Preparing the compost for Christmas

A photo essay for you today.  I’m getting ready for the invading crowds for Christmas. And what do you really, really need to do before the year ends and your resolutions are about to kick in?

Sort the compost heaps.

I’m thrilled that one of my heaps has made an appearance on these pages this past month.  They are the unsightly and unsung heroes of the garden.

So unsightly that I’m giving you a picture of my beautiful drying iris foetidissima berries to lure you in. There is only so much devotion you can give to dying twigs and potato peelings in a bin.

Today you get to see the embarrassing before and after shots of the ones near the house.

Pause while you snort with derision.

I made the mistake of piling in all the thick spent lavender flowers a few months back. And not turning them or pushing them down.  And I was reduced to begging for help in sorting them out.

Done.

And now people can swan down to the bins with the outer leaves of the brussel sprouts without reeling back in horror.  And the tough core of the red cabbage won’t even have to be lobbed over the lower terraces because it won’t fit into a small corner.

My new year’s resolutions have begun a week early. Quick, where is my long list so I can tick something off?