I would really like to find another round pan like the one in this photo to the right of the potted maple. It was here when we moved in and I found it so useful for sifting small amounts of soil. If you have any idea what its original purpose may have been, I might be able to find another. Thanks for any leads.
I think it's call a 'bulb tray'. Bulb Planting Trays how to use bulb planting trays Edit: Added links.
Thank you @Junglekeeper. I think you're right. To tell the truth, I'd never seen a bulb tray before but I'll be on the look-out to see if I can find a sturdy one that might double as a soil-sifter.
I use bulb pans upside down to protect my freshly planted (in autumn or - ahem, later :) from our happy hopping towhee garden birds Obviously l remove as soon as I see sprouting bulbs Margot - i think go have a look at dollar store - there are lots of plastic baskets with holes in them (intentionally) i found some brown color plastic round ones I double up and use as bulb containers i found the purpose-labelled plastic bulb trays a tad expensive for my Yorkshire taste!
Actually, there's a cheaper alternative. A fenestrated* plastic nursery tray that bedding plants are packed into. They're about 20" x 10" and are free for the asking at nurseries as they are normally discarded. Two or more can be stacked together if one is too flimsy for use as a sieve. (*) I was going to use the word 'perforated' but learned a new word which describes the construction more accurately.
Thanks for the suggestion. Fenestrated - good word; I'll have to figure out how to work it into conversations. I do have dozens of those nursery trays and they would probably work although not my first choice. What I really liked about that old bulb tray was that it was a perfect size for me, very sturdy with high-enough sides that I could put quite a bit in it at a time and, being round, got nothing stuck in corners. And - best of all - the fenestrations were the exactly the right size. Here's something I found online which would be ideal - except that it costs about $40.
Soil seives or riddles like that are common here in the UK, and not for $40. The round metal ones with various mesh sizes can be had for the equivalent of $15 Canadian or less, and they do plastic ones these days that are cheaper still. Edit: for example these ones at a UK national chain with branches in every town
Lee Valley carries a 'riddle': https://www.leevalley.com/en-ca/sho...s/49554-stainless-steel-riddle-with-3-screens. It's not cheap but seems to be of quality and does come with three different sized sifting screens.
Thanks @Junglekeeper. I do have a green plastic type from LV which works pretty well although I don't like the corners. It's also on the pricey side. I'd like to pop over to the UK where @maf says I could pick one up for ~$15 CAN. That old bulb tray was perfect - proof that 'you don't know what you've got 'til it's gone'.
Out of curiosity - I looked & there are several on Amazon Canada in the 25$ Cdn funds price range i have attached a quick screen image for example did we get the backstory on what valiant final effort your prev « pan » (riddle) served? :) hopefully it wasn’t a helpful spouse cleaning up garden shed (one time helper person here took a nice original painting AND some bank cards to thrift … thankfully i knew thrift manager and went and parked outside at 7am for 10am open :) everyone survived !
Hello @Margot —- my big treat today was going to one of the local nice plant places (after some less exciting errands ) and I noticed these bulb trays thé diameter on the round one was like a pie — not very big i still like the « fenestrated » plant tray idea - above i notice there are TWO diff patterns on those plant trays — so maybe combine one of each
Thank you! The price is right but I'd want smaller openings . . . if I'm going to all the trouble of sifting soil, I want to get rid of most of the little rocks. Anything smaller than ~1/4 inch is tolerable. When I lived in Burnaby, in the low area between Deer Lake and Burnaby Lake, the soil was naturally free of rocks; perhaps sediment washed in eons ago. It was so rich and lovely to work with! I can't let that be my ideal anymore now that rocks prevail where I am now but I do love the feel of pure soil on my fingers even in small, select areas.
