Pete Tattam

Don't just leave it to it's own devices. It will progress through long grasses to scrub to emergent woodland. Mow late summer after wildflowers have seeded to encourage a wildflower meadow. Leave longer around field margins and plant hedgerows (if you don't already have them). A few habitat piles of sticks and/or logs will give overwintering sites for inverterbrates etc. Leave some bare earth areas and create a few banked areas. Plant some trees to supplement any you already have. Diverse habitats will produce diverse wildlife.

I thought this forum was to seek advice and politely put forward our opinions. For a while this thread has become an opportunity to slag each other off. Now I am new to this site and don't want to appear cocky but please gents keep it friendly.

Never seen a £15 note! I only do small jobs for little old ladies etc but have been given a wheelbarrow, Stihl strimmer and an unnamed petrol lawnmower amongst other things. Those who grow vegetables etc always give me a selection to try.

Christ! I've just done a favour for a friend of a friend....1m3 of ash at £25. I must be stoopid!

Use Husky long and short reach. Work as well as Stihl IMO but cheaper to buy. Only had them 18 months so can't comment on longevity.

I have a small number of regular clients who I visit usually once a fortnight, depending on their requirements. I generally mow grass and cut hedges (doing only one becomes mind numbingly boring). I do however do a bit of general gardening for them as well, when asked. I charge by the hour (£10) and do a maximum of 6 hours a day, and I try not to work every day. BUT I only work to supplement an occupational pension and to keep myself busy. If you want to make a living out of it you will need to work more hours and/or charge more. I would suggest charging by the hour for small jobs and by job when it's a larger and longer commitment. Be flexible both on how you charge and what you actually do. I've made more dismantling an old shed then any hedge/grass cutting!!

There will always be people who want to save a few quid by DIYing. A guy locally cut his arm off a year or so ago, had no instruction in saw use and was working alone. Had to find a neighbour to help. Fortunately medics were able to re-attach arm and he regained some use of it. A course as suggested here would have likely saved him the injury and the NHS a fortune. Go for it.

In a previous incarnation I was Old Bill. Once stopped a convoy of travellers (political correctness prevents me using my preferred euphamism) caravans. Discovered a couple of nicked caravans and in a Transit five nicked chainsaws, two brushcutters,two leaf blowers and several sets of climbing tackle. The guy who had his yard burgled a couple of nights earlier was well chuffed to get it back particularly as he had a big job coming up. Times like that made me love the job. If your the arb who got his gear back pm me and I'll let you buy me a beer!!

I used to be involved with a local badger group. We installed many badger gates to exclude them from setts that were on land to be developed. Badgers use established paths around their territory. Identify where those paths are ( a lot are clearly visible) and place your gates exactly on the path line. The badgers will use them, no problem. I would suggest contacting your local badger group, they would pleased to help.

have used the system once. Go to the County Court and speak with staff there, I found them very helpful. As it's "only" £200 should be pretty straightforward. You will have to fill in a form obviously with a basic statement of the facts. Be as concise as you can without leaving out any pertinent details. Include date/times you were there working, the size/complexity of the job etc. Also her apparent happiness with the job at the time. There is an option to accept arbitration which basically means someone from the court will phone both parties and try to find a compromise. You don't speak with the other party yourself. My case went to arbitration and the other party buckled and paid up. Seems the chancers quite often do when they realise you actually mean it when the court gets in touch and they realise how much it could cost them. Unfortunately you don't know if you've got a chancer untill you set the ball rolling. Hard core bill avoiders are different. I have a mate who went through the whole business to recover £500. Court found in his favour but other party still didn't pay. Court issued a "Warrant of Distress" so that baillifs could remove property to value of bill owed, which they did (including covering their costs). However my mates final bill ran out at £785 so he was £285 out of pocket. Start the process but if it becomes clear you are on a loser my advice would be to bale out and cut your losses.l

Has anyone used an IBC crate for burning in? I'm looking to create a large (and cheap) heater (instead of a chimnea or firepit) to use in the garden or at picnic type events. Would the crate stand up to the heat produced? Or any ideas of what else I could use of similar size? I saw some nice young men using a police car for the same purpose on the streets of Tottenham a few months ago but not sure that's practical or legal!!

I was based at the Seven Sisters Country Park which is basically used as a dogs toilet for the locals. sad git that I am I started counting the number of bags I collected over the season (even though dog bins wer provided). I gave up when I reached four figures! Our volunteer rangers worked their danglers off as I'm sure they do everywhere. Good on you Matt, your pics and stories remind me what I'm missing.

I worked for the South Downs Joint Committee (now defunct as National Park authority taken over) a couple of years back and did a lot of ROW work using only strimmers. I can't believe how many people pick their dog crap up in those little black bags and then hide them in the vegetation. The bloody things explode when hit by strimmer line. Moral? Don't strim without full face perspex visor. Dog crap goes straight through mesh visors......I know!!!

I think all attempts at "greening" have their down side. I have had solar panels installed and spent ages weighing up the pro's (cash income,free electricity,and saving the planet) with the con's (initial outlay of £10,000+, how much energy to create,supply and install). In the end I looked after number 1 and took 25 years of cash income. I'm sure the ecological benefits will win eventually. And trees will last a darn site longer than my panels. Plant, plant and plant some more.

It must depend on the size and quantity of logs you are producing. I only produce a small quantity and have given away poor quality green stuff (willow/poplar etc) to people who can store it for long periods but can't afford to buy elsewhere. Better logs (ash/sycamore etc) I store for about 6-8 months and then sell on to a neighbour who can carry on seasoning before use. I have also supplied larger diameter stuff to a local project to edge pathways through woodland (doesn't matter what species here). Basically you can get rid of most if you ask around and price it right. If you are producing large quantitiesand/or decent quality the guys here will sort you out.

I've made several for myself out of opensided pallet crates given away free by my local tile store (they get their tiles delivered in them). I simply turn 'em on their sides, whack a plywood top on & waterproof with off cuts of tarp. Don't look pretty but do the job and cost next to nothing. However they can harbour false black widow spiders!!!

seems the little buggers are everywhere now, I've been told of dozens of sightings local to me in East Sussex. Watch out chaps, very black shiny (almost like patent leather) round bodies. I have felt awful since being bitten. Anti histamines made no difference and poor old mum is dead so no chicken soup!!!

Got bitten by a spider today which I disturbed in my log store. The bite became very swollen and painful. From my derscription Doc said it was a false black widow which has colonised from the continent. Apparently peoples reactions can vary from nil to quite serious. Anyone else come across one?

Close enough that the branches are almost touching in still conditions and rattling each other in the high winds we often experience on the coast. I'd happily take the lot down but the client wants to keep them if possible......"they remind me of my childhood in France"...blah blah!

No oozing spots, everything looks fine and dandy other than that already mentioned. Submitting photos is a problem for a technophobe who doesn't own a mobile with a camera (shock horror!) or any other type of camera. I really must drag myself into the 20th century........sorry I've just been informed its the 21st century now! Just using this new fangled type of magic lantern is a minor triumph. Thanks for advice so far

I have been asked to look at a line of Lombardy Poplars which are showing signs of die back. These trees are about 15 years old according to the client and are fairly close planted. The die back/damage is only evident where there is a neighbouring tree i.e the two outside trees are fine on both outside edges but damaged on the inside. All the trees inside the line are damaged on both sides. My opinion is that they are too close together so that when we have strong winds the outer edges clash and cause the problem. Does anyone have other ideas? Is the only remedy removal and replanting further apart? Thanks guys.