Hi there,
Do any of you sometimes need charcoal? Why buy it and not do it yourself?
So first of all you want to collect a lot of wood. Like branches from pruning and making firewood and all that sort of wood waste that is a little thick for your compost. We usually have a pile for it. When stacking it, make sure that there is as little air pockets between the branches as possible. You really want to stack your pile as thight as you possibly can. We usually collect some wood all year and then make coal once in the autumn. That's more than sufficient for our needs.
When you have collected enough wood you will light the pile.
So keep that in mind when selecting a location. You also want to have water supply to extinguish the charcoal later.
Now to actually make the charcoal, you light the pile of wood on fire. Use some small branches and paper on 2-3 sides. When it's light and burns strong start covering your pile with some earth. About 2 inches or 5 cm should be enough. Leave a chimney hole in the top and poke some air holes in the bottom. Then watch for 18-26 hours. The smoke will turn to white and then become hardy visible. That's when you are done. Now extinguish with ample water or open the pile and put 2 shovels on your BBQ and then extinguish.
Do you make your own charcoal for BBQ or gardening? Please share your experience.
by Still_Tailor_9993
1 Comment
Interesting way of making charcoal on a bigger scale. I’ve always made it in a tin or a paint can with a lid on a small scale for other uses.