Topic: Ask at your local building site

[nilly71]

as title ;D

I went to a building site close by, that was nearly finnished. I asked about looking for the person in charge, one of the people was a landscape gardener throwing some pots into the skip.
I asked if i could have some for my new allotment and he said take as many as you like :) and i could also help myself to the mushroom compost because they had too much left over. The guy in charge of the building site said that i could help myself to the sand and wood left over.

I now have:
about 35 bags of mushroom compost
50x 5" pots
10 bags of builders sand(i run out of time to get anymore)
8x8' lengths of wood that start at 4" and goes to 1"(ideal for the top of compost bins to make a sloped roof)
10x8' lengths of 5" pipe (i'll cut these to 12" for watering the fruit trees and make a comfrey press http://www.powen.freeserve.co.uk/Projects/comfreypress/Comfrey.htm )

So a big thank you to:
Claridge Landscapes (pots and mushroom compost)
Steve (he helped with his wife and daughter and brought a transit van to use)

Hopefully both of the above will be joining us on here :)

Neil

[manicscousers]

well done, Neil..if you don't ask, you don't get  ;D

[Susiebelle]

I would agree its what allotmen-teering is all about recycling at its best! my raised beds are all made from railway sleeper from the  building site next to our Lotti, they were gifted and fork lifted over the fence right onto my plot the reward, fresh veg for as long as the guys were around :) :)

[nilly71]

I forgot about all the blue waterpipe as well ;D

Neil

[northener]

Nice one.

[nilly71]

There was about a tonne of mushroom compost left after i took all the stuff i could manage. Hopefully all the people i told about it would of collected it today :)

Neil

[shirlton]

Good for you Neil ;D

[mat]

Wow, what a "find"

[Trevor_D]

Well done!

It's always worth asking around: we've got a builder's yard nearby and one of our members saw some broken pallets dumped in a corner, so asked if they were spare. We had five lorry-loads delivered to our car park and unloaded for us! And since then we've been offered them on a fairly regular basis. Apparently, if they're going to be re-used, each one has to be examined, so it's usually easier and cheaper to bin the lot.

[tonybloke]

Well done neil! but don't bother wiyh the comfrey press, it's a lot of faffing about for a small amount of liquid, o.k. for just a greenhouse (small)
But for an allotment, use the barrel method.(how much comfrey can you get in a piece of pipe, compared to a 200 ltr barrel)
 rgds, tony

[nilly71]

Thanks for the replies.

Tony
I thought the barrel option smelt and the press didn't ???

Neil

[Robert_Brenchley]

The liquid reeks however you make it. There's no particular smell from the barrel.

[tonybloke]

The liquid reeks however you make it. There's no particular smell from the barrel.

Until you disturb the crust on the top!! then it is reminisce of a cess-pit
Always cover the comfrey in a barrel, keeps flies out and smell in!!

[Robert_Brenchley]

I never disturb the contents! Just sling it in, put the lid on, and let it brew.

[artichoke]

Yes, it always (sometimes not...) pays to ask. I drove past a large mansion being altered, spotted some lovely timber thrown around, made a U-ie, asked if I could have any. They were rather pleased as they would have had a bonfire and did not like waste, and they even hauled the huge nails out for me.

Went back twice, not so much nail hauling, but good raised beds.