wood(ie pine etc).Could that be safe? My first impression is that sparking is greatly reduced but I am still wary. Any one have first hand experience here? thanks Any wood from pines or firs will/can spark, whether wet or dry. The other one to watch for is willow, which is particularly explosive, especially when burnt wet. And poplar. Regards, Nick Maclaren. Also be very careful that you don't burn laurel (the prunus type) indoors. It gives off cyanide fumes, as it will in the garden so always stand upwind from it. Spider |
Burning wood in the house
In article ,
Spider wrote: Also be very careful that you don't burn laurel (the prunus type) indoors. It gives off cyanide fumes, as it will in the garden so always stand upwind from it. Really? That sounds most implausible. Hydrogen cyanide is extremely flammable, with a flash point of -17.78 degrees Celsius and an autoignition temperature of only 538 degrees Celsius. http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/healthguide...cognition.html Obviously, don't burn it under circumstances where you might be at risk from carbon monoxide, because hydrogen cyanide is even more toxic, but LOTS of the Rosaceae contain quite a lot of cyanides and Prunus laurocerasus isn't as extreme as people think. Every time I shred my Cotoneaster franchetti, there is a strong smell of bitter almonds, for example :-) Regards, Nick Maclaren. |
Burning wood in the house
I have a boiler so I don't heat my home with wood but I do have a fire
place. I use a duralog for the fire place cause it has special crystals inside the log that burn different colors. |
Burning wood in the house
On Oct 25, 10:26*pm, beccabunga beccabunga.
wrote: geordief;867856 Wrote: Can anyone tell me if when wood will spark and when it won't? I mean I (think I ) know that burning resiny wood causes sparks. And I also know that damp wood will cause sparks. But what about bone-dry resiny wood(ie pine etc).Could that be safe? My first impression *is that sparking is greatly reduced but I am still wary. Any one have * first hand experience here? thanks Any wood from pines or firs will/can spark, whether wet or dry. The other one to watch for is willow, which is particularly explosive, especially when burnt wet. -- beccabunga We have a woodburner and, on order, a wood burning Aga type cooker. We burn mostly oak, seasoned at least 2 years, it burns well and no sparks. We also burn frene and some pine as we have a lot of pine beams over 150 years old from the barn. We had the roof replaced as it was infested with Capricorne. This pine doesn't spark but I doubt there is any resin left in it after all this time. Judith |
Burning wood in the house
On 2009-10-26 17:43:17 +0000, Judith in France
said: On Oct 25, 10:26*pm, beccabunga beccabunga. wrote: geordief;867856 Wrote: Can anyone tell me if when wood will spark and when it won't? I mean I (think I ) know that burning resiny wood causes sparks. And I also know that damp wood will cause sparks. But what about bone-dry resiny wood(ie pine etc).Could that be safe? My first impression *is that sparking is greatly reduced but I am sti ll wary. Any one have * first hand experience here? thanks Any wood from pines or firs will/can spark, whether wet or dry. The other one to watch for is willow, which is particularly explosive, especially when burnt wet. -- beccabunga We have a woodburner and, on order, a wood burning Aga type cooker. We burn mostly oak, seasoned at least 2 years, it burns well and no sparks. We also burn frene and some pine as we have a lot of pine beams over 150 years old from the barn. We had the roof replaced as it was infested with Capricorne. This pine doesn't spark but I doubt there is any resin left in it after all this time. Judith Oak is very dense, so burns slowly so presumably that keeps a fire in a long time and other stuff gingers it up? Some old wooden mantles were made of oak because it was so hard to set alight easily. We don't have a wood burner but when the Aga dies and it must be around 50 to 60 years old, we're certainly not getting another one at those prices! -- Sacha |
Burning wood in the house
