Does anyone know anything about gardening?

Today's Easter Holidays job is chipping.

The machine I've had delivered is slightly different to the one in the picture I showed in that the chips come out about 30cm off the ground rather than at the end of a spout. It seems an annoying height that will mean it's hard to aim it into a bag or bucket.

If you can find a local stockist I would look into trying to get hold of some postsavers, should reduce the speed that your posts rot out.

A few of the local timber merchants round here stock them.

Or concrete spur, bit more industrial and possibly unsightly, but makes replacement a doddle.

-edit- just reread, rounded posts, crack on with the post savers!

They're tanilised and nice and dry so I picked up some wood preserver today that I'll treat them with first. Will also be putting some hardcore at the bottom of the holes to try and keep them off the wet soil, a bit. They will be close to a concrete culvert which is 10ft below the garden level so hoping that drainage should be good.

The post saver tip is a good one. Don't use postcrete, it has the structural strength of wombat shit. Dry mix a 25kg bag of ballast with a heaped shovel of cement, one mix per hole. Whack it down hard around the post, about 2 shovels at a time, using a broom handle or similar, no water is needed as it will draw in ground moisture. A post level, available from Screwfix or most builders merchants for about £4 is helpful. Not all panels are created equal, so use an actual panel to position the next post.

Have you hired it or bought it?

The 8 bags of postcrete already in my garden will unfortunately dictate what I use....

Good point on using the panels themselves as a measure.

The hardcore will achieve very little, the extra preserver won't do that much either. I have replaced dozens of rotted out posts, they rot at ground level not at the bottom, hence post savers are a good idea. If you leave your concrete slightly proud of soil level that will help considerably more for virtually no effort.

Ah. I suggest you mix each bag dry in a barrow before use, the constituent parts tend to separate out when stored.

Cheers, will do that and order some post savers as well.

Ordered a pack of 10 if anyone needs any

Hired. I hopefully won't need it again.

I'm not sure why I thought it would be reasonably straightforward and rewarding work.

How much did the hire cost if you don't mind me asking?

£44.60 a day for hire plus £20 for delivery and collection ex VAT from Hirebase.

They take a hefty deposit but hopefully that's returned quickly.

I ordered it for one day but the guy who dropped it off said he doesn't work weekends so I'll have it till Monday - it might be worth doing the same.

cheers mate! trying to work out whether to hire a chipper or just do more trips to the dump...

Depends if you're allowed multiple trips. Newham are funny about it and start charging.

I'm absolutely knackered now, but it's been quite a productive day. The garden still looks a bit rubbish though.

Also it's the loudest thing in the world.

We would like to put a long shed in our front garden, about 4x1.5m. It's in a conservation area and we will need planning permission for it so I am thinking of avoiding anything too permanent looking... I had thought about laying a paving slab base, on sand etc. But have seen most people on here pour concrete. What's the collective forum advice?

There are many ways to skin a cat, if you can hold the bugger still. It would only take 2 tons of concrete, with a fair bit left over at an approx cost of £200 including mixer hire for a 4" depth. Anything else like sleepers would cost much the same plus the cost of concrete foundations to rest the sleepers on to guarantee a perfect level. There are more ecologically sound bases which would cost more.

In short, if you are spending serious money on the shed, concrete.

Bit more clearing on the stone wall art the side of my garden and it seems in much else state than I hoped. Every course is just as loose as the last, literally lifting stones of with my hands, totally loose, most of the mortar is shot. At a bit of a loss what to do, especially as the gardens on the other side are built up 1-1.5' from where mine will end up. Can't afford to get a pro in right now so I can only see my options as:

Pull it down and build a concrete retaining wall/ foundation up to the level of the other gardens and attempt to rebuild it up from there.

Or pull it down and replace with gravel boards/ fence, not sure if that would be feasible given the height differences

Or put a fence in front of the remaining wall and try and forget about it.

Edit: think I'm gonna recent to plan A: repoint and rebuild as best as possible without removing too much and hope it doesn't fall over.

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if thinking about adding trellis panels to the back of my planters, should I worry about their stability in high winds ? the planters are obv loaded with bricks/gravel in the bottom and soil to the top so pretty heavy, and the trellis panels will not be solid (albeit I want minimal holes in them for privacy)

Any recommendations for ground cover that’s good for sitting on? Got a bank of earth on the allotment that’ll make part of a seating area probably with a little sculpting.

Er, grass?

Actually chamomile, with a low growing wildflower mix, bit of a bugger to get going though.

I haven't done this but I've seen Monty Don recommended some variety of creeping thyme that doesn't mind being trodden on and smells great when it is.

Yep - chamomile bench is traditional - I have seen a thyme bench too, don't know if it was a particular type. Chamomile seems rather softer to sit on!