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I don’t think my garden could look any worse. The borders I left to rot into themselves have tumbled all over the lawn, the patio is covered in pigeon poo, and there’s now a temporary cardboard compost bin outside my back door because the real bin

, restaurants, and - ahem - bird tables.I'm not sure how I'd feel if I attracted rats to my garden. I don't mind them (that is to say, I'm not offended by their existence) and I'd never kill one, but I wouldn't like them in my garden (it's only 4m², after all

for ages. I remember being a very confused three-year-old when, in April, my dad started digging a huge hole in the garden "for Halloween", which seemed an awfully long way off. It transpired that the holes would be filled with well-rotted compost, over

chippings or compost.Where I live Christmas trees must be left in a brown bin (for food and garden waste), to ensure they will be recycled, otherwise they end up in landfill. I know this because last year I called the council's recycling department and asked

of leaves. But their larvae can kill plants by eating their roots.The adults will lay eggs anywhere, but prefer an open soil in which the larvae can move around freely. A light, peat-based compost is ideal for them. I don't use peat, so I consider

, leading to flooding. If every building had a green roof - be it an office block or garden bin store - much of this water would be absorbed before it even hit the ground.My shed has a tiny, steep roof, so we needed to make sure any soil that was added

Oh snow, where were you in London on Christmas day? Why are you here now, hampering our efforts to burn off mince pies through brisk gardening? There's nothing I can do in my garden, except ponder when the compost heap will start breaking down again

is an obvious choice: native British trees don't just absorb CO2, but provide food and shelter for wildlife. Composting helps reduce the amount of waste being sent to landfill and journeys to take it there, and growing your own fruit and veg reduces food waste

, even using compost. Then there's plant sap - euphorbia is particularly dangerous, as it can cause temporary blindness.I'm lucky I only stubbed my toe, even if it did look a lot worse. But what about you? Have you ever come a cropper in the garden?