Your going to have rodents but you'll learn to deal with them. The biggest shock I ever received was when I lifted the plywood cover and a Garter snake was smiling back at me...
Your going to have rodents but you'll learn to deal with them. The biggest shock I ever received was when I lifted the plywood cover and a Garter snake was smiling back at me...
It's not just dirt! Soil is a mixture of minerals, air, water, and organic materials, such as roots, decaying plant parts, fungi, earthworms, bacteria, and microorganisms. An acre of healthy topsoil can contain 900 pounds of earthworms, 2,400 pounds of fungi, 1,500 pounds of bacteria, 133 pounds of protozoa, 890 pounds of arthropods and algae, and in some cases, small mammals.
Funny that small mammals are mentioned. Every time we plow or disk a field for row crops, the mice and small rats running out of the way of the tractor is astounding. Hawks, herons and other birds are routinely drawn to a field with a moving tractor because they know that all sorts of mice, frogs and large insects will be stirred in the process.
One year I actually disturbed a fox den containing 4 kits. I won't even get into the variety of snakes we encounter!
Ahhhhh, yes! Those are the beautiful compost bins that inspired me to start composting in the first place. How often do you turn yours?