The message
from "louisxiv" contains these words:

Just moved into a house during the winter and have no idea what to expect
from the garden come spring. At the moment there are a few dead looking
things which i'm presuming will grow again. I've a couple of questions:

1. Does it make sense to just wait and see what happens in the first year?

Yes.

I
mean rather than planting loads of stuff, should I wait and see what it
looks like and plan for spring 2007?

2. There is a very old compost heap at the back of the garden which I don't
think has been touched for years. It has roots (Privet and Elder) growing
all the way through it.

Sure they aren't nettles? Are they yellow?

Doeas this mean it will have no nutrients or is it
worth spreading it anyway?

I'd bag it up, then spread it out on a sheet of polythene (cheap from
builders' merchants - ask for 'membrane'.) in the spring and let the
weeds grow. There *WILL* be weeds. Then, when the weeds are growing
nicely, let the compost dry right out, remove dead weeds or incorporate
them with the compost.

--
Rusty
Men love women, women love children, children love hamsters.
(Alice Thomas Ellis)