THE MODERN MINT BLOG
Logs – Modern Mint
Autumn is arriving and nights are getting colder, so we need to start thinking about logs for the fire.
Why you should use logs from Modern Mint…
The logs we offer are guaranteed to have been seasoned for 1 year, with a low moisture content.
All logs are sourced from the UK – Essex, South London, Kent, Sussex, Surrey, Hampshire, Berkshire.
Buying logs from Modern Mint (and so from the UK) helps support work in native woodlands.
What are the best logs to use for your fire?
In the words of ‘Woodsman’ Ben Law, you need to:
“Mainly use birch for firewood. It burns hot and bright, and, when mixed with a slower-burning wood, it creates a good fire. I use birch bark for fire-lighting. It remains by far the best of all fire-starters…”
Here you can read more about Ben Law and his woods… while a more in-depth study of the different firewood to use to keep warm with can be found here at a post we wrote called ‘Best Logs for a Woodfire.’
Make Your Own Microbes
We are fans of effective microbes, and use the in our topiary work. They help keep plants healthy, meaning the plants have more tools in their toolbox and energy in their lives to stave off any diseases. Here is a lovely article that tells you how to make your own microbes. Right at the end. Make Your Own Microbes
Boxwood – Dealing With Blight & The Caterpillar
Boxwood is one of our absolute favourite plants. The evergreen leaf that shines in winter, the smell as you clip it, the brilliant shapes you can make from it… but it is suffering somewhat from two major problems: Box Blight Boxwood Caterpillar and Moth None of this is the be all and end all for boxwood, but it helps to be aware of it and know a little about what you can do should either of these problems arise. Boxwood Caterpillar & Moth I hadn’t seen this in a garden I worked on until this spring, when a client I …
Orchard Design At Brogdale, National Fruit Collection In Kent
Last weekend I visited the National Fruit Collection at Brogdale, to take part in an orchard design course they were running. Beautiful place and a warm day, I recommend a visit. I came home with 3 bottles of cider. Drank them all. Then realised they were weighing in at 8%. I don’t recover that quickly (no longer being 20 years old) and so had something of a musty head the next morning. The power of apples I say! Below are some notes I made from the day. They may be of use to you, although really they are there for …