Happy Bealtaine Everyone!
I began the day with a trip to my local town of Carrick-on-Shannon and managed to fit in a spot of urban foraging while I was there!
You see, many of the shops package up their cardboard waste into huge bundles, ready for the waste collection, a service they pay for, by the way!
This kind of waste is excellent for using in both the cottage and on the land.
Using it in the cottage, in the stoves, as an excellent way to start the fire, as the cardboard gives out a brilliant heat!
As a mulch in the garden, especially around newly planted trees as it keeps the weeds and tall grass at bay for a year or more!
This kind of foraging is very practical, as it offsets the cost of the petrol used in the car driving to town…the cardboard in the stove alone saves money that would be spent on firelighters!
When I was building the porch, shown here, I used a lot of recycled cardboard as an insulating material and it works rather well too!
It is also a great, compostable material after using it on the floors on particularly wet days…muddy feet and wet paws!
The video today is about Roses and coppicing…accidental coppicing!
Click on the link below and enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gr-SI2_V7Y&feature=plcp
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I can’t understand why you seem to be having spring/summer before us when you are further north. The Gulf Stream must come closer or maybe you are more sheltered. I appreciate and share your comments about being an economic terrorist – we are too. The main thing I want to ask is advice re birch. We planted some baby birch about 5/6 years ago. One is about a foot high, one two foot high and one about four foot!!! They are SO slow? Any ideas why? I haven’t really done anything to look after them figuring that Nature would do it. How can i improve the lives of my trees? Thanks in advance for any wisdom – Terri
First of all, Terri, my gardens are now very sheltered and that allows the warming to take hold earlier. We have had good weather here in the NW, so that will play it’s part also.
As for the Birch trees…my advice is always:plant them small, do not stake them and visit them often! By visiting them every day, if you can, you will form a bond with them that will encourage you to help them get established; feeding them, mulching the earth around them, bringing them handfuls of grass clippings to mulch and feed them, maybe some rotted manure…for they are as much a part of the Earth as we are…and touching them, for we do not yet know just how energy works, but it is there, as radio waves are in the air. We cannot see them but we know the results…does a baby thrive on food and warmth alone?
Colx
Thank you. You are absolutely right. I’m beginning to do that these days, so hopefully they will catch up. Love to you and your garden.
A great bit of foraging there! I’m partical to a bit of skip diving too 🙂
I spent the morning yesterday planting seed in my polytunnel, it is still so cold and wet here. Your garden looks stunning, I hope mine greens up like yours. My roses are just sticks at the moment although my silver birch seem to be doing quite well. Love your video’s thanks for sharing.