We’ve had an email from Ste:

What are the options for tanalised overlap fencing panels?

Tanalised wood lasts longer outside without maintenance but it is a bit more problematic to dispose of as it’s been treated with chromated copper arsenate – toxins ahoy! It’s not recommended to burn on open fires or in woodburning stoves, and I wouldn’t want those chemicals anywhere near my compost heap either. They can apparently be burnt in industrial incinerators but that’s usually a last ditch “solution”.

The better option would be to reuse them if possible. If it’s simple a case of no longer wanting them, offer them on Freecycle/Freegle – I think it’s almost guaranteed that someone will want them. People will still probably want them for spares or repairs if they’re damaged, or cut them down to make small panels out of the undamaged bits.

Any other suggestions?

As I mentioned last week, we’ve finally, FINALLY, got the keys to our new house and are frantically doing some essential works before we can move in. One not quite essential but desirable thing is for us to fence in the wild bit of the garden – ultimately so we can have chickens* and use the fences to grow things up/along.

One side of the garden was previously dry stone walled but a lot of the stones have been pilfered for use elsewhere in the garden – we’ll try to reconstruct as much of it as we can but I think we’ll have build some sort of fencing for the rest.

John’s dad has suggested using wood from pallets to make simple horizontal-slatted fences. There is also the option of live fencing – growing some sort of hedgerow or bramble bush – but that’ll take time to grow in.

So any suggestions? Having a garden needing this sort of work is new to me so any ideas would be gratefully received!

* the chickens will need pretty high fences or a covered run. We haven’t quite decided what we’ll do with that yet but we’ll try to future-proof the new fences so we can add to them in the future.

(Photo by betacam)