BenEltham

I'm looking for cordwood /Green firewood I can saw and split myself. Location: Eltham, Greenwich. I would like about 5 m3 ideally. Do get in touch.

Keen to get some green firewood tipped for me to cut up and then split. Eltham Greenwich - see my tip site Ben's tip site. In the circumstances I am willing to pay a bit as prices are high due to demand.

If you want a visual identification tool the book 'The English Apple' by Roseanne Sanders is useful - you can narrow it down using that by season, colour, blossom type, etc.

They have actually now excellent dimensions for proper orchard trees - well done indeed. I would take those water shoots off and seek to remove all upwards vertical new growth. Fruiting wood is caused by lateral growth so you ought to select such shoots to leave and prune others. You can prune shoots to an outward facing bud in order to promote lateral growth. Get rid of the wet green upwards ones, though (now a good time) . You can also give these a summer prune in late July along the same principles of espalier pruning. The water shoots dried are very helpful as kindling and airation when starting a wood burner fire. Do you know the varieties? When you have fruit, take some nice photos and let us see whether we can identify them here. An app won't be able to.

I am the proud owner of a Lidl Florabest mains powered chainsaw. I use it to chop up wood dropped off by tree surgeons where I live in Eltham, just under Oxleas Woods (by the way I need more of this - see Ben's Hardwood Tip Site). I am intensely aware that it doesn't exactly drip with testosterone compared to the magnificent thoroughbred machines some of you guys have - you know who you are. But on the other hand it was about £40 several years ago and I think a good buy of its kind. I read in a book called Norwegian Wood that some men in their 80s over there have still got their 1940's Jonserd petrol saws going strong. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Norwegian-Wood-Non-fiction-Book-Year/dp/0857052551 Perhaps I ought to nurture and care for my Lidl Florabest like that and stop complaining like the whingey git I am. However it is only just up to the task and even with decent chain sharpening and new chains, it doesn't make it that easy. Can anyone recommend a better make of mains-powered chainsaw? Not too expensive? Is there such a thing?

Please only leave sawable/splittable hardwood (so no petrified or rotted wood) from firewood trees such as Ash, Oak, Chestnut, Maple, Fruit Wood etc. You can fill the council green bin with chips, but please no more than that. I saw it up myself using a Lidl Chainsaw! Please leave on driveway by prior arrangement so we can move the car. House number when you get in contact.