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Molehills

Posted: Tue Oct 25, 2016 2:48 pm
by JohnN
In the fields round my fishing lake there are dozens of molehills, the dark, crumbly soil of which looks ideal for the garden veg beds. I'm tempted to scoop up a few sackfuls, but is this soil OK for that use or could there be a problem? Thanks.

Re: Molehills

Posted: Tue Oct 25, 2016 2:55 pm
by oldherbaceous
Afternoon John, this is lovely soil to use......in years gone by, this was always collected and used in the greenhouses, to cap the cucumber mounds and also used in many other mixes of compost. It's fairly weed free as it is dug and pushed up from the lower soil.

Re: Molehills

Posted: Tue Oct 25, 2016 7:18 pm
by Pawty
Hi john,

My nan always collected if for use in her hanging baskets - always raved about it!

Pawty

Re: Molehills

Posted: Wed Oct 26, 2016 9:10 pm
by JohnN
Thank you for your comments, Pawty and OH. I must tell you that when I told my wife that I was going to collect molehill earth, she looked blankly at me for a moment and then said "Won't they mind?" :lol:

Re: Molehills

Posted: Thu Oct 27, 2016 7:11 am
by Pa Snip
I love the look of soil that moles have pushed to the surface but surely it has no magic ingredient that is not present in the rest of the ground. Ok, yes it maybe slightly richer due to the moles own waste production.

Is it a case that It has just been well dug and worked. Well finely sieved soil from the same ground would look just the same.

There may however be one advantage if you have a mole problem, are not moles territorial therefore the mole scent you introduce from elsewhere in the molehill soil might fool other moles into thinking your ground has already been claimed.
Great in theory providing it isn't mating time and you happen to have spread female mole scent all over your best plant bed . ooops :D

No idea if that's possible or not.

JohnN, just one other thought. Is the area around the fishing lake grassland or is their strong weed growth in summer. You don't want to be spreading weeds, especially not ragwort, to your own plot beds

Re: Molehills

Posted: Thu Oct 27, 2016 12:16 pm
by JohnN
Hi all
Very useful morning this morning - two sacks of molehill earth and a 2lb rainbow trout :D

Re: Molehills

Posted: Thu Oct 27, 2016 12:40 pm
by Pa Snip
them must have been damn wet mole tunnels !!! :D

Re: Molehills

Posted: Thu Oct 27, 2016 12:42 pm
by oldherbaceous
PA Snip.... :) :)