Allotment update - Grape pruning...

So the first actual working trip to the allotment occurred recently, it doesn't look like much was done, but the main job was sorting out the grape vines, so that's out of the way now.

We use more of a no dig method now than we did when we first started out, which is why there's weed control fabric all over the place, we started using it last year (mainly due to time constraints) but noticed a difference in the crops we got.

As an example we grew squashes in two beds on the plot, one that was dug over and prepared the usual way and the other we used weed control fabric and we got a better crop of squashes from the bed where we'd used weed control, so we've expanded the use of it for this year, and as I said it saves time.

Below is the video I took - 

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Homemade garden sieve...

A quick guide on how to make a garden sieve, perfect for covering seeds in seed trays, cheap and quick to make, I had the bit of wood and an off cut of steel mesh already, but you could use a piece of pallet wood, and then all you'd need is some mesh, which you can pick up for around six pounds from various diy type shops.

This one is a good size for covering seeds once you've sown them in seed trays, and as you can see from the video it's easy to make, you don't need any special tools or materials.

The how to -

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Homemade garden fork handle...

It's the time of year where my thoughts turn to all things gardening and so I start making plans and lists of jobs to be done.

Trouble is I broke the handle of the only fork I have for use at home, I have a couple down the allotment, probably should get another for home use (how many forks is too many?) I broke the handle whilst trying to dig up some very old rose bushes that someone in our local area had put on a freecycle type website, in the end I got eight very large (rooted) rose bushes, which are now in the garden in various places, which is good, but it did leave me with a broken garden fork.

So off to the workshop to make a new handle, below is the video.

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Allotment update...

 It's been a while since I put an allotment update on here, so here's the first for this year.

The plot isn't as bad as I thought considering we haven't been near it since October last year and for the whole of last year we weren't able to spend a lot of time there due to work and other reasons.

It will take a bit of graft to get it ship shape, but not too much and we've changed the way we do things over the years to make it a little easier.

Anyway here's the state of our allotment plot, we'll be starting work down there soon.

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Handmade valentines gift...

I've strung together some of the steps I used to make this gift for my wife, it's made in the same way as the hanging Christmas decorations, just slightly more elaborate.

I used Cherry, Pear and copper to make it and each material has a meaning or symbolism attached to it which varies from culture to culture, as an example Cherry trees in Japanese culture symbolise good fortune, new beginnings and revival and in old Buddhist stories the Cherry represents femininity, Pear wood has similar meanings as Cherry, and the shape of the fruit has long been associated with the female form and Pear trees usually live for a long time and Chinese culture associates this with immortality.

The Copper elements also have similar meanings, the metal represented Venus the goddess and the planet in Roman beliefs and copper has long been used by the Celts for making jewellery, it was in ancient times a highly regarded material, which is why it's often found in burials along with other metals such as Bronze, which is a Copper alloy.

Here's the video -

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Hanging decoration how to...

For many years I have tried to make some kind of decoration for Christmas and a couple of years ago I made some hanging decorations similar to the one I make in this set of videos, I've broken the steps into 3 parts, and yes it's either very late or very early depending on your view, but it is relevant for this time of year because I'm using the same method for making something for my wife for valentines day.

If you've visited this blog before you'll know I try to make things for various occasions during the year, and valentines is no exception, I'll be putting a video of that make on the you tube channel as well.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Hopefully you'll be able to see all the steps, and although I use my lathe and various other tools this could be made using just hand tools, it'll just take a bit longer.

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How to sharpen forstner bits...

I use forstner bits quite a lot for various projects and after a while like most things used for cutting they get blunt, but you can sharpen them quite easily, so below is a quick video of how I go about sharpening my forstner bits.

This method has worked for me for years and the set of bits I use has plenty of life left in them it's a quick and cheap way of maintaining your forstner bits.

                                                           Hopefully you find this guide useful

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