Make It Yourself:

Some things that with a little practical ability we can show you how to make it yourself and maybe even save money at the same time.

Weed Killer:

A very simple weed killer that works is just plain old vinegar. Acetic Acid which sounds really nasty is actually vinegar but caterers buy this stuff as a concentrate and then water it down to vinegar strength so it is very economical. Or you can buy a gallon of vinegar/acetic acid from caterers for around 3.50 - 4.00 euro.

This is nothing new you say which is true but if you search the internet you will see lots of different views on this and some of it complete rubbish. Some even say you have to add salt which is not true. The amount of salt which would make a difference would have to be huge (look at any motorway grass verge to confirm this, covered in grass and other plants after yearly huge dosing's of salt). At the most you would add washing up liquid which would help it to adhere to the plant if the plant had a film of sap or other on it's foliage.

This stuff works by either killing the plant on contact or on the ground in the soil. When diluted to vinegar strength it is most effective by making the ground too acid to support plant life. It is simply super acid rain. After a few weeks and a bit of rainfall the ground does get rid of some of its acidity or you can simply apply lime to neutralise the acidity in the soil and plant life will grow again, but spraying the ground with vinegar strength acetic acid or good old brewed vinegar will kill all plant life just like the best weed killer but hopefully is safer to use. I hope because if vinegar is dangerous to us then we are all in trouble but in the old days vinegar was supposed to have health giving properties. Bio-degradable hopefully safe if diluted to vinegar strength and i will list suppliers when i find some.

Note: Before attempting to mix or use any home made chemicals it is necessary find out exactly what the legal requirements are on making, storing and using such substances as chemicals in Ireland have certain regulations applied to them and this would apply to any substance used as weedkiller. Also if you mix this yourself and use it you do so at you own risk and this website or the owner does not encourage you to do so.

Dandelion Root Coffee:

Did you know in desperate times (and because people like this) that dandelions were used as a coffee substitute? Dig up the roots of healthy dandelions from clean unpolluted land. Clean them by scrubbing, then chop up in to chunks and roast in an oven so that they are over done (dried up) and then grind them up and make your coffee. You can dry them before roasting as a way of preserving them for later use and speeding up the roasting. As with anything, drink sparingly as some people claim that dandelion drinks can make you use the toilet more often. Dandelion root coffee is supposed to be quite nice though.

Liquid Manure Plant Feed:

A great vegetable feed for leafy vegetables is a liquid manure which can be a permanent part of your vegetable garden. A large clean steel drum or similar sized plastic container is all that is needed for this with some kind of lid/cover. Make sure that no chemicals have previously been used in this container.

Make sure any plants which are to used to make this plant feed have not reached the stage where they have produced seeds, as these may be present in the liquid feed when used on your vegetables.

Gather up what you regard as weeds such as the common stinging nettle, and chop them in to small pieces until your container is about one third full, then just add water and fill your container to a few inches below the top and stir. Leave for at least 2 weeks stirring at least twice daily. When required just take your liquid from the top and feed your plants. It would be ideal if the containers were coloured/painted black and placed in a position where they are in as much full sun as possible as the warmer the liquid the faster the process of making the liquid feed.

This liquid manure will get stronger over time and will require fresh nutrients to be added on a regular basis and will need changing if it becomes too "soupy" and this soup can be added to your dry compost/manure, or simply used as a mulch mixed in with other dryer mulch. Be warned though it can become quite smelly. It can be a good idea to have 2 containers of this liquid manure at different stages of brewing so as to provide a constant supply of liquid feed.

If you have a garden shredder this is a great way of chopping up all of your weeds/nettles and speeding up the brewing process. In fact most of the plant matter that you put through a garden shredder could be used to make this liquid feed as long as no seeds are present.

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To be continued.............