Moving the composter

For a variety of reasons, we wanted to move the compost tumbler to another spot. This was easier said than done, because it was quite full.

Still, it's not such a bad thing to clean it out before winter. So I gathered what I needed and got to work.

The tools necessary for emptying the composter include gloves (duh), a bucket or tub to put the compost in...

...and tools to pull the muck out. These tools need to be long-handled (to reach in back) and short-handled (to get everything in the front). My long-handled tool was a triangular hoe:

My short-handled tool was a three-pronged cultivator:

The idea, of course, is to scoop everything out of the composter into the tub. I've learned from experience not to overfill the tub or it's too heavy to move.

The next question is, what to do with the compost? In the absence of chickens, for whom a muck of compost would be welcome diversion, I opted (as I always do) to bury it in one of the garden beds.

At the moment we have two empty garden beds, added too late in the season to plant anything.

So I dug out a bunch of the dirt and dumped the compost into one of the beds. This is the actual purpose of compost, after all: To enrich garden beds. In fact, even after we get chickens, I'll probably keep this up. (If you wonder how I get volunteer plants in the garden, this is why.)

Here, the entire contents of the composter has been deposited in piles.

The next step is to sorta flatten the piles...

...then rake the dirt over it.

It's a dirty job, but only has to be done about once a year.

The empty composter was easy to move. For the time being I just stuck it in the garden itself. At some future point, we'll reposition itself in a more suitable location.

Time to hose (and scrub) off the tools and tub.

There was only one problem with this otherwise routine task: Mr. Darcy now can come into the garden with me (since it's completely fenced), and he can smell the compost. He's fascinated by the smell.

I've told him "No" a few times when he gets too interested, and he hasn't attempted to dig anything up. Still, I don't leave him in the garden without supervision.

Just another autumn task.