wrote in message ... In article , Spider wrote: Also be very careful that you don't burn laurel (the prunus type) indoors. It gives off cyanide fumes, as it will in the garden so always stand upwind from it. Really? That sounds most implausible. Hydrogen cyanide is extremely flammable, with a flash point of -17.78 degrees Celsius and an autoignition temperature of only 538 degrees Celsius. It is, as you know, a well-documented fact that laurel (prunus laurocerasus) contains hydrogen cyanide. When put on a domestic fire - indoors or outdoors - it will usually smoulder for some time before catching fire. Certainly, when the cyanide gas catches fire, it will be burnt off, but until then it will rise in the warm air and disperse. Outdoors, one can stand upwind and hope to avoid it but, I for one would not want to risk breathing that contaminated air indoors in a confined space. Unfortunately, my ex-fireman father is not available for a couple of days, but I will discuss this with him when next we speak. It is just possible that being brought up as the daughter of a fireman, I am a little paranoid :~), but I would rather be paranoid than dead. http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/healthguide...cognition.html Obviously, don't burn it under circumstances where you might be at risk from carbon monoxide, because hydrogen cyanide is even more toxic, but LOTS of the Rosaceae contain quite a lot of cyanides and Prunus laurocerasus isn't as extreme as people think. Every time I shred my Cotoneaster franchetti, there is a strong smell of bitter almonds, for example :-) Regards, Nick Maclaren. Thanks for the link, btw, most interesting. Spider |
Burning wood in the house
In article ,
Spider wrote: It is, as you know, a well-documented fact that laurel (prunus laurocerasus) contains hydrogen cyanide. When put on a domestic fire - indoors or outdoors - it will usually smoulder for some time before catching fire. Certainly, when the cyanide gas catches fire, it will be burnt off, but until then it will rise in the warm air and disperse. Outdoors, one can stand upwind and hope to avoid it but, I for one would not want to risk breathing that contaminated air indoors in a confined space. Unfortunately, my ex-fireman father is not available for a couple of days, but I will discuss this with him when next we speak. As I said, that holds for most of the Rosaceae, and in particular most of the Prunus genus. Regards, Nick Maclaren. |
Burning wood in the house
On Mon, 26 Oct 2009 Nick Maclaren wrote:
Can anyone tell me if when wood will spark and when it won't? I mean I (think I ) know that burning resiny wood causes sparks. And I also know that damp wood will cause sparks. But what about bone-dry resiny wood(ie pine etc).Could that be safe? My first impression is that sparking is greatly reduced but I am still wary. Any one have first hand experience here? thanks Any wood from pines or firs will/can spark, whether wet or dry. The other one to watch for is willow, which is particularly explosive, especially when burnt wet. And poplar. And mulberry. It's quite spectacular. David -- David Rance writing from Caversham, Reading, UK http://rance.org.uk |
Burning wood in the house
On Oct 26, 5:53*pm, Martin wrote:
On Mon, 26 Oct 2009 10:43:17 -0700 (PDT), Judith in France wrote: On Oct 25, 10:26*pm, beccabunga beccabunga. wrote: geordief;867856 Wrote: Can anyone tell me if when wood will spark and when it won't? I mean I (think I ) know that burning resiny wood causes sparks. And I also know that damp wood will cause sparks. But what about bone-dry resiny wood(ie pine etc).Could that be safe? My first impression *is that sparking is greatly reduced but I am still wary. Any one have * first hand experience here? thanks Any wood from pines or firs will/can spark, whether wet or dry. The other one to watch for is willow, which is particularly explosive, especially when burnt wet. -- beccabunga We have a woodburner and, on order, a wood burning Aga type cooker. We burn mostly oak, seasoned at least 2 years, it burns well and no sparks. *We also burn frene and some pine as we have a lot of pine beams over 150 years old from the barn. *We had the roof replaced as it was infested with Capricorne. *This pine doesn't spark but I doubt there is any resin left in it after all this time. be careful you don't melt the bars. -- Martin What bars :-) Judith |
Burning wood in the house
On Oct 26, 5:54*pm, Sacha wrote:
