October is when we see the nights draw in rapidly and daylight quickly diminishes. So if you have a garden -and more importantly the time!- time to start on the autumn chores, gather up all the garden waste and have a bonfire. Although its not considered especially ecologically sound anymore to have them,  I have to admit to still getting very nostalgic about the tradition, something about the smell of woodsmoke in the autumn drifting through the countryside seems quintessentially 'English' (and quite possibly Irish, Welsh & Scottish too, if you are from those areas!) .

As I mentioned though, local councils do encourage gardeners to reduce waste by composting as much of the refuse as possible especially plants waste. You can buy compost bins from your local Community Recycling Centre if you wish to keep it a little tidier. (look at your local council website or phone up to see what is available; some will even deliver them to you free of charge)

If you decide to go ahead and have one (and of course this applies equally to bonfires around November 5th also), there are a few tips that are worth taking note of.

Before lighting it try and check to see that that no small animals have crawled into it, a hedgehog, for example.

  • Try to allow the clippings, leaves etc to dry out a little before you burn them so it doesn't smoke excessively. As I mentioned I personally find the smell of wood smoke pleasant but those with asthmatic conditions may find them troublesome, so be considerate.
  • Try and make your bonfire on a piece of metal, raised up on bricks; this way the air can get underneath, so you get a fierce flame but not too much smoke.
  • Don't leave it burning when you go inside as plenty of unwanted fires have been started by bonfires that people think are almost out and the ashes then blowing in the wind. Think twice about having a bonfire in especially windy and dry conditions as sparks can blow into other areas locally and create fires.

If you burn just organic material, which has a reasonable potash content you can sprinkle it on the garden afterwards to help nourish plants.Sifting through wood ashes can also give you charcoal that can be stored and used for barbecues next summer, if you're really keen. Hope you enjoy the Autumn and make the most of the fine weather and light whilst we still have it!