We are being outwitted by a small furry creature with a brain smaller than a pea. Our resident mole has been meandering around near the cottage for a couple of years, throwing up mounds of soil and dislodging paving slabs in an area that visitors don’t tend to linger in for long. It’s been a bit annoying at times, but outweighed by the gentle entertainment to be had from tracing his route each morning and imagining his solitary, dark underground labours.
But now that he has ventured into the open garden and under the lawn, the balance of his presence has tipped towards his becoming seriously troublesome. I am no longer amused. Last week he meandered alongside the pond (I could tell, because the Equisetum hymenale were no longer vertical), across a lawn path and into the scree bed, throwing mounds of earth up onto the newly cleaned up gravel. That was bad enough, but this morning he went a step further and headed for the open lawn. Peter has set traps (which he has tunnelled around), blocked his path, dug down ahead and behind him to no avail. Today he chased him straight down 2 feet into the lawn, only for him to dart off sideways seconds ahead of Peter’s shovel. We could see the earth being kicked out behind him as he headed due north in a narrow horizontal tunnel deeper than the length of my arm. He’s a wily creature. Peter is ruefully acknowledging that he has met his mole-match. But really – we have to catch him, dead or alive.
The garden is almost clear and ready for its spring mulch. For the past three years I have used Chester’s finest homebrew – Gowy Composting Facility’s composted green waste. It is lovely dark crumbly stuff, still smoking on arrival and we have had no weed seed germination from it at all. But last year we noticed a sharp increase in plastic waste shreds in it, so I went along today to find out why. As is so often the case, people are key.
Head honcho composter Steve Kay showed me round the composting yard, with six long heaps of material, each one 10 foot hight and 100 feet long. Each heap is left to self-heat until it reaches the requisite temperature and is then turned by composting ace Jackie and her JCB and ‘cooked’ again six times until finally ready to meet the screening machine. This enormous device shakes the compost through a 1cm screen to produce a gorgeous black, crumbly material which smells and looks lovely. A sample gets sent off for lab testing for ‘fines’ and if passes it’s approved for use. This picture is of the finished product. It’s just fantastic stuff, apart from the tiny bits of plastic in it. And here’s why.
Green waste used to come to the site directly from the householder. Some householders tidily, but wrongly put their green waste in black bin liners before putting in the bin. Others fail to differentiate between green waste and general rubbish. But on arrival at the yard, Jackie used to spread it all out with her JCB and gently pick out most of the plastic before adding the cleaned material to compost pile number one. But now it comes in already shredded and part-composted. And full of plastic as you just make out in the rather dark picture, left. There is nothing Jackie can do except rely on the screening machine to take it out again at the end. Which mostly it does. The screen is smaller than the one they used last year, so I’m going to give it another go and see how much debris we get. But the answer is to market and sell this fabulous stuff, rather than give it away, and reinvest the proceeds in better householder education and pre-screening.
Today’s slight rise in temperature brought a shoal of tiny fish to the surface of the pond and I heard a frog plop into the pond tonight as I went to lock up the chickens. Three buzzards circled the meadow this afternoon, screaming over control of the huge lime tree in our woods. And a clutch of purple crocuses near the cottage opened for the first time. Spring is most definitely on its way.
10 Responses to “Outwitted and outrun.”
Sorry – I know I'm a serial commenter! Love the mole story – are you too old to remember Jasper Carrot's sketch on moles? He sat up all night with a shotgun but not very pc these days. Not sure there is a way to outwit a wily mole! Good luck
Do you remember that bit on the first series of HFW's Escape to River Cottage when he got some kind of spiritualists or mouse whisperers or something to 'command' the mice to leave his house?
I am thinking you should give this a try if all else fails! Sorry, I have no constructive advice to offer whatsoever, as you can see.
Interesting about the green waste compost, plastic is such a problem everywhere. Part of the answer is more education on the part of gardeners about how to present their green waste for composting.
Jane P – I like the idea of mole-whispering. Bound to me more effective than the spade.
Jane B – comment away, you are always welcome. But no I don't remember JC's mole sketch. If the mole outguns us much longer I shall be hiring a man with a shotgun pronto, PC or not.
Hi Sue, I've caught 35 moles in traps over the last 7 years in my garden…there are a couple in it now enjoying their last days !!!
The being nice and catching them alive doesn't work…I give them some words and if that doesn't work……the end.
PS My frogspawn was in the pond on 13th Feb this year…good sign.
What kind of traps did you use Elaine? He seems to spring ours, but not get trapped in it. It's not a 'live catch' one either.
Sue – how do you get hold of the Gowy green waste? I live in Chester and would love some for the allotment but I can't find any details on the council site.
Thanks
Lisa
Hi Sue…just the cheap ones from Wilkinsons, the ones with serrated edges seem to be better, but I haven't been able to find them for ages….check with a stick that they close quickly, and make sure the tunnels don't have any soil in so it just runs through…I use a very narrow bulb planting trowel to clean the tunnel as best I can….if there is soil they just push that into the trap !! Good luck….
Elaine – thanks for the tip. We finally caught him – dug him out!
Lisa, you can't buy direct from the site. But I've just had 20 tonnes delivered. Bring some old compost bags and fill them up for £1 a bag![:-)](http://suebeesley.co.uk/wp-includes/images/smilies/simple-smile.png)
Oh dear -i hope you just moved him to the woods or something where he wouldn't do any damage. I know there are plants which repel moles, but can't remember which.
That's a really kind offer Sue – but I was thinking more of a mass delivery for the allotment site so I won't take you up on it. Good luck with the mole.