At the farm, we had our first burn pile. There had been a burn ban in the county for quite awhile. So we piled up timber and tree trimmings and scrap wood that we couldn't use. You can see the tall weeds that grew up around it during the last year or so. Some of the 'older' trimmings on the bottom of the pile had been there long enough to start breaking down.
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| Starting the burn pile |
"R" from 2nd Family came down and said they had burned theirs when the burn ban was lifted and since it was cool and not windy, it would be a good time to do it. So I found some dry timber and lit it on fire. We took the water hose and soaked the grass and ground in a ring around the fire and watched it go.
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| Burn pile |
Is it a guy thing or does everyone enjoy it? Watching the fire, poking it with a stick on occasion, sitting around with a cold 'libation', was so much fun and definitely relaxing. It was only wood burning, nothing that might be toxic, so at least we didn't have to stay upwind. I kept the ground watered around it and after about 3 hours, this had burned down to almost nothing.
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| Burn pile in the distance |
We noticed that someone else down the road was also burning their pile. 'Tis the season as the saying goes. It was also a cool day so the warmth was nice.
Now comes the quandary. While we do enjoy the burn pile when it's burning, the rest of the year it's just a pile of yard trash. I guess we have 11 acres and it would be easy to haul off and dump it somewhere else but someday, we'll be clearing those other areas and could come to regret dumping limbs and branches elsewhere. We thought about a burn barrel but we think that during a burn ban you can't use those either.
Now comes the quandary. While we do enjoy the burn pile when it's burning, the rest of the year it's just a pile of yard trash. I guess we have 11 acres and it would be easy to haul off and dump it somewhere else but someday, we'll be clearing those other areas and could come to regret dumping limbs and branches elsewhere. We thought about a burn barrel but we think that during a burn ban you can't use those either.
Anyone else have burn piles?
Burn barrels?
Burn barrels?
My DH has a burn pile that seems to get bigger every year. He waits until the first snow fall (which around here is usually about an inch or so) and then touches it off. Yep....poking and watching it burn. It is a guy thing!! My dad used to do that with huge piles of leaves when I was a kid.
ReplyDeleteI can see how easily it can get bigger and bigger, ha. Leaves would make me nervous, that they could blow around, ha.
DeleteYou're not allowed to burn things in town sadly....Dad always had a burn barrel. He said it was okay for small stuff ... the wood you were burning was probably too big for a barrel anyway.
ReplyDeleteI 'think' one of my grandparents had a burn barrel but I don't really remember much about it. Yes, the stuff we have was too big for that though, but I wonder if a barrel would help with some of those smaller things. Of course, I have no idea where one buys a barrel like that, ha.
DeleteNot just a guy thing....or maybe I'm strange. I love setting fire to our bonfires. We pile all our green waste into a pile in the paddock. It can't be seen from the house. Once the cool weather comes we mow the grass very low around the pile, this is our safety zone, then light the sucker. Once it starts we use the rakes for ember control and when it starts to die down to keep pushing everything into the centre. We often start this in the afternoon so that we have a nice fire at night to sit and watch the stars along with food and drink. Sometimes we invite people over to join us. After a year of adding to it, it is really big. There is no other way to deal with large tree limbs, etc. We use the same spot every year. Will email you a pic.
ReplyDeleteThat is too cool! Everyone she sent a pic and it was indeed a nice large bonfire. You sure it couldn't be seen from space? LOL! We started ours in the morning and by afternoon it was done. next time we will go for the late afternoon into evening choice. Food, drink, fire, stars...life is good huh? Thank you much for sharing!
DeleteI think it might be a guy thing--such danger that you must control. I cannot burn in my town. But, the woman behind me was burning mail in her fire pit, metal that she could move around. So, I took my only metal bucket and burned mail in it to destroy my address and pertinent information. The bucket was burned too after four or five times. So, I had to throw it away.
ReplyDeleteDaddy had one place to burn and sat around burning it in the summer. He threw freshly mowed grass on it and chased away mosquitoes for at least one summer evening.
Hey, never thought about that, it's way better than a shredder huh? Now I think a barrel might at least be something good to have just because....and the idea of burning leaves and grass and smaller things in it is more appealing. Thanks!
DeleteShredders are always dying, at least those my friends use. I always take my papers to the bank or to the Senior Center and shred them there. I do not want to invest in a self-destructing machine. So, fire seems like the best thing, must cheaper.
DeleteHubby loves to burn and does so with the slightest need. He's not criminal just loves a good bonfire.
ReplyDeleteLOL, I love how you said he's not a criminal, sometimes I felt a twinge of guilt over enjoying the fire so much. I'll have to remember to tell people that I am not a criminal, ha
DeleteHey, what a GREAT reminder to soak the ground around the pile! We are getting ready to burn one in a few weeks... and I'm so glad you mentioned this!
