Shall I make a muckheap?

[MizElz]

Pretty strange question I know! Basically we rent a little cottage on a farm, and two years ago, my OH built me a lovely stable. Our landlords let us dump the muck into their slurry lagoon, and that has worked well as my brother has a quad bike with a tipper trailer, so he has been my 'muck man'

The only thing is, his quad has now broken down, and he does not think he will get another one - the likelihood is that we will fix the old one and sell it, as I think he just feels he's outgrown it a litte (GCSEs have taken over his life!) So, at present, I pile the muck right outside Ellie's stable - not very pretty - and OH goes up and steals the JCB from the farm once a week to take the pile away.

Now, behind our stables is a patch of useless, overgrown land. Our chickens inhabit a small patch of the land, but when we approached our landlords about using the rest of it as a vegetable patch, they decided that they would charge us rent for it - so we said bollox to it! They dont use it for anything at all, and in fact it looks a total eyesore where there are brambles and nettles everywhere - if they'd let us keep it up together, it would have looked lovely

Anyway, I am wondering whether to use the area next to our chickens - where my brother tips our grass cuttings and which landlords have never objected to - as a muckheap, just to keep my yard tidier. Then it wont matter if OH cannot get the JCB every week - he can bring it down as and when it is available and scoop my mini-muckheap away. The chances are if I asked landlords, they would probably say no just out of spite, but if I just went ahead and did it, I cant see them bothering. We never asked about the chickens, and they've been there two years! Plus the muckheap would be pretty much obscured from view by the nettles anyway!
What shall I do?!

 

[JaneMBE]

Do it!
But make it nice and neat and not a pile... squish it into a block and make steps if it gets big! (I was always pedantic about neat and tidy steps and built a huge staircase once

)

It's also easier to take a slice for removal

 

[YorksG]

I think that if you are using the landlords land, even if you think it is waste land, you should really ask if it isn't a bit you pay rent for.

 

[MizElz]

[ QUOTE ]
I think that if you are using the landlords land, even if you think it is waste land, you should really ask if it isn't a bit you pay rent for.

[/ QUOTE ]

That's exactly my point though - when we moved in, the veggie patch was thought to be included in the rent - hence we had a whole year's veggies from it! Then landlord turned up one day and said he wanted money for it...so we just gave it up, and nothing was said afterwards. But no one has ever said anything about the chickens....we use an apple tree as a marker of 'our bit', and the bit I intend to use for the muck is definitely this side of the tree!

There's also a bit of conflict with the landlords themselves - the sons now run the farm, but their ideas about what we should or shouldnt pay for seem to differ greatly to their father's ideas - he's wonderful, and has often said to me that he feels they were being really tight in restricting our grazing so much

Tis a weird situation!

 

[JaneMBE]

Oh Yorks! You are so sensible

I am feeling frivolous today and my answers are hopeless!

You are quite right of course. Ask, don't assume it's ok.

 

[MizElz]

[ QUOTE ]
Oh Yorks! You are so sensible

I am feeling frivolous today and my answers are hopeless!

You are quite right of course. Ask, don't assume it's ok.

[/ QUOTE ]

Hehe JJ you made me chuckle! I'm thinking I might just go ahead and do it...looking out at the great big muck pile in my yard is making me depressed. Then if they have a problem with it, they can come and see us and then we can sort it out from there....

 

[YorksG]

Pssst, *whisering* I have my sensible head on, because I am at work!!!!!!1 Just popped on here waiting for my next person to come in. :0