On 2009-10-26 17:43:17 +0000, Judith in France said: On Oct 25, 10:26*pm, beccabunga beccabunga. wrote: geordief;867856 Wrote: Can anyone tell me if when wood will spark and when it won't? I mean I (think I ) know that burning resiny wood causes sparks. And I also know that damp wood will cause sparks. But what about bone-dry resiny wood(ie pine etc).Could that be safe? My first impression *is that sparking is greatly reduced but I am sti ll wary. Any one have * first hand experience here? thanks Any wood from pines or firs will/can spark, whether wet or dry. The other one to watch for is willow, which is particularly explosive, especially when burnt wet. -- beccabunga We have a woodburner and, on order, a wood burning Aga type cooker. We burn mostly oak, seasoned at least 2 years, it burns well and no sparks. *We also burn frene and some pine as we have a lot of pine beams over 150 years old from the barn. *We had the roof replaced as it was infested with Capricorne. *This pine doesn't spark but I doubt there is any resin left in it after all this time. Judith Oak is very dense, so burns slowly so presumably that keeps a fire in a long time and other stuff gingers it up? Some old wooden mantles were made of oak because it was so hard to set alight easily. * We don't have a wood burner but when the Aga dies and it must be around 50 to 60 years old, we're certainly not getting another one at those prices! -- Sacha The oak we burn is very dry, it doesn't just slumber away, cut to the correct size it burns at a steady rate. When the oven needs to come up to temperature, my neighbour tells me that it will need to be mixed with a lighter wood. Agas certainly are a price, so is Godin but they are supposed to last a lifetime. Even secondhand these monsters fetch a good price. Judith |
Burning wood in the house
On 26 Oct, 17:43, Judith in France
wrote: On Oct 25, 10:26*pm, beccabunga beccabunga. wrote: geordief;867856 Wrote: Can anyone tell me if when wood will spark and when it won't? I mean I (think I ) know that burning resiny wood causes sparks. And I also know that damp wood will cause sparks. But what about bone-dry resiny wood(ie pine etc).Could that be safe? My first impression *is that sparking is greatly reduced but I am still wary. Any one have * first hand experience here? thanks Any wood from pines or firs will/can spark, whether wet or dry. The other one to watch for is willow, which is particularly explosive, especially when burnt wet. -- beccabunga We have a woodburner and, on order, a wood burning Aga type cooker. We burn mostly oak, seasoned at least 2 years, it burns well and no sparks. *We also burn frene and some pine as we have a lot of pine beams over 150 years old from the barn. *We had the roof replaced as it was infested with Capricorne. *This pine doesn't spark but I doubt there is any resin left in it after all this time. Judith I'm burning 19 Century roofing lathes at the moment as kindling and they spark amazingly. (It's in a wood burner.) Jonathan |
Burning wood in the house
On 2009-10-27 10:09:39 +0000, Judith in France
said: On Oct 26, 5:54*pm, Sacha wrote: On 2009-10-26 17:43:17 +0000, Judith in France said: On Oct 25, 10:26*pm, beccabunga beccabunga. wrote: geordief;867856 Wrote: Can anyone tell me if when wood will spark and when it won't? I mean I (think I ) know that burning resiny wood causes sparks. And I also know that damp wood will cause sparks. But what about bone-dry resiny wood(ie pine etc).Could that be safe? My first impression *is that sparking is greatly reduced but I am s ti ll wary. Any one have * first hand experience here? thanks Any wood from pines or firs will/can spark, whether wet or dry. The other one to watch for is willow, which is particularly explosive, especially when burnt wet. -- beccabunga We have a woodburner and, on order, a wood burning Aga type cooker. We burn mostly oak, seasoned at least 2 years, it burns well and no sparks. *We also burn frene and some pine as we have a lot of pine beams over 150 years old from the barn. *We had the roof replaced as it was infested with Capricorne. *This pine doesn't spark but I doubt there is any resin left in it after all this time. Judith Oak is very dense, so burns slowly so presumably that keeps a fire in a long time and other stuff gingers it up? Some old wooden mantles were made of oak because it was so hard to set