Category: In The Garden

  • A Sturdy See-through Gate Keeps My Passage Protected

    A Sturdy See-through Gate Keeps My Passage Protected

    In 2016 I constructed a see-through gate to keep the public out of a passageway I share with a neighbour. I’ve written about it here so that anyone needing a similar see-through gate can take my ideas of how I built it and use them when building their own.

  • Using A Milk Bottle As A Plant Pot Reservoir

    Using A Milk Bottle As A Plant Pot Reservoir

    Introduction If I water plant pots in dry weather the water runs over the top of the soil to the edge of them. Then, because the dry soil in the pot has shrunk, the water runs down a gap between the soil and the pot side. When the water gets to the bottom of the…

  • I Built A Riven Patio Extension For My House Extension

    I Built A Riven Patio Extension For My House Extension

    Post Description How I extended an existing patio in front of a new ground floor house extension. I talk about matching the the new slabs with the originals and keeping the pattern random. It also tells how I put a curved wave in the edge to match other curves and create a pleasing shape to…

  • Removing Block Paving Moss From My Driveway

    Removing Block Paving Moss From My Driveway

    Introduction I recently spent half a day removing block paving moss from my driveway. The paving, laid in 1993, has been cleaned more than once but moss soon grows under damp conditions. Because the blocks have a chamfered edge there is a V shaped recess at the junction between blocks. This is a space where…

  • What Is A Retractable Clothes Washing Line?

    What Is A Retractable Clothes Washing Line?

    Introduction Consider the benefits of having a retractable clothes washing line: Coiling it up in a box keeps it clean. If you have a nice vista you won’t want it permanently scared with one or more lines cutting across it.

  • Retractable Clothes Washing Line Repair

    Retractable Clothes Washing Line Repair

    Introduction What is a retractable clothes washing line? Find out here. Generally I have found retractable clothes washing lines very useful. They mainly keep the line clean so that it doesn’t dirty the washing pegged out on it. My problem has been breakage. I have had them break because they are not capable of taking…

  • Radio Controlled Wall Clock In My Shed

    Radio Controlled Wall Clock In My Shed

    Introduction I have for some time wanted a reliable time piece outside my house. I don’t actually require an exact time outside anymore than I do elsewhere, but I do need to get the grass cut by teatime. So, I have acquired a Radio Controlled Wall Clock for my shed. I have had the difficulty of…

  • Securing Shed Doors

    Securing Shed Doors

    Introduction In 1997 both of my sheds were burgled. I thought I’d made them secure enough. I’d used hasps with the thickest staples I could find on the market (similar to these) and disc padlocks with hardened shackles. But the burglars cut through each staple in two places making a gap through which the padlock shackle…

  • Repairing Rotten Garden Seat Legs

    Repairing Rotten Garden Seat Legs

    Preface This post describes: How to repair garden seat legs that have gone rotten where they come in contact with the ground. The basic method is to remove the rotten wood and replace it with polyester resin. In particular: See the update for 3rd October 2019 entitled, “Replacing The Cap On A Leg.”

  • Sighting A Straight Line

    Sighting A Straight Line

    Introduction I would say sighting a straight line is a common practice used by builders and joiners to determine if a piece of timber is straight or bowed. It can be used to test any length of timber, but long pieces in particular. The practice requires no tools, just eyesight with a good depth of…

  • Repairing Broken Timber Fence Posts

    Repairing Broken Timber Fence Posts

    Introduction A friend of mine has a fence at the bottom of his garden made from six interwoven fence panels each 6ft × 6ft (1.8m × 1.8m). They are erected on a three feet high bank of soil. His neighbour on the next street has a garden backing onto his but beyond the bank of soil. So work done on…