In general 2011
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Investigate your compost heap
If you’ve been gradually adding stuff to your compost bin over the last few months, now is a good time to check to see how it’s going. Lift the bin off the heap (or remove the front, or whatever is appropriate for your bin) and take a look. Put the bin back on the ground, and gradually transfer anything that isn’t fully rotted back into the bin. Tease out soggy lumps with a fork, mix dry and wet, add water if its dry, some scrumpled cardboard if its wet. Firm it all down gently and leave till the spring.
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Make use of leaves
Spread one-year old leafmould as a mulch around the garden now. It will protect the soil over
winter, and help to improve the structure as worms take it down into the soil. The leaves don’t have to be fully rotted. Your leafmould containers will then be ready for the leaves that are about to fall.
If you have an allotment or large garden, ask your local council if they will deliver loads of leaves collected from parks and gardens, so you can make a really good supply of leafmould.
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Garden friends
When tidying up the garden, remember not to clear away someone’s home!
A pile of woody stems and branches stacked in a corner could be a home for hibernating frogs, toads and newts.
Emerging in the spring to eat slugs,
hedgehogs are useful creatures to
have resident in your garden
Autumn leaves piled up under a hedge could accommodate a hedgehog or two.
Hollow herbaceous stems are great insect houses, so don’t cut them down until the spring. They can look good over winter too.It can be fun to make homes for creatures too. The Food for Life Partnership Food Growing Manual contains instructions for building a wildlife habitat, and ladybird and lacewing hotels. Click here for the link.