alight easily. * We don't have a wood burner but when the Aga dies and it must be around 50 to 60 years old, we're certainly not getting another one at those prices! -- Sacha The oak we burn is very dry, it doesn't just slumber away, cut to the correct size it burns at a steady rate. When the oven needs to come up to temperature, my neighbour tells me that it will need to be mixed with a lighter wood. Agas certainly are a price, so is Godin but they are supposed to last a lifetime. Even secondhand these monsters fetch a good price. Judith Funnily enough, I noticed a 1974 Aga for sale at £950 in this morning's local paper. I don't think our 1950s or 60s model would quite make that. ;-) The oak sounds what I was thinking of - it's burning at a steady rate but then helped along by hotter burning stuff. -- Sacha |
Burning wood in the house
Judith in France wrote:
On Oct 26, 5:54 pm, Sacha wrote: On 2009-10-26 17:43:17 +0000, Judith in France said: On Oct 25, 10:26 pm, beccabunga beccabunga. wrote: geordief;867856 Wrote: Can anyone tell me if when wood will spark and when it won't? I mean I (think I ) know that burning resiny wood causes sparks. And I also know that damp wood will cause sparks. But what about bone-dry resiny wood(ie pine etc).Could that be safe? My first impression is that sparking is greatly reduced but I am sti ll wary. Any one have first hand experience here? thanks Any wood from pines or firs will/can spark, whether wet or dry. The other one to watch for is willow, which is particularly explosive, especially when burnt wet. -- beccabunga We have a woodburner and, on order, a wood burning Aga type cooker. We burn mostly oak, seasoned at least 2 years, it burns well and no sparks. We also burn frene and some pine as we have a lot of pine beams over 150 years old from the barn. We had the roof replaced as it was infested with Capricorne. This pine doesn't spark but I doubt there is any resin left in it after all this time. Judith Oak is very dense, so burns slowly so presumably that keeps a fire in a long time and other stuff gingers it up? Some old wooden mantles were made of oak because it was so hard to set alight easily. We don't have a wood burner but when the Aga dies and it must be around 50 to 60 years old, we're certainly not getting another one at those prices! -- Sacha The oak we burn is very dry, it doesn't just slumber away, cut to the correct size it burns at a steady rate. When the oven needs to come up to temperature, my neighbour tells me that it will need to be mixed with a lighter wood. Agas certainly are a price, so is Godin but they are supposed to last a lifetime. Even secondhand these monsters fetch a good price. Hi Judith, Getting cepes now in your neck of the woods? We picked over 3 kg yesterday! ;) Funny no one has mentioned sweet chestnut. I'd guess it's the most "explosive" of woods, it can send an ember from an open fire many yards across the room, even from old wood. (Green chestnut is pretty hard to burn, anyway.) Sadly in France we burn lots and lots of oak. We rarely replant it either... It has a very straight grain and so is easy to split, burns hot and doesn't go out in a good stove. Frene -- ash in english -- is very fine wood for the stove or fireplace but difficult to split. I'd not compare the Godin quality with Aga, at least not in the current stoves. (I assume you're talking about a combination woodstove/cooker.) Aga is far superior, but also more expensive. The straight woodstoves from Godin are still decent quality (we have one) but the cookers have dropped. A couple of years ago we decided that the somewhat less expensive Lacanche was better stuff -- a friend has a Godin cooker to compare with -- and we have not been disappointed. regards, -E |
Burning wood in the house
On 27 Oct, 12:21, Emery Davis wrote:
