The compost heap - off topic thread

looksee

There is currently a fine little avocado growing out of the bottom of the bin, through the slats. Its in a narrowish space between the compost bin and the boiler, backed by a stone wall, so well sheltered, it looks very healthy and doing well. It must have already survived a winter or two, I only noticed it this summer.

paddylonglegs

managed to get some mulch over the dahlia tubers over the Christmas break. Hoping it will protect them from this frost. Lifting dahlia tubers is just too much work

magicbastarder

i don't bother with anything like that. if they don't survive, they're not worth the effort!

tampopo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122877082#Comment_122877082

I stick an election poster under the edge of the bin, and another over the edge of the first one. then I rock the bin and lift it up and I slide off the top, fresh stuff. You get the well rotted stuff at the bottom, which you can keep to one side. Replacing the bin, I throw the freshest stuff in first at the bottom, followed by whatever I haven't bagged. Job's a good 'un.

looksee

Yes, that's pretty much the plan, take off the dalek, fork the top stuff into a wheelbarrow, collect the good stuff then replace the unrotted barrowfull back into the bin. I will get round to it!

magicbastarder

looking for opinions on how hard you can cut back curly hazel; i know 'normal' hazel can be cut back hard, but i have heard that if you're too brutal with curly hazel it'll prompt the rootstock to sprout and you'll get loads of straight hazel rods.

we have one in the garden that's easily 4m tall and probably the same spread, and i need to put manners on it.

looksee

I don't actually know - I had one in a previous garden but never had to cut it. Maybe if you cut back, say, a third of it for now, then another third next year etc. Suggest you put a few of the cuttings in water and see if they root, just in case.

standardg60

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123204364#Comment_123204364

Should be fine to reduce it back by half anyway, seems to be pot luck whether they produce suckers or not, if you've not had any before be less likely to produce them.

magicbastarder

any orchid growers on the forum here who live near dublin 9 or dublin 11? i recently came into possession of some giant sequoia bark which i believe orchid growers like for growing orchids on. i've not much use for it.

it's fibrous and ludicrously light.

looksee

That sounds so gloriously exotic and community and stuff! I am about as far from D9 as you can get and anyway don't need orchid bark, but its pleasing 😀

magicbastarder

Would you believe, the Irish orchid society are having their annual display in the botanic gardens this weekend, which is about a 15 minute walk away from me. But they're headquartered there as far as I can see. And it's where I got the bark...

looksee

Feeling virtuous as I rescued a bumble bee - saw one staggering around on the gravel, looking a bit poorly, so I rescued it on a spade and took it over to an aubretia plant and gently dropped it among the flowers. It immediately grabbed a flower with all its legs and stuck its face into the middle of it. Hopefully it's somewhat better now, it had gone when I went back to look.

New Home

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123317478#Comment_123317478

💛🖤💛🖤🤍

magicbastarder

anyone know of anywhere in ireland that would sell raised beds like these? our scaffolding plank beds lasted three or four years and are now falling apart.

(photo nicked from instagram)

looksee

There was a discussion about them before, maybe a year or so ago.

found this:

https://www.quickcrop.ie/products/vegtub-metal-raised-bed.html

Seems like an awful price for a raised bed. You would buy some larch planks for that.

paddylonglegs

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123391207#Comment_123391207

I was going to use this natural preserver on non treated wood for my soon to be raised beds. Non toxic

https://www.fruithillfarm.com/healthy-living-and-eating/natural-paints/livos-exterior-wood-protection.html

standardg60

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123395936#Comment_123395936

Don't mind that, just line the inside with DPM or even compost bags cut to fit, far better to keep the soil away from them altogether.

magicbastarder

i lined our raised beds with DPC; they lasted four years.

standardg60

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123395958#Comment_123395958

Exception proves the rule😁

magicbastarder

Rust spots already quite visible on the garlic. That's quite a bit earlier than I'm used to seeing it.

MacDanger

Anyone able to recommend a bird feeder? Considering something like this:

https://www.thegardenshop.ie/bird-feeder-station/

https://www.thegardenshop.ie/squirrel-proof-bird-feeder/

looksee

Pretty much any of the basic stands are much the same. If you could find one with a single pole rather than jointed it would be better, the joints always sag after a while. Your main considerations will be how tall is it - probably not tall enough - and to make it stand sturdily. The little spike at the bottom is never enough to support it, especially with the weight of two or three feeders on it. If you could firmly fix a timber post then fasten it (zip ties work remarkably well) to the post you would have a better chance of it staying upright. Of course a timber post is much easier for a cat to run up, so you may have to consider a way round that.

Sigma101

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123591060#Comment_123591060

Not the information you were looking for so apologies for that, but I heard Éanna Ní Lamhna on the radio a couple of weeks ago suggesting that we shouldn't feed birds at all. Having read a little about it since it appears there's a growing view that feeding birds can do more harm than good.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/jan/24/should-we-stop-feeding-birds-what-happens-if-we-do-and-does-it-spread-disease?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other

We stopped leaving out food for birds years ago but for different reasons - we found evidence of unwelcome long tailed furry visitors to the garden.