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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 |
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