Judith in France wrote: On Oct 26, 5:54 pm, Sacha wrote: On 2009-10-26 17:43:17 +0000, Judith in France said: On Oct 25, 10:26 pm, beccabunga beccabunga. wrote: geordief;867856 Wrote: Can anyone tell me if when wood will spark and when it won't? I mean I (think I ) know that burning resiny wood causes sparks. And I also know that damp wood will cause sparks. But what about bone-dry resiny wood(ie pine etc).Could that be safe? My first impression *is that sparking is greatly reduced but I am sti ll wary. Any one have * first hand experience here? thanks Any wood from pines or firs will/can spark, whether wet or dry. The other one to watch for is willow, which is particularly explosive, especially when burnt wet. -- beccabunga We have a woodburner and, on order, a wood burning Aga type cooker. We burn mostly oak, seasoned at least 2 years, it burns well and no sparks. *We also burn frene and some pine as we have a lot of pine beams over 150 years old from the barn. *We had the roof replaced as it was infested with Capricorne. *This pine doesn't spark but I doubt there is any resin left in it after all this time. Judith Oak is very dense, so burns slowly so presumably that keeps a fire in a long time and other stuff gingers it up? Some old wooden mantles were made of oak because it was so hard to set alight easily. * We don't have a wood burner but when the Aga dies and it must be around 50 to 60 years old, we're certainly not getting another one at those prices! -- Sacha The oak we burn is very dry, it doesn't just slumber away, cut to the correct size it burns at a steady rate. *When the oven needs to come up to temperature, my neighbour tells me that it will need to be mixed with a lighter wood. *Agas certainly are a price, so is Godin but they are supposed to last a lifetime. *Even secondhand these monsters fetch a good price. Hi Judith, Getting cepes now in your neck of the woods? *We picked over 3 kg yesterday! ;) Funny no one has mentioned sweet chestnut. *I'd guess it's the most "explosive" of woods, it can send an ember from an open fire many yards across the room, even from old wood. *(Green chestnut is pretty hard to burn, anyway.) Sadly in France we burn lots and lots of oak. *We rarely replant it either... *It has a very straight grain and so is easy to split, burns hot and doesn't go out in a good stove. *Frene -- ash in english -- is very fine wood for the stove or fireplace but difficult to split. regards, -E You need to split ash when it's green - quite easy then. Jonathan |
Burning wood in the house
On Oct 27, 12:21*pm, Emery Davis wrote:
Judith in France wrote: On Oct 26, 5:54 pm, Sacha wrote: On 2009-10-26 17:43:17 +0000, Judith in France said: On Oct 25, 10:26 pm, beccabunga beccabunga. wrote: geordief;867856 Wrote: Can anyone tell me if when wood will spark and when it won't? I mean I (think I ) know that burning resiny wood causes sparks. And I also know that damp wood will cause sparks. But what about bone-dry resiny wood(ie pine etc).Could that be safe? My first impression *is that sparking is greatly reduced but I am sti ll wary. Any one have * first hand experience here? thanks Any wood from pines or firs will/can spark, whether wet or dry. The other one to watch for is willow, which is particularly explosive, especially when burnt wet. -- beccabunga We have a woodburner and, on order, a wood burning Aga type cooker. We burn mostly oak, seasoned at least 2 years, it burns well and no sparks. *We also burn frene and some pine as we have a lot of pine beams over 150 years old from the barn. *We had the roof replaced as it was infested with Capricorne. *This pine doesn't spark but I doubt there is any resin left in it after all this time. Judith Oak is very dense, so burns slowly so presumably that keeps a fire in a long time and other stuff gingers it up? Some old wooden mantles were made of oak because it was so hard to set alight easily. * We don't have a wood burner but when the Aga dies and it must be around 50 to 60 years old, we're certainly not getting another one at those prices! -- Sacha The oak we burn is very dry, it doesn't just slumber away, cut to the correct size it burns at a steady rate. *When the oven needs to come up to temperature, my neighbour tells me that it will need to be mixed with a lighter wood. *Agas certainly are a price, so is Godin but they are supposed to last a lifetime. *Even secondhand these monsters fetch a good price. Hi Judith, Getting cepes now in your neck of the woods? *We picked over 3 kg yesterday! ;) Funny no one has mentioned sweet chestnut. *I'd guess it's the most "explosive" of woods, it can send an ember from an open fire many yards across the room, even from old wood. *(Green chestnut is pretty hard to burn, anyway.) Sadly in France we burn lots and lots of oak. *We rarely replant it either... *It