Over the winter this hole has appeared in our weed pile. This photo doesn't really show the scale of it, but it's probably fox sized. The weed pile is the major blot on our plot. Inherited from the previous owners, it's something that we keep meaning to get rid of, but it's not that easy. We could burn the top, uncomposted layer, but we're a 'no burn' plot because at home we're annoyed by smoke from a nearby allotment site and we know all too well the nuisance it causes. The composted layers are full of pernicious weeds which would just come to life again if spread on the soil. So we're in negotiation with the Council about its removal. Beside the weed pile are sheets of corrugated iron which we also inherited, and which also need to be moved. In the long term we plan to relocate our existing compost bins there and to reclaim some earth for growing.
But for the moment we have this:
Taken back in January, this shot doesn't do justice to the full horrible-ness of this area. But back to the hole in the pile. We feel rather stuck now - something has obviously made a comfy lair, so what do we do? My idea is to wait until the weather gets warmer and then start to shift the pile once and for all. Any other thoughts?
.jpg)
6 comments:
You will have to wait awhile in case there are young in there but then get rid of it fast so you are not faced with the same dilemma next year, as it is, it's wasted ground for you hopefully the council will see sense and move it.
Well there is no question but that you do have a problem. I would guess that you do not have yard waste collection service in your area. I totally agree that burning is 'out'. I would think that keeping constant contact the the Council is the most viable option. The squeaky wheel gets the grease.
Good luck!
What a deal! Are the weeds all through it? I don't put spready things on the compost, either. I have a separate area for plants that have seeds in them, and have that stay put, so that I can pull anything that comes up, and not try to grow anything in that spot.
As far as the hole goes, I wonder if the critters are still using the space now that people are coming around to garden.
Keep us posted!
Thanks for the advice/sympathy! I should have said that a couple of weeks ago we lightly covered the entrance to the hole to see if it was still active and sure enough, the curtain of couch grass we'd put over the hole was scraped away the next week. The fox which goes around the alloment site is very tame - the other day while I was working he came within 5 feet of me, stopped and looked me in the eye with his inscrutable yellow eyes, and then calmly trotted on past me. He then went to my neighbour's shed, where the door is off the hinge at the moment and went inside to see if there was anything edible. It was such a strange experience to be looked in the eye by a fox!
As far as waste collection is concerned, we do have a domestic green/garden waste collection scheme, but the allotment waste collection is limited to hardware - metal and plastic and wood and the like. I'm trying to persuade the Council that to cut carbon emissions/reduce nuisance to neighbouring householders they have an occasional 'bad weeds' collection, because there must be more than just us who either inherit a pile of weeds or don't want to burn green waste all the time.
Sorry about the horrible-ness. It doesn't show on the photo & I enjoy a bit of unkepmt space. Hope you succeed with the Council. What is it about groups of people in places of authority that makes them so unreasonable. We have a home-owners association that decided to take out all our pine trees by the common tennis court because it MAY CRACK THE CEMENT COURT! What a bunch of i@#$@#%.
As to wildlife, besides the local squirrels (who moved to another part of the complex once the trees went down), I unfortunately see dead possums, racoons, and even foxes occasionally on our roads. It always makes me so sad to think that another animal is waiting for them somewhere. Oh, sorry for the downer. On an upbeat note, they are many that seem to be thriving in the local preseveration areas.
Love the tulips,this is a magical time of the year with so many blooms.
Sorry about the hole/burrow in the garden. Urban foxes are common in Nottingham. My SIL complains that they undermine plants which either fall in the hole, or die through root disturbance.
Good luck with a solution.
Thanks for your SWF visit and comment. Meanwhile have a lovely Bank Holiday break.
Post a Comment