ReplyDeleteWell, thank YOU for saying that. Yes, I just took the hose and soaked the ground in a complete circle around it. It was great because it the fire burned right up to the edge of the wet and just fizzled out. So yep, great idea. Have fun (and be safe!)
DeleteIt's not just a guy thing. One of the first things I did when I bought my small house in 2005 was to build a fire pit, or more accurately, I supervised. My daughter dug down a foot or so and we filled the hole with sand, then lined the whole thing with big rocks. Nine years later I still love that fire pit and have used it many, many times.
ReplyDeleteWell glad to hear it. I think it does harken back to early day huh? I think we are going to be building a fire pit of some sort soon, in the same spot. I like your idea of the rocks and the pit with sand. Time for some googling. :-)
DeleteI think it's a human thing. Before there was a complete ban here in central NY state, so many people had a pile they would add to until cooler weather, and then there were fires galore. I think there is still some agricultural burning allowed periodically, but, sadly, no more bonfires. I remember burning leaves in the fall when I was a kid. To this day that smell whisks me right back to those days. Yep, it 's a human thing.
ReplyDelete"A human thing", I love that. We've had a bad for about a year. Oh, isn't the smell just wonderful? Thanks for sharing!
DeleteWe love having our bonfires. We are in a villages and just barely outside the "town" limit, even though the fire department is maybe a block away. We have had only 2 this season, we haven't accumulated much of a burn pile this year I guess.
ReplyDeleteIt's funny how sometimes the pile is huge and other times it's not much at all. They are a great way to enjoy time together too. Fire like that brings us all together huh? :-)
DeleteAround here in the country they have burn barrels and, for bigger things, they dig a pit to burn in. But they have to work around the burn bans.
ReplyDeleteIf you have burned anything with nails, get a large magnet to pick them up.
Could you use some of the burn pile wood in your future fire pit? It could be stacked on a firewood rack until you’re ready to use it.
As Fiona suggested, you could have a bonfire party. Who doesn’t like a nice bonfire - it’s the caveman in us!
Great reminder about the nails. Thanks! I am thinking of a barrel of some sort, might be nice for smaller things. Hmm, good idea to save some wood. 2nd Family does keep quite a bit, I can always borrow some, ha. The caveman in us, like that too!!
Delete1st Man,
ReplyDeleteHaving a burn pile or a bonfire is relaxing and a great way to get family together to help clean up the property. After the burn, it's good to dig a hole and dump the burnt remnants of wood it helps the soil.
OOH, great way to get 'help' with cleaning things up on the property. Thanks!! And I didn't think about the hole, will definitely have to do that. They are relaxing aren't they? And warming when it's cold. I guess no one has a bonfire in the middle of August, ha. At least not in these parts. ;-)
DeleteYup, I grew up with a burn pit and burn barrel. Our pit was in a spot where we had a bit of extra fill dirt dumped. My father just moved a few bucketfuls of dirt with his tractor to create the pit. The barrel was beside it and what we usually threw our trash into and burned in so that the coyotes couldn't get into it between burnings. The pit was used for larger items and as overflow during a burn ban. When the ban would finally be lifted, we would have quite the pile to burn. One year - after I had moved out - my father somehow let an ember that popped out of the fire get away from him. I think 3 different fire departments had to show up and 50 acres burned. Lucky for him, it was only empty, grassy field and there was no real property damage and no lives were lost.
ReplyDeleteI have a burn barrel now - it's tucked out of sight behind my well house and is on part of my caliche driveway. I also have a large piece of grate that I can put over the top, so that combined with the caliche means I really don't have much risk of starting anything on fire accidentally when I burn. And I'm a lot more aware of recycling when I have a burn barrel - that's a convenient plus!
Wow, that's the one thing that made us nervous...I like the idea of keeping it smaller and more contained. I still want a burn barrel and you have a great idea of keeping it on gravel, and of course having a grate. Thanks!!
DeleteHere is an alternate way to use up your logs, sticks etc. that helps the garden grow. http://awaytogarden.com/hugelkultur-raised-garden-beds/. I just did a search of hugelkultur and this is one of the first that came up. I read about this type of gardening somewhere else originally but couldn't remember where. I have been wanting to try this myself.
ReplyDeleteYou know, I read something about that once as well and forgot about it. Thanks for the link. That's a fascinating method huh? It would be nice to try...thanks!
DeleteDefinitely not just a guy thing! There is something extremely soothing about a deliberate, controlled burning of wood. We use the pile method. What doesn't get used for inside use often gets chipped for mulch. The piles are a last resort, I admit, but this year we're going to burn in the fields so we can rake out the ashes for the soil. We have very acidic soil so the wood ash really helps.
ReplyDeleteOOOH, a wood chipper...I'd love to have that machine. Wood ash is a good amendment to the soil. I will have to remember that. And great idea to do it in fields so you can rake it out where it's needed. Thank you!!!
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