Propagation Place is based in middle of the 13 acres Ashley Vale Allotment Association site, nestled in a small valley in Bristol. The site is really stunning, with all of the allotment holders putting so much time and energy into this gorgeous community resource. We love being part of the throng.
At this time of year its clear up time, and with that comes the dilemma of what to do with all the woody waste. From old wood from raised beds, to prunings, cuttings and dug up root balls. The go to solution to this is to have bonfires, which are of course great fun, but we want to talk about some other solutions.
Bristol’s air quality can be quite bad, and as we are located in a valley the smoke from bonfires can sit and linger for days. This is especially bad when green wood is burnt, such as fruit tree prunings, or damp wood that has been out in the elements for a few months. Air pollution can have serious effects on health, especially for children and older people, so it’s important for everyone that we try and reduce anything that can add to the problem.
Rather than making a smoky bonfire, we would suggest collecting up woody waste such as branches and sticks, any old seed heads and herbaceous perennial cuttings and making them into wildlife habitats. These piles can be placed around the edges of your growing space, providing valuable food and habitat for mice, hedgehogs, bumble bees, slow worms, lizards, and all kinds of wonderful creepy crawlies. The Allotment Committee are in the process of designating 6 Green Waste sites (1 per field) or you can make one on your allotment.
We would also encourage reusing any wood that you have, potentially storing it somewhere dry until you can up-cycle it into something fantastic and useful.
On our allotment site bonfires are permitted until the end of March. If you need to have a fire, it is essential you store any green wood until it is dry before burning it. That way it will give off less smoke and more heat, which is better for people and planet!
We hope that helps and you are all keeping warm in this icy weather!
