Topic: Today's Work

[Palustris]

The Compost heap is getting rather full and that is only 1/3 of the garden cleared.
Next picture is of a section we are re-doing with low terraces. Order is 1 o clock : 2 o clock : 3 o clock.

[Mimi]

Now that is what you call a compost heap :o Love the piccys Eric.  Lot of hard work went on there.  It is hard to tell from the photo but is that a fence or pergola in the back.  

[Palustris]

Arbour actually (posh?)

[Mimi]

What you doing with a harbour in your garden ::)

[tim]

Looks rather tough stuff to compost, Eric - do you do anything special? And I don't want the P answer! = Tim

[Palustris]

Time basically, mix it all up with grass cuttings during Summer, turn it over a couple of times and wait. Dont add anything, not even lime, don't cover it, takes about 12 months to do, but we have got the system up and running so we can wait that length for it to be ready.

[tim]

Amazing - I'll send you some of mine! = Tim

[ina]

Lots of work done there. Did you do it all by yourself or did you have help? If you made low terraces, it must be on a slope but that's not apparent in the picture. Looking good. What an enormous compost heap and still running out of space.

About the compost. I guess you don't chop anything? Just mix and wait. I'm not going to tell Clint, he is the compostables chopper with the hedge shears. It still takes about a year to compost. I do add water every now and then when it seems too dry but nothing else.

[Palustris]

OK I confess I had help from my consultant gardener. She stands and advises where to place the stones etc. The slope is very shallow, drops about 1/3 of a metre in 6m. Really only did this to use up the stones and to create a bed for plants which do not hide the Hamamaelis mollis cultivar at the top, or the view from the seat which goes in the Arbour. The path on the left of the pic (hidden somewhat under weeds) led originally to a house which was there in 1861 but not in 1900 ish.
That is 1/3 of the compost heaps, 2m by 2m , should really have made more or bigger. The material there would be better shredded, but the machine won't touch soft stuff like that and shears are just too much like hard work. Forgot to say we add lots of chicken waste with it, that works as an accelerator.

[Piglet]

Crikey  :o - you must have arms like mike tyson - turning that couple times.  Nice garden Eric.

Piglet. :D

[Garden Manager]

Ok lets try again.

Great compost heap eric.  Takes as long as 12 months does it? I shouls think a heap that size would soon heat up and rot down.  Still if you dont break the stuff up.... :-/

I shred woody prunings and keep them aside for mulching. Compost stuff gets roughly broken up by hand or chopped with a spade when on the heap.  Seems to break down quite fast when the weather is mild.  Even without turning.

is the new terraced area a rock garden, rockery or none of the above?  What plants will you be puting in there?

Great pics by the way. Must get around to posting some more myself...........