What Preps are you doing this week? Part 5.

[Arzosah]

Just read it, thank you Simon!

I've been digging over the soil at the bottom of the ex-heap of hedge clippings. Surrounded it with scaffold boards/bed slats, and kept picking it over (I left alone all the pigeon feathers - either a fox or a really big cat had fun in my garden a few days ago!). Just tipped about 40 litres of topsoil over it, as there are clods of clay soil and exposed worms, and put a bag of decomposing leaf mould in each half: its going to make a great little bed for a couple of big perennials, lots of sun there too.

[jansman]

Swept the big chimney today.I always sweep that one twice a year,as it gets used the most.Its also a big bugger.Takes 14 rods.Anyhow,as a pat on the back to myself,I think I will go pike fishing tomorrow!

[Yorkshire Andy]

14 rods! That's s bigun!


Well I had a free day Saturday (grandma stole the kids) Mrs Andy at work so tackled the mould that had begun to appear in the bathroom....

Extended the tiles round the bath ) shower .. higher to stop splash into the wall paper ( wall was soaked) it's a council house had looked into wet wall panels but £25 a sheet + trim / joining mouldings feck that £7 a sq meter that match the 3 or 4 different tiles stuck to the wall over the years

Past few evenings ive


Resealed the bath with sanitary sealant sprayed mould killer wherever I could find mould

Raked out old grout and regrouped with + fungicidal grout ( bit more to do)

Roof repainted after filling cracks and covering with mould blocker with fungicidal paint
.and replaced the archeic 2 stick CFL light with a modern led unit (ip44 rated as outside any of the "zones" of the wiring regs) half the wattage! ,= Half the running cost good old Lidl 2 new tubes were pushing £12 new light £15 and it contains a sensor so it goes off after a preset time with no movement when the kids leave it on inspected by sparky (father in law) and old fitting out in the loft to put back to original if ever we move

[grenfell]

Swept the big chimney today.I always sweep that one twice a year,as it gets used the most.Its also a big bugger.Takes 14 rods.Anyhow,as a pat on the back to myself,I think I will go pike fishing tomorrow!

Just a question . Do you use the soot in the garden? I collect my soot , and ashes obviously , from the woodburner to use as did my father but looking on the internet opinion seems devided as to whether it's a good idea or not.

[Pete_59]

Have removed post as I hadn't read the post I was answering properly

[jansman]

Swept the big chimney today.I always sweep that one twice a year,as it gets used the most.Its also a big bugger.Takes 14 rods.Anyhow,as a pat on the back to myself,I think I will go pike fishing tomorrow!

Just a question . Do you use the soot in the garden? I collect my soot , and ashes obviously , from the woodburner to use as did my father but looking on the internet opinion seems devided as to whether it's a good idea or not.

No.As I burn coal too,I consider it toxic.OTOH,my father in law swears by it,and he does have a nice garden.He does ' weather it' for a few months though before applying it.

[grenfell]

To be fair I don't burn coal save for the occasional lump or two and no treated wood either and save the soot which I then leave to mature for six months or a year,. I then add a little to the soil as I'm turning it over and adding manure etc.
My father did burn more coal than I do and did use the soot . I seem to recall him using around the rhubarb and also as a deterrent against slugs and snails.
I've read about adding bio char to the soil , it's essentially carbon and will absorb nutrients rather than them being leeched out. Well that's the theory and as soot is largely carbon too there seems to be some who advocate that it will do the same job. Then again there's others who believe the primary idea of soot is to darken and thus help with the warming of the soil. To be honest I don't really see it having much of a darkening effect considering the limited amount that is added but the bio char effect is interesting.

[jansman]

To be fair I don't burn coal save for the occasional lump or two and no treated wood either and save the soot which I then leave to mature for six months or a year,. I then add a little to the soil as I'm turning it over and adding manure etc.
My father did burn more coal than I do and did use the soot . I seem to recall him using around the rhubarb and also as a deterrent against slugs and snails.
I've read about adding bio char to the soil , it's essentially carbon and will absorb nutrients rather than them being leeched out. Well that's the theory and as soot is largely carbon too there seems to be some who advocate that it will do the same job. Then again there's others who believe the primary idea of soot is to darken and thus help with the warming of the soil. To be honest I don't really see it having much of a darkening effect considering the limited amount that is added but the bio char effect is interesting.

To be fair,adding soot to the garden has been around for ever,so I truly could not comment.When we moved here the soil was black as your hat,so had obviously had soot added.They burnt more coal too,( they had lived here for about sixty years)and the soil was quite fertile.In fact,the owner grew show onions,and was a bit of a celebrity amongst local gardeners.My own reluctance to use it is probably down to me over thinking the matter!

[grenfell]

I seem to remember coal ashes and clinker being used to form paths. An uncle I had certainly used it in his garden as I can recall him doing it when I was probably 6 or 7 . I do wish I paid a little more attention as to how or what he mixed it with ( he also talked about working at Dunlop during the war , something else I now wish I'd paid attention too , another story ) . I've also encountered lime ash floors during my working life although they were indoors so I assume the coal ash paths must have had cement mixed in with it rather than lime (?).

[jansman]

Where I built a garden wall here,there was the remnant of a clinker path.Frankly I think they just used to riddle the ash out and bung the clinker down.Quick and practical waste disposal.