Making charcoal

Timber that is not going to be used can be converted into charcoal that would be a clean heat source.

To make charcoal we need a metal barrel, the best would be of 4 feet tall and 10 feet of diameter.

We feel the barrel up with logs of around 50 cm, it can be fresh timber, it doesn't have to be dry.

When the barrel it's full we light a slow fire under the barrel for 3-4 days and we let it cool down for one week.

Willow wood it is very good to make charcoal. With small pieces of wood we can make charcoal drawing sticks.

Pollination

It is always good to encourage pollination. There are some plants that will attract hoverflies and bees that are the insects that pollinate the best.

The plants that best attract them are:

- Marigold
- Nasturtiums

It is good to plant any of the above close to the tomatoes to ease the pollination.

Frost

When watering the plants to pevent form the harmful effects of frost, the watering must be done during the day and the water should go to the soil, never to the leaves, as they will keep the water and it could get frosted.

Dormant plants do not need to be protected that much as their activity would practically stop during the winter time.

When covering a plant to protect it from frost, plastic would retain some heat but not a large amount, it is better to cover the plants with a fleece.


How to cover a plant with a fleece

Tender plants would need to be protected from frost. To cover them we have to take into account that the soil will absorb heat during the day and give it back during the night time. So the fleece has to be placed over the plant during the night, and taket away during the day.


During the high sun of the winter (2-3 pm) the soil will absorb the most heat, so it's good to have soil iwhtou any cover (fleece or mulch).


During the early morning (5-7 am) it's good to have the soil covered because the soil will loose the heat faster.

Bulbs

Bulbs should be planted from September to October.

Bulbs reproduce under the ground, if they are not taken out every year they will multiply too much and will be too compacted, not having enough space to let the plant grow properly what will mean less flowering.

It is good to take the bulbs out of the ground at least every other year.

Here is a guide for bulb depth planning

Planting bareroot trees

1. Dig the hole for the tree using a spade or shovel. Dig the hole two to three times as wide as the root ball and about 1 inch shallower than the height of the root ball.

2. Remove the evergreen tree from the container and examine the roots. Use your fingers to loosen any roots that are wrapping around the root ball. For a ball and burlap tree, keep the burlap secured to the root ball.

3. Place the root ball in the center of the hole. The top of the root ball should be slightly above the level of the surrounding ground. Add or remove dirt from the hole if necessary. Do not put the tree roots in direct contact with the compost

4. Back-fill the hole halfway with the soil removed from the hole. You may also amend the soil first with organic matter.

5. Finish back-filling the hole. Water again to compress the soil, adding more soil if needed. Do not place soil on top of the root ball.

6. Apply 2 to 3 inches of well rotten black crumby compost (mulch, FYM)or pine bark or leaf mold, around the tree. Keep the mulch about 3 inches from the trunk of the tree. The manure will:

• Avoid weeds from growing
• Keep moisture around the tree 
• Increase worm activity

In Ireland the best time of the year to plant evergreen trees and shrubs is from December to January.

Transplanting a tree

To transplant a well grown tree we should cut around half the roots one year, between December and January in the dormant months, and the next year, the other half so the tree does not get under shock cutting all the roots at the same time.

From September to November the sap will go down from the leaves to the roots, so the roots will keep growing even if the leaves are falling. From November to January the roots will not grow. In February the sap will start going up and will make the tree grow again.

Potted trees

The potted trees are the ones we buy in a garden center and are given to us inside a pot.

The best time of the year to plant fruit and bushes potted trees is between November and March.

The sooner the better so that the roots can start to grow before the buds do.

They have to be planted at the same depth of the pott.

If it is a potted shrub they sould bee planted between November and May, being the best April to May.

Never plant a potted plant after May.

Nursery gardens

There are different ways of planting trees, mainly:

- From the seeds
- From the original plant (cuttings, layering or suckers)
- By pollination


In the nursery gardens they grow trees that they will sell to reatilers or to the general public.

One way of growing those trees is with the seeds or from cuttings.

The seeds or the cuttings will be planted in a first bed where they will be for a year time when some roots will grow. The second year they will be moved to a different bed. This will be done year after year, during at least 10 years. The roots will grow along those years, mainly the:

• Structural roots: large roots that have undergone considerable secondary thickening and provide mechanical support to woody plants and trees.
• Fine roots: Primary roots usually <2 mm diameter that have the function of water and nutrient uptake. They are often heavily branched and support mycorrhizas. These roots may be short lived, but are replaced by the plant in an ongoing process of root 'turnover'. A plant with a healthy mycorrhizas system will give the plant 10-15 times more nutrients and water.

During that time the trees will grow as well as their roots. If they are sold, they would be sold as bareroot trees (B/r). Their prices will go up to 25€.

When the trees grow higher and the roots are bigger, the nursery garden should start balling the roots of the trees. This is done by a machine that will take the roots out from the soil, with a big amount of soil around it and will put a net around the soil and the roots. The machine will rootball and wrap the roots all together.

Those trees are bigger and are called rootball trees (r/b). They can go from 1 m of diameter in their base to 10 m or more in very mature trees. Their prices are above the 100€ and can be as high as 6,000€ if it a mature tree.

When we buy a bareroot tree it has to be planted between November and March.



When the tree is a rootball one, it will be planted between November and May.