Compost Bins

We cleared out part of the old slurry pit and built a composting bin frame using pallets and spare boards. Dimensions are roughly 5m x 1.2m (16ft x 4ft) and the back is a single long pallet from a large delivery of timber a couple years ago. Gaps between the back and side slats allow air to get in to help with the composting process, although the gaps in back are a bit too large so we may add thin strips in future.

A fairly simple T-slot system allows boards to be added or removed for moving material into and between the bins. All of the boards were ripped by table saw

Material for composting includes grass clippings (green), shredded cardboard (brown), and chopped / shredded stalks from the veg field (mostly greens). After only a day or so the contents warmed up considerably. Material is turned from one bin to the next after about a week to reinvigorate the composting process.

New Electric Shredder

Chopping all the green material coming out of the veg field for composting by hand was taking its toll on our wrists (and backs), so we decided to purchase a shredder. There are a wide variety of machines available for sale - although we are consciously trying to avoid petrol engines in order to reduce use of fossil fuels and maintenance overhead needed - so the search focused on electric models.

We also need a shredded that can handle fairly large volumes of material on a weekly basis and the Stihl GHE line seemed to be a good fit. After a bit of research and watching some review videos on YouTube we chose the GHE 355 - largest model which uses a standard 230V 13A wall socket (plug / receptacle). None of our local dealers had one in stock and did not expect more for a month or two, but we found one at Robert Kee in Donegal so ordered online and it arrived a couple days later by truck.

Assembly of the shredder was fairly straightforward aside from a special 5 point security Torx bit which is needed to attach the top chute. The manual says it should be installed by an authorised dealer which makes no sense when the unit is purchased online and shipped in parts. Luckily I found a way to secure the screws for initial use, and then bought a set of 5 point Torx security bits - these have 5 instead of the normal 6 points, plus a small hole in the centre to make it rare and thus better "security" (photo from amazon.com):

Using the shredder was quite easy - plug into wall socket, turn on at switch panel, then feed material into the top of the chute. The Stihl shredders have two modes for shredding green material or chipping small branches. In theory the GHE 355 can chip up to 35mm branches, although I found it sometimes bogged down at around 25mm diameter. Also there is a bit of kickback with dry branches so I would recommend chipping while they are freshly cut if possible.

We shredded 3 tailer loads of green stalks from the veg field - crimson clover, lovage, and others - in about 2 hours and the machine worked very well overall. The crimson clover stems in particular sometimes wrapped around the cutting blades which required stopping and opening the unit (two large bolts with handles joining the chute to the base) to clear the blockage. I found lowering the clover stalks into the machine and slowly releasing them by hand solved the binding problem.

After a short break to gather more material for shredding we went to start the shredder again and nothing happened. I checked the socket, breaker, cord, fuse in cord (common here in Ireland and UK), shred vs chip mode switch, chute cover - nothing looked wrong. There is a sensor inside the right chute bolt hole which will prevent the machine run running if the chute is not secured properly, but I checked it with an ohmmeter and it was working correctly. I also confirmed 230V power was live at the machine end of the cord, so the issue was likely in the power switch or control box.

Since the machine was brand new I figured it would be easy to just take it to a local authorised Stihl repair centre and they could sort it out as a warranty repair, so I rang the local dealer in Mallow about 35 minutes drive and asked if I could bring it in ("yes" was the reply). Next day I took it in and encountered one of the rudest service teams I've ever met - they said they would not repair any machine they had not sold despite being an authorised repair centre. One main said electric shredders are "a pain in the a**", and another said they did not even sell the Stihl shredders even though they have them listed on their website and I had spoken to their sales team a week earlier to see if any were in stock (2 month lead time which is why we purchased elsewhere).

After leaving a review of the terrible experience in Mallow, I called the dealer in Donegal who we purchased from and they said they would happily arrange pickup and repair, although they are located in Donegal which is the northern most county in Ireland and we are in Cork which is the southern most county (about 6-7 hours drive on a good day) so it might be faster if a local repair centre would do the work. Right, why not try - so I called around to the 5 authorised dealers / repair centres in Cork, Kerry, and Limerick to find only one which would agree to do the warranty repair, but they had a 2-3 week queue before they could even inspect the machine.

In the end I called the dealer we purchased from, disassembled the machine and packed it up, and they arranged for a truck to pick it up. A couple days later they confirmed the control switch was faulty, a new one would be fitted just after the bank holiday, and then the machine would be returned to us. Fingers crossed there are no more issues...

Preparing for Horses

Marisa met a lovely woman who raises alpacas and horses at a local event a few weeks ago. They got to talking and arranged for her two horses to graze in one of our fields for the summer, plus she has lots of alpaca poo that we are welcome to use as fertiliser.

We thought putting the horses in a field near the road for ease access made sense and looked at a few candidates before choosing the one just north of the "herb" field. This one is fairly dry and only about 30% rushes. I happened to have mowed a swath around the perimeter of the field a few days earlier so we were able to walk it and see that the fencing was still intact and luckily we found the water trough was near the gate. However, one of the gate posts was completely rotted and there was no way to secure the gate.

A couple days later I took a strimmer (string trimmer / weed whacker), a new treated post, and some tools up to clear around the trough. Thankfully the float valve is still working and it cleaned up pretty quickly.

A bit of digging and a new 100mm (4in) temporary post was fitted with side braces. At some point I'll replace this with a more substantial post, but it works for now. The horses came the following week and they are loving their new surroundings. Our neighbours said they love hearing the sound of the horses - it's been many years since horses were on the property and we are happy to provide a place for our new friends to graze.

Milking Parlour Update

Some friends visiting from Glasgow helped me lower the old water tank and steel frame, wall mounted water heater (which was badly corroded), and water pump and bracket. I pulled all of the wall fixtures and other miscellaneous bits, and then pressure washed most of this front room.

Current plan is to build an insulated room and mezzanine in this space which we can use for processing honey and storing some equipment. We will need a new water heater and ability to wash down the honey extractor and frames, and of course everything will need a new coat (or more) of paint. More to come as time permits...