Is it possible to make a large sieve out of willow?

[Speicher]

Use one of those big plastic bread trays the supermarkets have but always seem to be lying at the side of the road somewhere. They have metal bars along two sides that make them ideal for putting over a frame and slide back n forth to riddle the compost. I was given one from the garden centre when I bought plants.

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I may have some spare castors in the garage, that I could somehow attach to the underside of one of those (also in the garage) "Garage" in my case, is a misnomer, it is more a small recycling unit, and repository of things that will be useful one day, and some bicycles.

 

[fixedfixer]

Making a riddle is easy when compared with actually using the thing.

Another trick to make life much easier is to lift the rotavator into the compost bunker (made from old pallets). The results are a nice fine compost or in the earlier stages nicely chopped rough stuff aerated for composting. Don't tell the H&S crowd

 

[fixedfixer]

"Garage" in my case, is a misnomer, it is more a small recycling unit, and repository of things that will be useful one day, and some bicycles.

I'm liking the sound of your Aladins cave. Everyone needs to have a 'garage' like yours.

 

[slowmotion]

Supermarket trolley.

 

[Milkfloat]

Supermarket trolley.

I was about to suggest a borrowed shopping basket - an extra bonus is the ability to use it for a BBQ afterwards.

 

[slowmotion]

I was about to suggest a borrowed shopping basket - an extra bonus is the ability to use it for a BBQ afterwards.

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Class!

 

[Speicher]

Instead of trying to get the compost out of the twigs, why not get the twigs out of the compost using a garden fork? Good exercise too.

The whole process is good exercise, which I enjoy.

I have found a 10" chip basket (cheap as chips) which will help the process.

I also spoke to a very helpful lady about willow. She said it would not be cost effective to buy sticks that were strong enough, as they would be 7ft in length, and long parcels are expensive to post. The two foot long sticks would be too thin. She suggested I go foraging in hedgerows for broken but still bendy thin branches of trees. I then said that my cornus shrub needs hard pruning in about six weeks time. She agreed that this would be ideal in that it is bendy, involves no transport costs and is easily replaceable if it weakens, and if a bit breaks off, that does not matter.

I am sure that somewhere I have some strong string, and/or some U nails.

 

[Speicher]

I was about to suggest a borrowed shopping basket - an extra bonus is the ability to use it for a BBQ afterwards.

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A very good suggestion. I might ask the local corner shop if they have one with broken handles.

 

[accountantpete]

If you have twigs left over then why not build a house for hedgehogs?

 

[Speicher]

I have thought about building an insect hotel using some twigs, sticks etc. I have some bricks for the sides, and an offcut of shed roofing felt, given to me by a neighbour.

There are two three largish heaps of short but wide branches scattered around the garden, for insects. A slow worm took up residence in one corner of the compost heap last year.

The plans that I have seen for hedgehog houses show an "offset" entrance, so that a fox cannot reach the hedgehog. The hedgehog has to turn two corners to reach the cosy space.

 

[HF2300]

Can't you just buy a riddle?

 

[twentysix by twentyfive]

I expect that I am unusual in enjoying making compost.

I'm an avid compost maker. I usually dig it all out and spread on plot. Any big lumps of twig/wood (accidently gotten in there) get picked/raked up. Smaller bits rot away quite quickly once on the plot. However I have a small amount of stuff from under the wood pile which has plastics in it. So I'm girding my loins to sieve as I want to get the bits of plastic gone. The alternative is to chuck it all on the next bonfire. Waste of good compost but it solves the problem.

 

[Speicher]

Can't you just buy a riddle?

I could but they are usually only about 12-15" across, and have holes only half an inch wide. Processing two cubic yards or thereabouts would mean a lot of jiggling about. I find that a riddle is fine (?) for smaller quantities, for instance for preparing compost to mix with soil for potting up.

 

[Speicher]

I'm an avid compost maker. I usually dig it all out and spread on plot. Any big lumps of twig/wood (accidently gotten in there) get picked/raked up. Smaller bits rot away quite quickly once on the plot. However I have a small amount of stuff from under the wood pile which has plastics in it. So I'm girding my loins to sieve as I want to get the bits of plastic gone. The alternative is to chuck it all on the next bonfire. Waste of good compost but it solves the problem.

I am employing a three pronged attack as it were. Some compost has just had the very large twiggy bits taken out, and then spread at the backs of borders. Some has been more finely sieved using a medium-size old chip basket, and some is being properly sieved. I need to start the compost bin again with fresh garden waste. If I bag the compost up, I need to be able to keep it very dry.

 

[HF2300]

I could but they are usually only about 12-15" across, and have holes only half an inch wide. Processing two cubic yards or thereabouts would mean a lot of jiggling about. I find that a riddle is fine (?) for smaller quantities, for instance for preparing compost to mix with soil for potting up.

Oh, OK. I haven't looked but you used to be able to buy them in all sorts of sizes and meshes.