[gazza975526570]

Apologies if this is in the wrong place - mods please move it is

Ok ive had an allotment a few years and have an embarassing admission - i cant make fire!!!

Can someone explain to me how i should make one please as im currently building rubbish up - trying to burn it with no joy and then either burying it (which i guess is fine for most of it) or taking stuff to the tip - not ideal i know.

I know i should also be having a compost heap but i struggle for time as it is so im not currently planning having one

Any help gratefully received!

[andy135]

The first thing that I would do is to check if you are allowed to have a fire. Our assoc. have been threatened with a £1000 fine for anyone burning waste on our plots.
We found a loophole last year when I asked if I could burn blighted tomato and potato haulms instead of transporting them and risk spreading the disease, and the council relented as long as we do it on a calm day, and keep the fire very small.

First off, check.

[JayG]

Not trying to be facetious but surely you would spend less time chucking stuff on a compost heap than you currently do by not having a successful bonfire and then digging holes to bury it instead?!

Anything not suitable for composting whilst still being plant material could be put in a green waste bin if you have one or taken to the facility at the council waste site.

(I love bonfires but rarely have enough suitable material for one and sometimes can't even get the newspaper to light!!!) 

[gazza975526570]

Thanks both

Yeah we can have them within certain times of the day so no problems there - just need to know how to do one!!!

Hear what your saying re the work and something i probably need to look into (Also dont fancy a load of rats being in in!!! )

[mike1987]

youd be better off getting someone to show you really as its something everyone does diffrent ill try write down an easy methoed of doing it (not the way i do it as i dont use paper)
you will need

news paper
long matches
dry twigs
small thin peices of wood
and whatever it is you want to burn prefrably dry

start with a ball of newspaper with some small dry twigs laid over it light the paper/trigs and when the twigs catch light add more larger twigs when these take start adding the thin peices of wood and slowley adding the bigger peices allong with more twigs/thinn wood once you have a good fire going that is not going to burn out quickley then start adding more and more until you have a size of fire that you can control

[arugula]

(I love bonfires but rarely have enough suitable material for one and sometimes can't even get the newspaper to light!!!) 

Not even weeds?  I bought OH one of those incinerator bins last year, it isn't one of the most expensive models available as its pretty obvious that none of those things are going to last that long - especially near the sea. Its a neat way to bonfire as you can throw rubbish in it and burn at you convenience as it fills up. The main point of my telling you this, is that its easier to get lit and keep going. Even I can do this with some reliability and I'm not too clever at starting bonfires.

[compo]

 We use the bin with holes in too. The most important way to get a good fire is to use dry material, and make sure there are gaps for oxygen to circulate. Too much material will make it go out. We use a blowtorch to get the fire going, just put the nozzle through a hole in the bin. A hot fire wont smoke much, and old pallets if kept dry are one of the best fuels. Get it going with these first, then put weeds on. Better than using fuel to take stuff to the tip.

[andy135]

We use the bin with holes in too. The most important way to get a good fire is to use dry material, and make sure there are gaps for oxygen to circulate. Too much material will make it go out. We use a blowtorch to get the fire going, just put the nozzle through a hole in the bin. A hot fire wont smoke much, and old pallets if kept dry are one of the best fuels. Get it going with these first, then put weeds on. Better than using fuel to take stuff to the tip.

You burn pallets...............
I make compost bins out of them. 

[hamstergbert]

Dunno about anyone else but most of the pallets I can get hold of are given to me because they are broken.  Whereas the intact boards are removed reasonably carefully for recycling into something else, the broken bits do tend to end up as fuel either in the incinerator or as kindling for indoors.

If I have lots to burn I start it off with the junk mail that has names and addresses on, build with twigs, woody bits (and pallet bits) and then pile the main stuff on top.  The key is to get the fire really hot to start with and then pile lots on top - the heat dries oput the nearest bits so they will gradually burn and the heat they kick out will dry the next layer and so on.  Piling lots also means that the smoke coming off as green stuff dries then burns is mostly filtered by the layers on top.   Leaves in particular will burble away for days and leave beautifully clean white ash.  That coats me when I try to deal with it!

[mike1987]

(I love bonfires but rarely have enough suitable material for one and sometimes can't even get the newspaper to light!!!) 

Not even weeds?  I bought OH one of those incinerator bins last year, it isn't one of the most expensive models available as its pretty obvious that none of those things are going to last that long - especially near the sea. Its a neat way to bonfire as you can throw rubbish in it and burn at you convenience as it fills up. The main point of my telling you this, is that its easier to get lit and keep going. Even I can do this with some reliability and I'm not too clever at starting bonfires.

ive just got back from my daily check on the plot to find the nice bloke 2 plots down had got me an empty oil drum and some old broken pallets along with some other bits and bobs.....
gues what im doing on my day off this week?

[mashbintater]

I've just read that Mare's Tail is fire resistant, I was hoping to use the resultant ash as potash