has a very straight grain and so is easy to split, burns hot and doesn't go out in a good stove. *Frene -- ash in english -- is very fine wood for the stove or fireplace but difficult to split. I'd not compare the Godin quality with Aga, at least not in the current stoves. *(I assume you're talking about a combination woodstove/cooker.) Aga is far superior, but also more expensive. *The straight woodstoves from Godin are still decent quality (we have one) but the cookers have dropped. *A couple of years ago we decided that the somewhat less expensive Lacanche was better stuff -- a friend has a Godin cooker to compare with -- and we have not been disappointed. regards, -E Hi Emery, good to see you! We bought a Godin about 12 years ago, for cooking, it was pretty expensive then, maybe the prices have dropped? I can only say that it was pretty good in quality and performance and I suppose I should have likened it to a Rayburn:-) The woodstove is a Supra and I can recommend it. I haven't heard of Lacanche, wish you told me before we ordered one :-) I have been mushrooming, unfortunately we had some vicious frost last week and when we went into the woods near Ambert, they were frozen solid. How do you treat your cepes, omelettes, dried, what? Judith |
Burning wood in the house
On Oct 27, 10:49*am, Jonathan wrote:
On 26 Oct, 17:43, Judith in France wrote: On Oct 25, 10:26*pm, beccabunga beccabunga. wrote: geordief;867856 Wrote: Can anyone tell me if when wood will spark and when it won't? I mean I (think I ) know that burning resiny wood causes sparks. And I also know that damp wood will cause sparks. But what about bone-dry resiny wood(ie pine etc).Could that be safe? My first impression *is that sparking is greatly reduced but I am still wary. Any one have * first hand experience here? thanks Any wood from pines or firs will/can spark, whether wet or dry. The other one to watch for is willow, which is particularly explosive, especially when burnt wet. -- beccabunga We have a woodburner and, on order, a wood burning Aga type cooker. We burn mostly oak, seasoned at least 2 years, it burns well and no sparks. *We also burn frene and some pine as we have a lot of pine beams over 150 years old from the barn. *We had the roof replaced as it was infested with Capricorne. *This pine doesn't spark but I doubt there is any resin left in it after all this time. Judith I'm burning 19 Century roofing lathes at the moment as kindling and they spark amazingly. (It's in a wood burner.) Jonathan We have a lot of old wood like this, it too goes into the woodburner although it doesn't seem to spark, much. I remember when we had some work done on a house about 33 years ago, that the lathes sparked, maybe some treatment in the wood? Judith |
Burning wood in the house
Judith in France wrote:
[] Hi Emery, good to see you! We bought a Godin about 12 years ago, for cooking, it was pretty expensive then, maybe the prices have dropped? I can only say that it was pretty good in quality and performance and I suppose I should have likened it to a Rayburn:-) The woodstove is a Supra and I can recommend it. I haven't heard of Lacanche, wish you told me before we ordered one :-) The stuff is definitely not cheap, I'd be surprised if the prices had dropped. In fact, none of it is cheap, but what we priced the Aga cookers were nearly twice the price of Godin. What I've heard is indeed that the Godin quality has dropped in recent years, which is born out by our friend's (not that we would tell her that!) Lacanche has a rather annoying web site http://www.lacanche.com/en/index.html but it is very high quality stuff. I have been mushrooming, unfortunately we had some vicious frost last week and when we went into the woods near Ambert, they were frozen solid. How do you treat your cepes, omelettes, dried, what? We've had some frost but not enough to get into the sous-bois. Not that it's a very good year for cepes, too dry really. We slice and freeze raw the pristine ones, anything less that perfect gets cooked in butter and then frozen. Of course we started out with a big plate of them on the table! No cepes today, but did come across some delicious macrolepiota procera, excellent just fried whole in butter or olive oil. cheers, -E |
Can't you just get a fire guard? What is the problem with sparks?
