Too much ash!

Last year the only produce that thrived in my vegetable patch were pumpkins- masses of pumpkins.

This year a bit of research into soil revealed that I have been destroying my compost by mixing in way too much wood ash which makes the soil very alkaline. Ash is a good natural deterrent to slugs and snails so I also spread the ash all around the edges my potagé. I heat my barn with a wood stove and have masses of wood ash.

So now for days I have been digging up old compost heaps and working it into the soil, along with fresh grass clippings to try and get more nitrates into the earth.