[juvenal]

It always surprises me how allotment folk pile up rubbish during the summer for autumn burning, then let the lot get soaked again and again by the rain.

Any old plastic sheet over it means a dry pile for ultimate firing, and less smoke to annoy the local washing line folk.

Give a your pile of dry stuff a quick check for hedgehogs before lighting.

[m1ckz]

each to his own   lol

[steved]

Tried covering with an old tarp last year, but found the condensation created from the expiring green stuff kept it wetter than it would have been from the rain!
Ive found that its not so much the sun that dries it out, but being able to breathe and get the wind through it.

[sunshineband]

Tried covering with an old tarp last year, but found the condensation created from the expiring green stuff kept it wetter than it would have been from the rain!
Ive found that its not so much the sun that dries it out, but being able to breathe and get the wind through it.

That old traditional date in November always sees ours away.... no washing out then so the smoke from damp sticks etc is no bother to anyone, and it soon dries to give good clear flames after that initial smokiness. Love it!!

[steved]

Ive cleared 10 rods worth of 8ft high brambles and 14 oak trees upto 16" diameter in the last 5 weeks, my pile of rubbish is as high as my house. I reckon the guys on the International Space Station will see the glow from it on Oct 1st-the first day were allowed to burn, because of the houses nearby-who have been burning all summer

[mjg000]

I agree, it's not so much the rain getting on it, that dries out with the wind quite quickly, it's the green-ness of the wood that makes it difficult to burn and that dries out better without covers over.

[sunshineband]

Ive cleared 10 rods worth of 8ft high brambles and 14 oak trees upto 16" diameter in the last 5 weeks, my pile of rubbish is as high as my house. I reckon the guys on the International Space Station will see the glow from it on Oct 1st-the first day were allowed to burn, because of the houses nearby-who have been burning all summer

My brother lives in Cosham . I'll warn him about the glow in the sky to come 

[SusieB]

Don't forget the to move before burning, so the hedgehogs, frogs and little beasties can escape.

[Thrutchington]

Oak trees lucky you, I'd have logged the lot up for my fire and stove at home. Re allotment bonfire I keep a few fires worth of dry wood in the shed on my plot, and the outside stuff only gets burned if it's been a dry day. Built a fireplace on the plot to contain it out of old bricks, so it burns hot and clean.

[sunshineband]

Oak trees lucky you, I'd have logged the lot up for my fire and stove at home. Re allotment bonfire I keep a few fires worth of dry wood in the shed on my plot, and the outside stuff only gets burned if it's been a dry day. Built a fireplace on the plot to contain it out of old bricks, so it burns hot and clean.

Now why didn't I ever think of building a fireplace?    I have one of those metal bins with a chimney which does a good job, but it is awkward reloading mid-fire if there is a lot to burn.

[Norfolkgrey]

Am I the only wuss when it come to fires? 

I pile up wood as and when, but if I go to burn I put it in an incinerator bin so no burnt hedgey-hogs and I get to keep most of my grass 

[cadalot]

Last Plot I used to incinerators this plot one massive bonfire me thinks - weeds on a pallet so air can circulate under and covered to keep the wet out, uncovered each time I visit to dig up more weeds and add to the pile. Aiming for an October burn up, bought the fire lighters and have my gas weed burner to help get things going.

[Thrutchington]

Fire lighters?! I use brown cardboard or leftover potato sacks with a few smashed up bits of pallet to get mine going then chuck the scrap wood on a few pieces at a time, ensures that any wildlife can get free and I can feed the fire steadily as opposed to lighting the whole pile. The fireplace is just about 150 bricks stacked in a rectangle, about 4 feet wide, 18" deep and a couple of feet high.

[madcat]

Am I the only wuss when it come to fires? 

Nope.  It is very rare that we succumb to a fire.  If it can compost it will - which might involve drowning the odd bucket of weeds first.  Hedge trimmings from the house go to the council in the brown bin, although it might take two batches, and those from the lottie go into the beetle bank we have built on a bit of scrub behind the plot (it does the double duty of a wildlife resource and stopping the development of an 'informal footpath' being made by the local dogwalkers which was coming out on our plot with the inevitable consequences!).   

Last weekend we did - the hedges at the back had been trimmed/shorn (they didnt get done properly last year) and the route to the bin at the front was nearly blocked .... there was a bare patch, no wind and so we did the deed after checking with the neighbour.  But we built it, fired it, attended it and put it out within 2 hours ....  Burnt 4 builders bags of green hedge trimmings in the process and started it with a crisp packet and about a dozen HMRC envelopes. Wish I could have done the same to the contents!