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Growing yams in England?
jonbey wrote:
My wife is Brazilian, and she is craving yams. Cannot buy them anywhere (can order online but costs stupid money). Has anyone here successfully grown them in England? If so, how? Aren't yams very similar to sweet potatoes? (which you can buy easilly from supermarkets, actually, especially this time of year) I've grown sweet potatoes with small success, but they didn't seem to be worth the space and effort for the amount we got. I think they may have needed more water and warmth when I did them. |
Growing yams in England?
In article , wrote:
jonbey wrote: My wife is Brazilian, and she is craving yams. Cannot buy them anywhere (can order online but costs stupid money). Has anyone here successfully grown them in England? If so, how? Aren't yams very similar to sweet potatoes? (which you can buy easilly from supermarkets, actually, especially this time of year) No. Unfortunately, the word "yam" essentially means "edible root" in the countries where they are grown, despite what the OED says. It can mean pretty well anything, but almost all are tropical. The most 'official' meaning is Dioscorea species, which are unrelated to Ipomoea batatas, the sweet potato, and taste very different. I've grown sweet potatoes with small success, but they didn't seem to be worth the space and effort for the amount we got. I think they may have needed more water and warmth when I did them. Yup. They really need 6 months of warm, damp conditions - where warm is close to the maximum that the UK gets to. Regards, Nick Maclaren. |
Growing yams in England?
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Growing yams in England?
On Oct 27, 10:17*pm, jonbey wrote:
My wife is Brazilian, and she is craving yams. Cannot buy them anywhere (can order online but costs stupid money). Has anyone here successfully grown them in England? If so, how? -- jonbey I can't advise on growing them but I do see them in ordinary French markets, maybe a market near you has some? Judith |
Growing yams in England?
In article ,
Stewart Robert Hinsley wrote: I've grown sweet potatoes with small success, but they didn't seem to be worth the space and effort for the amount we got. I think they may have needed more water and warmth when I did them. Yup. They really need 6 months of warm, damp conditions - where warm is close to the maximum that the UK gets to. Would growing them in a heated greenhouse work, or do we need more sunlight as well? Dunno, but I suspect that we have enough light - provided they were grown from March onwards. The humid tropics doesn't get as much light as you might think, especially under the canopy (which is pretty well the only environment that occurs naturally). That doesn't apply to the arid tropics, of course, and many places are both. Regards, Nick Maclaren. |
Growing yams in England?
"jonbey" wrote My wife is Brazilian, and she is craving yams. Cannot buy them anywhere (can order online but costs stupid money). Has anyone here successfully grown them in England? If so, how? Quite common to see them in the greengrocers in Southall. -- Regards Bob Hobden just W. of London |
Burning wood in the house
"Sacha" wrote in message ... On 2009-10-27 10:09:39 +0000, Judith in France said: On Oct 26, 5:54 pm, Sacha wrote: On 2009-10-26 17:43:17 +0000, Judith in France said: On Oct 25, 10:26 pm, beccabunga beccabunga. wrote: Funnily enough, I noticed a 1974 Aga for sale at £950 in this morning's local paper. I don't think our 1950s or 60s model would quite make that. ;-) The oak sounds what I was thinking of - it's burning at a steady rate but then helped along by hotter burning stuff. -- Sacha Six years ago we sold our 1950s Aga for over £500 to a company that renovates them, and they came and collected it. That was after using it for 22 years having bought it for £60 and installing it myself. Did you know a 2 oven Aga contains seven bin bags of insulation. Guess how I know this? Mike |
Burning wood in the house
On 2009-10-30 09:10:34 +0000, "Muddymike" said:
