545 replies to this topic

[Norway]

Could you approach a farmer who might have the right machinery? There has to be a network for this stuff - are there young farmers' clubs over there? Or an agricultural college needing a practical experience task? Or France's answer to Nick Knowles?

 

I've been taxi-ing rhubarbs rescued from one allotment, to other gardens and allotments today - what fun! Lots of jolly digging, farmyard manure and laughs.

[Aquarelle]

We do have a farm behind us but the farmer is not approachable. I don't think we have young farmer's clubs. Actually I don't think we have any young farmers around here. We do have professional lycées with farming courses but none near here. Seems a bit hopeless.  I'm thinking of taking a different line with the gardeners and trying to find one who will accept to cealr up one small part of the garden at a time . properly instead of tring to do all of it ineffedtively.

[Norway]

What about a builder with a JCB mini digger?

[Aquarelle]

Mini-diogger? No I need a real bull dozer!but have just found an advert for a firm which might actually fit the bill. I will be investigating.

[Norway]

A full on turbo industrial grade bulldozer may get it done quicker. I guess you'd need something with a grabbing "opposable thumb", so to speak. If you type in "JCB mini digger v brambles" into Google, there's a Youtube video of it going on.

[Aquarelle]

I have just got round to checking out the video. thanks Norway. I think it has to be the big brother! I do know that under some of the brambles there is a large amount of rubble - but that's another story. What I would really like is to have the garden landscaped - but to be pro-nature and wild life. Only the piggy bank won't stretch to it. Perhpas if I plan carefully I could get it done a bit at a time. Meanwhile I will be making a start on it manually as from next week - when term finishes!

[Norway]

I wish you were in the UK - we could have a forum working party for a laugh! And most of us will do (almost) anything for chocolate cake!

[Tenor Viol]

Some will be aware of my stupidly difficult and expensive garden landscaping, entirely due to the dishonest builders when I bought the house who assured me the 'hill' at the back would be reduced to no more than 1 metre.... Back in 2001 I got a quote for terracing/landscaping and it was £23k then....

 

When I finally could afford to tackle it a few years ago, we worked out that from top left hand corner to front of house is a 5m drop. It also tilts left to right as well.

 

Had to put in concrete retaining and build up the side by about 1200mm. About 120 tonnes of earth were moved and 48 tonnes was disposed of by grab wagon. Main terracing has been done with oak sleepers for the posts and half sleepers for the horizontals anchored with 8 inch lag bolts. 120 sq m of stone patio has been laid, involving mountains of MOT hardcore and sand.

 

I was going to put planted borders down the side of the path and new brick retaining wall at the front and along the path edge of the terrace. I've got fed-up with how long it's all taking (into year 5 now). 1 cubic metre of slate chippings were dropped on my path yesterday (we will draw a veil over the fact it should have been bagged....). I'm curretnly having a break from transporting it about 25kg at a time the 50 yards round the back... 

 

Tomorrow, 4 tonnes of topsoil arrives so that I can prepare for the lawn down the side....

[stetenorve]

My lawn has developed awful cracks following the recent dry spell and heat. The subsoil  is predominantly clay. 

[Tenor Viol]

I am on solid clay - I have blue clay as well as the usual red and grey... The four tonnes of topsoil arrived on Saturday. A very nice lad in the wagon carefully deposited the four bags on the drive on Saturday morning. I was going to sort it out yesterday, then it basically rained non-stop from about 9am until I went to bed. Currently having a tea break as I have just barrowed one tonne around the back... three to go.. 

[Tenor Viol]

I  barrowed 3 tonnes to start with, which overall took me about 3 hours. I then tried raking it out to level it. 

Today I had a serious go at levelling it. First I had to do the "Titchmarsh Waddle" to firm it up, then raked it. Then I got a big timber post and dragged it over to even it up. Repeated the Titchmarsh Waddle but at right-angles to first time. Rake and then dragged timber post again. Then I repeated but with me kneeling and dragging the post short distances and filling any hollows.

I used about half of the remaining tonne of soil. Took about 4 hours in all. 

35m^{2 of} turf arrive tomorrow...

 

EDIT: oh dear... typing is getting worse...

Edited by Tenor Viol, 28 July 2022 - 04:43 .

[Tenor Viol]

The turf arrived at 8.30 this morning. This afternoon I spent just on four hours laying it. It's currently being watered by a sprinkler. Like a giant game of Tetris as the lawn is irregular in shape - sort of two irregular quadrilaterals and a taper...

[Clarimoo]

Hats off to you Capability Tenor Viol, that is gardening on a grand scale!

...and all I've managed is a bit of dead-heading.

[Norway]

Mended my neighbour's broken concrete bird bath with Exterior Polyfilla. Joining concrete to concrete in a glue like fashion isn't really what it is for - it's more for filling in gaps in pointing. It seems to have done the trick. I'm just about to check whether it glued the legs back on her concrete teddy bear garden ornament. Bear with!

[Tenor Viol]

My knees and shoulders need a rest from a week of humping and lumping tons of slate, soil and turf around.