Gardening Gimmicks.!!

[vivandorron]

Hi there Gardeners......What do you consider to be your worst or best item of electrical or gas operated garden equipment.?

I have given away an electrical Garden-Vac which, whilst it was capable of picking up all sorts of debris from paved areas, was useless in other areas of the garden.

Last year, I bought a heavy duty , wheeled strimmer (Bosch), which isn't as good as the lightweight item which it replaced. Furthermore, I have a gas-cannister operated, walking stick type weedkiller; which is nothing more than gimmicky: it's quicker to weed by hand or put down weedkiller.

However, I cant really fault my gas BBQ and, this evening, Viv & I enjoyed an outdoor meal ; in spite of the North-Westerly Breeze which had been forecast for the Gower. ( Wind I would have said.)

At the moment, I am wondering if a garden Shredder would be useful to me; but not knowing which model would be the best, could end up with another item just taking up room in the shed......Ron

[Ethel]

All these things to tempt us.....

What would you do with the shreddings? If they are to be used as mulch or compost (is that even possible?) then it might be a good investment.
However, if you would normally put the material in your green wheelie bin for the Council to collect, it could be a waste of money.

[vivandorron]

Hi Ethel.....It really is nice to hear from you.

I do'nt think I would have too much of a problem with the shreddings; which I could use as a mulch or distribute along a 100ft hedgerow which bounds onto farmland.

We do'nt have wheelie bins in Gower; it's brown plastic bags for garden refuse and the quality has been reduced for what the Council have told me is Health and Safety reasons; it seems to be that the original plastic bags were too strong and could be stuffed to a level which made it difficult for them to be lifted by the collectors. ( Bunkem I say; cost saving more likely.)

It still remains a question of whether I should get a shredder because of the quantity of clippings, prunings etc. which comes from my fifth of an acre plot and the Council's plastic bags cost 35p each and are so poor in quality that even flower stalks will break through them.

I am hoping that perhaps an ABer can recomend a really good shreder which will cope with up to an inch or more of thickness.

Thanks for your observations and best wishes from me and Viv.........Ron

[pug100]

Bought a shredder made by JCB a few years ago ( before the council supplied us with green wheelie bins for garden waste ) and its brill. The garden has a lot of trees around it and I tend to wheel the shredder out about twice a year to cope with fallen branches and cuttings.
Most years the garden produces quite a few windfall branches and this is where the shredder comes in handy.

It will happily take branches up to 3" thick but doesn't like too many leaves as these can clog up the blade and cause it to stall and cut out. For this reason I leave any branches or cuttings for a week before shredding and the leaves drop off easily during handling before going into the shredder. In operation it's quiet with just the blade spinning until you put something in then depending on the material things can get noisy. Green branches are not too bad but hawthorn creates quite a racket as i guess it's a tougher type of wood.

You could also try to see if there are any hire shops such as HSS near you which may save you some money. Try one out before you buy and see if you can justify forking out �100 or so for one of your own.

[vivandorron]

Hello there, pug 100......I don't think that we have been in previous communication with each other, but it's great to have advice from all ABers and yours is already influencing me to get a shredder.

I didn't know that the Staffordshire firm of JCB produced such items. It's a great place to visit for a day out; wonderful countryside surrounds the factory and the lakeside setting is great. Viv and I love the area.

You say that the shredder which you have will cope with branches up to 3inches thick; just what I really want. Can you give me some more details such as model No. etc., because I am ready to go on-line for a purchase.

Thanks for your advice ........Ron.

[pug100]

The model number is JCB GSB1800. It has an 1800W motor and weighs in at a hefty 25Kg . Ive just googled it and found a pic at Amazon .

http://astore.amazon.co.uk/power-tools-21/imag es/B0002TNEUW

Some review sites don't rate it and I must admit the collecting bag is not up to much, it tends to leave a small pile of chippings either side. But as for shredding then I found it performs very well.

This model is probably not still on the market as I bought it at least four years ago, but I know JCB still make shredders. Hope you find this useful.

[vivandorron]

Thanks pug100 ....Your info has certainly been useful and, as you say, there are other JCB's on the market as an alternative to the GSB 1800 which is giving you good results......Thanks again.......Ron.