farmer rod

If you excavate 100mm say and cast the plinth slightly above ground would give enough weight to secure the bench, use dpm under the slab would help reduce any adverse effects on roots. No guarantees of course!!

Totally agree with the above, but to get anything to germinate it has to be in contact with the soil. The turf layer is very acid, thats how grass prevents infestation by weeds (or wild flowers), or conversely why poached areas get overcome with thistles.

I think the wavin aerator is a brilliant idea, but it might get whipped by the wind, You could put it vertical,buid up rocks round it to make a waterfall into the pond

Demand for forage is quite variable across the country, around here you would be lucky to cover costs making hay every year, usually something beggars it up, this year a glut, next year could be perpetual rain. From a farmers point of view, it ought to be a nice square field with a big gate and no obstructions and with modern big tackle (which I do not have) a minimum of 20 acres. not having seen your meadow of course, so just a suggestion, start your wildflowers in one corner , perhaps trees in the very corner, ask the farmer to miss that bit with the fert, and not cut it for first cut. After a bit just go to one cut late in July with no fertiliser, but be prepared to incur costs of haymaking if you have no takers. Getting the grass baled up and removed as said, is how hay meadows come to look like they do, but it is a real joy if you get a good bit going with bees humming and clouds of butterflies. The original question was how to mow 4 acres, my answer is, first try any way that isnt yourself with a mower.

theres a good reason for doing the toadstool, as I found out with my first go, a high backed chair/ throne, when I stood back from my frantic sawing, lo and behold, only one leg at the front................ At least its got four wings, even if its not still perched on the log

Bob, would a timber trailer that was not used for carrying a load on the highway require brakes? thanks Rod

For Electric, it is down to the Network Operator to sort out the trees near their lines. Round here they turn up every couple of years to get permission to trim etc, I think it pays to be as co-operative as possible, we all need electric!

thankyou Tim

Down in Kent plantations of cob nuts are called Platts, the cob nut is longer and larger than the hazel and there are several recognized varieties and growing them has had a resurgence in recent years due to more interest in local food etc, and the hard work done by people persuading our European brethren that a nut can be sold with the husk on, as is the tradition with cobs. They do not store very well, but if fully ripe you can put them in a tin in the ground and the are ok at Christmas. (None in my possession ever last more than a day or so)

think we are sorted now, thanks for the replies. isnt Arbtalk brilliant

If anyone is free next week, I have a couple of days work knocking down a hawthorn hedge, just cut and chuck, we will be pushing up and burning. (2 men one day would be just as good) On our farm near Lingfield/Edenbridge TN8 Rod 07876 598188

Answered the wrong question then:001_rolleyes: Density of fresh cut wood varies from 509 to 1200, average 880 kg/cu m to convert to stacked longwoods with bark Beech 1.7 Spruce 1.5 So 1000/880 = 1.14 1.14 x 1.6 = 1.82 cu m dont use this a gospel, Ive already answered the wrong question:001_rolleyes: but I make that £33 per cube stacked,

At 13% moisture the density for example Birch 650 kg/cu m Ash 720 Beech 750 to get from density to loose piled logs 1000 kg/ 720 = 1.38 cu metres of roundwood You get 2 cu m of logs from 1 cu m roundwood, so 1.38 x 2 = 2.78 cu m for birch its just a shave over 3 cu m

Im wrestling with an 028, I suspect the coil on mine, possibly a bit of damp when not used for a while, then break down when hot, but this is a guess at the moment.

200. There, sorted!

I would caution that polyprop cant stand the heat, I bought a 50m polyprop for giving the odd leaner a helping hand, ended up using it for trying to dislodge a hung tree and it melted where I had wrapped it round the tractor, sort of wish I had spent more now.

thanks for the replies guys, I was wrong to doubt the first suggestion of apple, must be too many years of seeing Gala on M9s. We have several "wild" apples on the farm some of which bear enough fruit to contribute to the cider, but its hard work picking them when they are only the size of a marble.

thanks for the reply, Ill try and get a better sample, this ones looking a bit jaded after a day in the office

Thanks for the reply Adam Hard get the texture in a picture, the leaves are smoother than hazel, and seem to appear in a bunch at the end of a twig, with the largest leaves at the end. The end of the twig grows upwards with the leaves arranged in a fan.

It could be, the bark looks right, I dont remember seeing the bunch of leaves at the very end of a twig, there should be some sort of blossom/fruit, but the branch I selected was in deep shade. If it is apple then that means even more cider!!

I found this tree on the boundary of our furthest wood, It has perhaps been part of a hedge. Can anyone please tell me what it is as I dont recognize it at all. Just for clarification, the leaves are removed from the tree, and the poor photo of the trunk shown the form

We had some done by these guys Papillon Embroidery Papillon Embroidery Home Page' date=' Papillon Embroidery Welcome Page[/url']

Bump Still there Monday lunchtime

I have a swarm at TN8, accessable from the ground on a sapling 07876 598188 if you can collect