[Growster...]

As is to be expected about now, among all the triumphs and tribulations, there are many tales of woe about crop disappointments - least of all from Plot Growster with a sorry tale of totally lost peas, carrots, shallots and onions.

Some time ago, I asked if anyone had heard of sterilising soil by burning heaps of it over a bonfire, and then redistributing it around the plot. The word was 'Densher', and it turned out to be a local Kent/Sussex term, and Mumofstig found the answer for me.

I accept that bonfires are often frowned on, but I reckon it makes sense however, that if there's a persistent spore, pest or virus in the topsoil, that the idiot faces at the EU  have decreed cannot be killed off by pesticides or fungicides, then a quick bonfire to give them a good seeing-to must be a reasonable option. (the spores and viruses, not the 'faces' you understand...!)

I know this subject is often paraded here, and I cannot stand the smell of Jeyes fluid or any other 'banned' substance, so why not a damn good fire, and be done with it all for a few years?

[Yorkie]

I can see your thought process.  I don't know whether it would work, but how will you know when you've gone deep enough in the soil to get rid of pathogens?  Another worry is that if you put too much soil on a fire at once, it will block the oxygen and thus the fire will go out.

[mumofstig]

Sounds a good idea  but I don't know that an ordinary bonfire would generate enough heat to kill off nuisance spores buried quite deeply in the soil and it would also kill off all the good stuff in the top layers at least

But if you are going to give it a try, by all means feel free to add a few Eureaucrats to the flames when it's burning nice and hot   

[Springlands]

I sort of remember someone talking about this in a book - but cannot remember which book. What they did was to put the soil into a metal container - the sort that is used to burn garden waste - which was supported on bricks. They then lit a fire under the container and the heat from the fire was supposed to sterilise the soil.

[Springlands]

Sounds a good idea  but I don't know that an ordinary bonfire would generate enough heat to kill off nuisance spores buried quite deeply in the soil and it would also kill off all the good stuff in the top layers at least

But if you are going to give it a try, by all means feel free to add a few Eureaucrats to the flames when it's burning nice and hot   

Wonder if the Eurocrats would add any goodness to the soil or just make it worse. 

[simonwatson]

Soil has a very low thermal conductivity. I think you'd struggle to get down more than a couple of inches.

[sunshineband]

I sort of remember someone talking about this in a book - but cannot remember which book. What they did was to put the soil into a metal container - the sort that is used to burn garden waste - which was supported on bricks. They then lit a fire under the container and the heat from the fire was supposed to sterilise the soil.

Back in the day, soil was sterlised to use for seed sowing, by baking it in the oven, so this idea sounds like it would work.

It's just the sheer volume of soil to deal with even in one little raised bed that has me wondering  :blink: :blink:

[stentman]

What they did was to put the soil into a metal container - the sort that is used to burn garden waste - which was supported on bricks. They then lit a fire under the container and the heat from the fire was supposed to sterilise the soil.

A similar method with an old steel drum on bricks here.

 http://university.uog.edu/cals/people/PUBS/SOILS/Sterlzrs.pdf

Does it work? I have no idea.

[mumofstig]

they cooked it in a big metal box-type thing above an overnight fire on the Victorian Kitchen Garden (I think) and used it for seed sowing.
It was damp soil and he said that the steam rising through it was what sterilised it

[Growster...]

Blimey; that was quick!

The idea my dad used, was learned from some old boys in the village in the nineteen fifties.

We had a huge bonfire of old furniture, and he piled shovelfulls of soil and weeds onto it, leaving a hole in the top as a chimney.

It burned for a couple of days, and the reddened soil which came off the top was really like a very under-burnt brick, but very crumbly and very easy to chuck around the garden

I agree though that there would have to be

a) a damn big bonfire to do an average plot, and

b)a lot of muscle to get it seen to, but, if it's just enough to use for spot planting where the viruses/pests lurk, then shouldn't the plants get away easier?

[Growster...]

And for good measure, of course, I'd add several hundred pounds (even kilos if you say so), of blubbery eurocrats to the heap. At least we'd get a reasonable amount of lard and hot air...

Now that's spoilt what was looking like a good thread of posts...sorry...

Hmphhh.

Anyway, I've said I'm sorry now, so where were we...!

[Robert_S]

How about stir frying on a high heat 

[sunshineband]

How about stir frying on a high heat 

Small volumes only of course 

[Bing]

this is an organic method, borrow all the magnfiers you can, and then use the solar energy do the following ( you can always find a way tight them on sticks)...and leave them for days till the soil is really burnt...then clean and return all the magnifiers

[Growster...]

I stand and bow to the ingenuity of Bing...!

It's inventions like this which made Britain Great!

Roll over Dyson; bye bye Sinclair - Floreat Bing!