Barbecue Safety

One of the main activities of the summer is barbecuing and there’s nothing better than sitting out in the sun with a cold drink and some delicious hot food!

Barbecue food usually consists mainly of meat and often in large quantities. It is also often prepared by people who do not regularly cook such food and so are not always aware of the amount of time needed to ensure the meat is cooked safely.

Following this advice should ensure that the food served is safe to eat.

Meat:

• Defrost all meats thoroughly
• Keep meat in the fridge until needed
• Keep cooked and uncooked meat completely separate
• Cut the meat into small portions before cooking
• Pre-cook chicken to ensure the middle gets cooked properly
• Use separate utensils for cooked and raw food
• Make sure that the meat is cooked through by testing a piece or by using a meat thermometer (see Amazon advert below)
• Keep the heat low to prevent burning the outside before the inside is cooked
• Serve meat immediately after cooking

Salads:

• Keep ingredients covered and refrigerated until needed
• Minimise the use of “high risk” ingredients such as home-made mayonnaise, ham, shell-fish and eggs

Hygiene:

• Have a bowl of warm, soapy water handy for washing hands between cooking
• Keep all utensils on a clean tray or table away from the food
• Make sure the cook wears an apron and uses clean towels

Your own personal safety is another important consideration when barbecuing. You should take the following sensible precautions:

• Set the barbecue up on a level surface away from plants, fences or flammable materials
• Never pour petrol or lighter fuel on to the barbecue
• Use kindling and fire lighters if necessary
• Keep a bucket of water handy incase of fires
• Avoid wearing loose clothing which may catch in the flames
• Make sure the fire is out when you have finished the barbecue
• Use a plant sprayer to douse flames from dripping fat
• Use long handled tools and thick oven gloves

Aquatic Gardening

There are several points you need to consider before building your pond or water feature. Should it be formal or informal, natural or modern? Do you want to keep fish, grow plants or attract wildlife? Are there children to keep safe?

Once you have answered these questions you need to decide where you want to site the pond or water feature. A pond should be kept away from big trees and shrubs so ensure their roots don’t puncture the lining. If you want to keep fish you need to have a pretty deep pond to stop it freezing over the winter. The smallest you should build a pond is 60cm (2ft) deep and 1 x 1.5m (3 x 5ft) across. However, the bigger the better.

If childrens’ safety is and issue or you prefer not to have to maintain a pond then a water feature is an excellent compromise. You could build a wall fountain or a pebble pool which can be sited in sun or shade near to a power supply. If you do not have external power then a wide plant container or half a barrel, without drainage holes, is ideal. You can still grow small aquatic plants or use floating oxygenators such as water hyacinth. You will need to protect them during winter or empty the container and start again in the spring.

For more about aquatic gardening visit these articles: Build a Garden Pond and Pond Plants

Sharp Sand

Question:

Does “sharp sand” have a place in the garden?

Answer:

Sharp sand is used to improve drainage by either digging it directly into the soil or by mixing with compost when planting in containers.
It is also used in building works; mixing with concrete etc.

However, it shouldn’t be used in childrens’ play areas; there are special “safe” sands for this use.

Questions for January 2008

Question

HI, I need some advice please on what to do with an old veggie patch in my backyard. The previous owner maintained a veggie patch, taking up about one-third of the yard.  It is no longer maintained as a veggie patch and if I could afford it I would makeover the whole backyard.  That area is now just a patch of dirt that is overgrown with weeds.  The man that mows my front lawn previously cleared it, but then I found that the loose soil was unsightly and would blow onto the paved area on windy days. It also had a lot of debris in it (from old construction work on my house, bits of broken plaster) that was unnoticeable while the weeds were growing over it. How do I keep the patch looking neat, would it be possible to cover it over with gravel or wood chips?  I don’t want to spend a lot of money by putting a lawn over it as I intend to redo the whole area someday.

Answer

It should be quite easy to deal with this area. First of all I would ensure that all the weeds are well and truly dead by treating the area with a good quality perennial weed killer. Leave it for a few weeks to see if any annual weeds germinate and if they do pull them out by hand. Then you should lay a weed suppressing membrane ensuring that the whole area is well covered. You will be able to buy this from your local garden centre or DIY store. Finally lay a thick layer of your chosen mulch. You can use anything you like as they all do the same job. The thing to remember is that weed seeds will find there way into the mulch and germinate. However they are usually quite weak so if you pull them up as soon as you see them they should be quite easy to control.

Question

I have just bought a lovely Cordyline australis red star it says on the plant card its only half hardy and wont survive hard frosts yet elsewhere I have read its fully hardy and the frost wont damage it I have bought it in doors placed it where it can get plenty of light and avoided putting it near radiators so should I keep it indoors for now or plant it out it is in a large black plastic pot at moment I have other Cordylines which have done ok over last two winters though different from this one

Answer

You are correct that some Cordylines do survive the winter but I think it best to play safe. Leave it indoors over this winter and plant it out into a sheltered, sunny spot once the risk of frost has passed. Next winter cover the leaves with horticultural fleece to protect it. Alternatively plant it into a nice pot and bring it indoors each winter.

Question

I have a very shaded area of my garden 5 6 hours max sun on a good day in summer I was looking at a relatively inexpensive way of planting some form of hedge that will not grow much over 3ft but will be noticeable perhaps something that may have flowers or berries on at some stage in the year any advice welcomed

Answer

I have done some research and found a few plants which should make a good, low hedge with some interest. There are not many hedging plants which like full shade so I have also included some that like partial shade. They should still do OK although they may bloom a little later than usual. Switch Ivy – likes acid soil, Snowy Woodrush – I don’t know this one well but enjoys full shade, Common Box – needs to be kept well pruned to shape, Berberis – likes sun or shade. Lovely colour but has thorns, Pyracantha – also like sun or shade but again is thorny and will need pruning well each year, Red-barked Dogwood – the red bark is even better when cut right down each year.