Musings on Compost Heaps (and the things you find in them)
 

Hi All,

Having excavated and remade my compost heap at the weekend, I was
pondering on a number of items.

1) The sheer weight of the d*mn stuff! My compost only seems to come in
two varieties - heavy and heavier! (All varieties seem to be wet, muddy
and somewhat clayish...)

2)The number of garden tools a compost heap can "vanish". I suspected my
garden scissors were in the heap as of a few of weeks ago, and sure
enough I found them. What suprised me was the fact my favourite hand fork
was in the heap (admittadbly it had only been there a week!). Oh well, I
should be grateful I found them.

3) The quantity of wildlife in the heap. Worms (garden and brandling/tiger
- either that or the small bright red ones were baby garden worms),
beetles, woodlice, snails etc..

4) And why is it, 30 seconds after you think, "Oh, I hope there aren't any
frogs in the heap" and 1/2 way through the compost heap you promptly go
and find one with the end of the fork....
On a slightly happier note, I found another 3 frogs before the fork got to
them, and persuaded them they didn't want to be in the compost heap.

And 5) Why is my compost heap already 1/3 - 1/2 full again allready!!!

Sarah

Musings on Compost Heaps (and the things you find in them)
 

Sarah Dale wrote:
Hi All,

Having excavated and remade my compost heap at the weekend, I was
pondering on a number of items.
...

I was hoping you were going to tell us that you've found the secret factory
that manufactures wire coat hangers from odd socks and biros.

--
William Tasso - The road to hell is littered with fallen webmasters.
http://www.tbdata.com/

Musings on Compost Heaps (and the things you find in them)
 

"William Tasso" wrote in message
...
Sarah Dale wrote:
Hi All,

Having excavated and remade my compost heap at the weekend, I was
pondering on a number of items.
...

I was hoping you were going to tell us that you've found the secret
factory
that manufactures wire coat hangers from odd socks and biros.

--
William Tasso - The road to hell is littered with fallen webmasters.
http://www.tbdata.com/


Make your fortune today !!!
Be the first in your area offering the *** Internet Odd Sock Exchange
Programme ***
Make millions in the first month !!!
Be the envy of your neighbours !!!
Collect an infinite variety of odd socks !!!

(Sorry - this is getting dreadfully OT)

Mike

Musings on Compost Heaps (and the things you find in them)
 

On Mon, 11 Nov 2002 21:56:35 +0000, William Tasso wrote:

Sarah Dale wrote:
Hi All,

Having excavated and remade my compost heap at the weekend, I was
pondering on a number of items.
...

I was hoping you were going to tell us that you've found the secret factory
that manufactures wire coat hangers from odd socks and biros.

*laugh* No - just infinite proto-compost!

Sarah

Musings on Compost Heaps (and the things you find in them)
 

"Sarah Dale" wrote in message
o.uk...
Hi All,

Having excavated and remade my compost heap at the weekend, I was
pondering on a number of items.

1) The sheer weight of the d*mn stuff! My compost only seems to come in
two varieties - heavy and heavier! (All varieties seem to be wet, muddy
and somewhat clayish...)

2)The number of garden tools a compost heap can "vanish". I suspected my
garden scissors were in the heap as of a few of weeks ago, and sure
enough I found them. What suprised me was the fact my favourite hand fork
was in the heap (admittadbly it had only been there a week!). Oh well, I
should be grateful I found them.

3) The quantity of wildlife in the heap. Worms (garden and brandling/tiger
- either that or the small bright red ones were baby garden worms),
beetles, woodlice, snails etc..

4) And why is it, 30 seconds after you think, "Oh, I hope there aren't any
frogs in the heap" and 1/2 way through the compost heap you promptly go
and find one with the end of the fork....
On a slightly happier note, I found another 3 frogs before the fork got to
them, and persuaded them they didn't want to be in the compost heap.

And 5) Why is my compost heap already 1/3 - 1/2 full again allready!!!

Sarah

When we viewed into our current house, about 6 years ago, we were introduced
by the then owners to their "compost heap", upon excavation we found, two
old fork heads (full sized), three old spade heads, two trowels, two hoe
heads, one dutch one draw, I think. Roughly enough springs to form one old
fashioned mattress, and enough burnt wood to start a really nice fire
(elsewhere). I felt like writing to the previous owners, maybe posting their
"compost" back to them !!!.

It just amazed me, that they had the (gaul, temerity, audacity dont know the
right word here), to actually call this thing a compost heap. The funniest
find, I thought though, was after emptying the whole heap out we found an
ancient rubarb plant still trying to grow through. We left this for one year
and got a huge crop of rubarb. Silver lining ???!?!

