(no subject)

[watervole]

 So tired today. Asthma.  We had a bout of fog a week or two ago and that trapped all the polution and set off a bad attack and I'm still not fully over it.

Seems to be a lethal combination of diesel fumes and wood-burning stoves that's causing the UK to breach clean air legislation with appalling frequency.

Funny thing really - I used to think wood-burning stoves were a great idea.  That was before  I discovered how lethal the fumes are from the best-designed stoves, let alone the worst ones.  Wood fires are nasty things and bonfires that have random stuff tipped on them are worst of all.

I was out walking a couple of days ago and was reacting to a bonfire long before I actually saw it.

Let wood rot down in your garden if you can. Be nice to beetles. Only burn it if you've no other option.  Your lungs will thank you.

Comments

[pensnest]

I'm so glad that we have a small patch of land immediately next to our garden which is perfect as a depository for pruned branches (and, sometimes, grass cuttings). Our compost bins cannot cope with the output! Small beasties will be very happy in there, and we don't have to have bonfires.

[feng_shui_house]

I have two compost heaps in my yard. Even without turning them, at the end of a year I can dig underneath and get enough nice rich soil to fill up a few pots, or add to a flower bed. So it looks a little farmy, there's no one but me to see.

[lexin]

We have a large compost heap in the back garden of the flats. I once found two stag beetles on the path near it, the size of mini-vans. They were huge, I wish I'd photographed them for evidence they existed, because I've never seen beetles that big in the UK.

[ranunculus]

I coughing as well. Mold, not smoke tho. So, much sympathy.
Of course we do burn in Ukiah where there is enormous amounts of downed wood and it composts very very slowly due to our 6+ months of very dry weather.

In my SF garden compost I cut my woody branches into fairly small lengths, 2 to 6 inches so it will pack down well and compost. If I just toss our a pile of prunings, especially on the Ranch it takes years for them to compost.

[watervole]

Mold. Shudder - I know exactly where that would leave me - gasping.

Has the Marin project experimented with wood chip?

It's normally a crap soil mulch as it robs nitrogen and is thus good at suppressing weeds. but I'm wondering what it would be like at helping retain soil moisture (which seems to be the key factor in your area). Maybe plant the occasional desirable grass in a small space in a wood chip mulch?

Of course, any experiment on that front requires you to have a wood chipper and you may not.