Orpington Garden Sheds

Winter is the time of year where you should pay particular attention to your tyres in Orpington as they need every ounce of grip. Tucked away in your garage, your car can seem shaded away from the bitter cold. Still, if your car is in the garage, then you are in the minority as most garages are devoted to garden shed duties. This is possible in addition to your garden shed which has become overloaded or used as your only shed. If your tyres need replacing at your local tyre garage then besides, giving you that extra grip, your tyres can be recycled and converted into usable garden furniture. Recycling and helping to save the planet is top of many people’s list, which is a good policy to follow. Not only does this save on landfill but can save valuable natural resources. Old tyres can be used at race tracks around the perimeter of the track right through to people using the tyres to make the walls of a new house, or even a garden shed. With the eco-friendly houses – instead of the house being made with concrete or bricks – old car tyres are piled up and then infilled with earth possibly from the garden and tamped down. This is then built up with an outer earth wall, and this is very effective insulation wise and is very good at maintaining a steady temperature.

In theory, if you wanted an insulated garden shed, then it is possible to use this type of construction, but in reality, it’s not practical. The walls of the garden shed would be so thick that you would a lose a load of your garden and the houses of today tend to have only small gardens so a small tool shed is often the only type of building you can get in it.

Other uses for car tyres, which naturally are very durable, water repellent and sturdy, are ideal for all sorts of garden furniture and you can find an extensive range of environmentally friendly garden furniture at your local Orpington garden centre or online. This ranges from plant pots, garden tables and stools – made by Kitsch-u-like as well as rubber mulch for the garden from companies such as Ecoscape. These rubber grains can help to replenish the garden lawn by aerating the soil and reinforcing the grass, particularly where the grass has been eroded.

Also, garden paving slabs can be made from this recycled rubber as these tend to be lighter than concrete or stone and easier to handle. Anything dropped onto these slabs are also less likely to break meaning these are ideal as garden paths or around children’s play area in the garden.

sheds in Orpington The sale of goods made from recycled materials is a great way to be an eco-warrior in your own garden as currently over 400,000 waste tyres are available annually. These products are a great way to do ‘your bit’ as well as being a little cheaper than comparable garden products and can enhance your garden as well.

Do you think we recycle enough in this country? Do you resent being made to recycle by your local council? And do you think people should be penalised if all garden waste is not recycled? Would you consider a garden shed made from old tyres? What do you use your garden shed for?

As we are past the shortest day of the year and the days are getting longer, although it doesn’t seem like it at the moment, now is the time you should be planning how to improve the soil in your Orpington garden. This is where mulching comes in. Mulching involves putting loose coverings around plants in your garden, and you have a wide variety and choice of biodegradable as well as non-biodegradable materials to choose from. Straw, compost, wood chippings from the work in your garden shed and even seaweed will help to replace nutrients lost from the soil. Alternatively, you can use plastic sheeting, gravel or stone chips and these will help to keep in the moisture in the ground and will keep weeds at bay. These actions will help improve the texture of the soil and will deter garden bugs and pests. It will also help to protect your garden plants from the extreme temperatures experienced over winter. It is possible to store your plants in your garden shed, but you would need to ensure you keep them moist during this time.

Another item which is good for the garden is well-rotted manure, which can be quite stinky and not that pleasant. This can be bought from your local farm or from garden centres. As the manure rots, it provides your plants with vital nutrients. I would advise using strong rubber gloves when handling to ensure that the smell does not follow you around. Bark is another good mulch and one of my favourites. It is available in different grades with some being ornamental in appearance and some in more minute sizes which rots a lot quicker.

However, it is essential that the stems of small trees and bushes are not covered as this action can make them susceptible to disease and rot. The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) recommends for the best results only to use biodegradable materials such as straw, compost etc. and ideally should be about 3 inches thick and should be laid over the ground whilst it is still moist. This will hold in the moisture to benefit your plants. You can buy straw and store it in your garden sheds in Orpington so that it is available as and when required.

There are different opinions as to when you should do the mulching, and late winter and early spring tends to be the best time, although literally, any time of the year will help for different reasons. There is universal agreement that mulching is good for the garden and that if you have the opportunity, then you should make the most of it.

Do you mulch your garden? Do you store mulching materials in your shed or outdoors? What do you consider the best thing to mulch with?