Duncan

Musings on Compost Heaps (and the things you find in them)
 

"Sarah Dale" wrote in message
o.uk...
Hi All,

Having excavated and remade my compost heap at the weekend, I was
pondering on a number of items.

2)The number of garden tools a compost heap can "vanish". I suspected my
garden scissors were in the heap as of a few of weeks ago, and sure
enough I found them. What suprised me was the fact my favourite hand fork
was in the heap (admittadbly it had only been there a week!). Oh well, I
should be grateful I found them.


In a similar way that washing machines breed the odd sock, I've found that
compost heaps have the ability to create teaspoons. One of the great
mysteries of life.

Drakanthus.

Musings on Compost Heaps (and the things you find in them)
 

On Mon, 11 Nov 2002 20:53:12 +0000, "Sarah Dale"
wrote:

snip

On completely emptying out a worm compost bin earlier this year ( I
usually leave a few inches in to start off the next new batch ) I
found a silver plated spoon that was given to my son on his birth. I
reckon it'd been there about 8 years.

As an aside, a couple of years ago I dug a new bed and heaped loads of
garden compost on it. Later that year it threw up half a dozen or so
tomato plants which yielded a fine crop of cherry toms.


Regards,



--
Stephen Howard - Woodwind repairs & period restorations
www.shwoodwind.co.uk
Emails to: showard{whoisat}shwoodwind{dot}co{dot}uk

Musings on Compost Heaps (and the things you find in them)
 

"Stephen Howard" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 11 Nov 2002 20:53:12 +0000, "Sarah Dale"
wrote:

snip

On completely emptying out a worm compost bin earlier this year ( I
usually leave a few inches in to start off the next new batch ) I
found a silver plated spoon that was given to my son on his birth. I
reckon it'd been there about 8 years.

As an aside, a couple of years ago I dug a new bed and heaped loads of
garden compost on it. Later that year it threw up half a dozen or so
tomato plants which yielded a fine crop of cherry toms.


Regards,



--
Stephen Howard - Woodwind repairs & period restorations
www.shwoodwind.co.uk
Emails to: showard{whoisat}shwoodwind{dot}co{dot}uk

I got exactly that this year, put in a new load of fresh garden compost into
the greenhouse and up sprang numerous "extra" tomato plants, and I couldn't
for the life of me work out where they came from. I planted them all outside
and got a really nice crop. There must have been at least a dozen or more
plants crop up.
I guess it must have just been seeds which survived through the compost.
That never even occured to me until I read your post, so many thanks, one
insignificant weight off my mind.
Duncan

Musings on Compost Heaps (and the things you find in them)
 

"Drakanthus" wrote in
news:evqA9.239$pq2.67676@newsfep2-gui:

In a similar way that washing machines breed the odd sock, I've found
that compost heaps have the ability to create teaspoons. One of the
great mysteries of life.

Wish mine would create teaspoons. Mine just throws great chunks of wood
that I'm sure I never put in there...

But my wormery does do a good job in generating tin foil.

Victoria Clare

Musings on Compost Heaps (and the things you find in them)
 

On Wed, 13 Nov 2002 11:15:07 -0000, "Drakanthus"
wrote:

In a similar way that washing machines breed the odd sock, I've found that
compost heaps have the ability to create teaspoons. One of the great
mysteries of life.

And my wormery has just bred me a new inner section for a garlic
press. Quite lucky really, as I'd lost the old one a few days
ago...

--
Cheers, Serena

Where nothing is sure, everything is possible (Margaret Drabble)

Musings on Compost Heaps (and the things you find in them)
 

On Wed, 13 Nov 2002 11:57:56 -0000, "Druss"
wrote:

I got exactly that this year, put in a new load of fresh garden compost into
the greenhouse and up sprang numerous "extra" tomato plants, and I couldn't
for the life of me work out where they came from. I planted them all outside
and got a really nice crop. There must have been at least a dozen or more
plants crop up.
I guess it must have just been seeds which survived through the compost.
That never even occured to me until I read your post, so many thanks, one
insignificant weight off my mind.
Duncan


What bugs me is that they were by far the best tomato plants I'd ever
had... and I've no way of knowing what variety they were!
Thinking about it only now, the seeds would have come from a
supermarket variety ( I've never grown cherry toms before ) and
presumably, given they came true from seed, I could have saved the
seed!

Regards,



--
Stephen Howard - Woodwind repairs & period restorations
www.shwoodwind.co.uk
Emails to: showard{whoisat}shwoodwind{dot}co{dot}uk