"Sacha" wrote in message ... On 2009-10-27 10:09:39 +0000, Judith in France said: On Oct 26, 5:54 pm, Sacha wrote: On 2009-10-26 17:43:17 +0000, Judith in France said: On Oct 25, 10:26 pm, beccabunga beccabunga. wrote: Funnily enough, I noticed a 1974 Aga for sale at £950 in this morning's local paper. I don't think our 1950s or 60s model would quite make that. ;-) The oak sounds what I was thinking of - it's burning at a steady rate but then helped along by hotter burning stuff. -- Sacha Six years ago we sold our 1950s Aga for over £500 to a company that renovates them, and they came and collected it. That was after using it for 22 years having bought it for £60 and installing it myself. Did you know a 2 oven Aga contains seven bin bags of insulation. Guess how I know this? Mike Ummmm, now let me see....... ;-) -- Sacha |
Burning wood in the house
In article
, Judith in France writes We have a woodburner and, on order, a wood burning Aga type cooker. We burn mostly oak, seasoned at least 2 years, it burns well and no sparks. It's a swine to start burning though, it just never seems to catch.We have a multi fuel fire/stove and bung anything in there. Old Christmas tree leaves make a spectacular display then peter out. -- Janet Tweedy Dalmatian Telegraph http://www.lancedal.demon.co.uk |
Burning wood in the house
"Janet Tweedy" wrote in message ... In article , Judith in France writes We have a woodburner and, on order, a wood burning Aga type cooker. We burn mostly oak, seasoned at least 2 years, it burns well and no sparks. It's a swine to start burning though, it just never seems to catch.We have a multi fuel fire/stove and bung anything in there. Old Christmas tree leaves make a spectacular display then peter out. I've had a woodburner for 25 years, long before it was fashionable. Favourite wood is ash - it burns well and even if not long seasoned it won't tar your chimney up. Oak is good when the fire is burning well with other wood, but as you say, you can't start a fire with oak. I'm at a bit of a disadvantage with my woodburner - I am out at work 5/7 and have to start a fresh fire every evening. If you can keep it going all the time you can use oak as it's slow burning. If my fire is a bit sulky (it has its moments) I just go outside and cut a small branch of my Lawsons Cypressus which has so much resin in it it makes the fire go like a bomb. Tina |
Growing yams in England?
In article ,
says... My wife is Brazilian, and she is craving yams. Cannot buy them anywhere (can order online but costs stupid money). Has anyone here successfully grown them in England? If so, how? -- jonbey Its possible to grow most of the yams in the UK but only as annuals and you would be hard pressed to get a crop, but as my local Tesco's has them year round why bother? -- Charlie Pridham, Gardening in Cornwall www.roselandhouse.co.uk Holders of national collections of Clematis viticella cultivars and Lapageria rosea |
Growing yams in England?
In message , jonbey
wrote My wife is Brazilian, and she is craving yams. Cannot buy them anywhere (can order online but costs stupid money). Has anyone here successfully grown them in England? If so, how? Surely Yams are just Sweet Potatos? If so they are available in all the leading supermarkets. -- Alan news2009 {at} admac {dot} myzen {dot} co {dot} uk |
Growing yams in England?
Alan writes
In message , jonbey wrote My wife is Brazilian, and she is craving yams. Cannot buy them anywhere (can order online but costs stupid money). Has anyone here successfully grown them in England? If so, how? Surely Yams are just Sweet Potatos? If so they are available in all the leading supermarkets. No. Sweet potatoes may be yams, but not all yams are sweet potatoes. -- Kay |
Growing yams in England?
In article ,
K wrote: Alan writes In message , jonbey wrote My wife is Brazilian, and she is craving yams. Cannot buy them anywhere (can order online but costs stupid money). Has anyone here successfully grown them in England? If so, how? Surely Yams are just Sweet Potatos? If so they are available in all the leading supermarkets. No. Sweet potatoes may be yams, but not all yams are sweet potatoes. Anyway, sweet potatoes aren't yams, except in a few places the other side of the pond. Regards, Nick Maclaren. |
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