The dreaded task.

[Wren]

I Just done the dreaded yearly turfing out of the huge pallet composter. A whole years worth of last years weeds, couch grass, an dead veg remains has turned to black gold an been spread in a thick multch over the squash bed. Each year as I rotate the crop beds, whatever bed is getting squash in it gets the whole previous years compost. I feel like I have been trampled by a heard o elephants but smug an satisfied. Feed the land and it will feed you.

I had to re-home 5 big slow worms into this years newly started compost. I always leave doing it until the squash get planted out so that I don't disturb them from their winter home. They work wonders in keeping down the crop pests. Look after the land an it will look after you, an give back what you take out.

Wren

[Peas'n'Kews]

Sloworms are garden gold! Just think of all the slugs they'll munch through.

Hugely jealous!

[kathyd]

I love sloworms too, I sometimes find them as I dig around . Last time the sun came out (when was that, I forget...) I found an adder basking on some dead brambles I'd chopped down though.. not quite such a nice surprise!

[zazen999]

I don't dread that task - I love it!

We are this week, emptying out our compost bed from the winter...we use 1.8m raised beds stacked up as making them was part of the students' course - and just put on the plot. We will be removing each tier, and shovelling the uncomposted bits over; and the composted bits will be raked over the growing area and we are putting gungo beans into the place where the compost bin was [brought back from the Caribbean only 4 weeks ago by the tutor].

[Florence Fennel]

Uh-oh, I forgot about turning out my daleks and I've planted out broccoli where I was going to sort the compost. Oops.

[Two_Sheds]

I Just done the dreaded yearly turfing out of the huge pallet composter.

I did it once, and said 'never again'.

I'm now a dalek lover

[areia]

did mine two weeks ago was a two person job, those daleks are not easy to shift on your own, its already a quart full again ops, the amount of life in there was really fasinating, no slow worms though, thing is everyone uses slug pellets id be surprised if we got much wildlife on the ground other than the pest themselves

[Bren In Pots]

Areia a tip I read here on the vine is to go around the base of the dalek with a spade levering it up all the way around, then its easy to lift of.

[Wren]

In some sadistic way I do sort of look forward to doing it. I t hurts but it's good for my body an improves muscle tone, an it sort of marks my summer has begun for me because the squash are ready to be liberated out into the open.
Giving back to the land what I have taken out is symbolic of respect to me so I don't put it off, an on the same hand I am not turfing out the slow worms when they need to hibernate or reproduce.
It tookme 4 hours to turf out that huuuuge palet composter... An my muscles were still trembling an hour after I got home from the mincing they got. Please bare in mind I am a reasonably fit 9 stone lassie.

I dread it but sort of look forward to it. I always feel so satisfied after I have done it.

Thank goodness for shower an my fluffy dressing gown an a glass o wine. It might be 5 o'clock on a Sunday afternoon but wine an fluffy dressing gowns are food for the soul when you ache like hades after such graft.

Wren