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Who could ever produce enough compost for all their needs? I remember watching the late Geoff Hamilton at Barnsdale week after week on Gardeners' World, using countless buckets of beautiful home-made compost. Every planting hole was filled

raised when tunnels appeared in the borders and holes in the compost bin became a little too wide and numerous to be the work of a wood mouse. Then, my fears were confirmed when I emptied my compost bin and the rat shot out. I’m not against rats and think

and everything will look distinctly brown and soggy. This will be the time to clear the decks, cutting back the borders and adding the discarded stems to the bulging compost heap.I always enjoy this time very much as it means that spring is on the way. As last

biodegradable pots that can be filled with compost for seed sowing. The secret to using is to keep the cardboard moist, otherwise it acts as a wick removing moisture from the compost within. Dry cardboard also prevents seedling roots penetrating. By encouraging

It's this time of year when the allotments become a frenzy of activity. Everyone is digging, composting and manuring like mad. My neighbours Mr and Mrs Ron wait until Easter, then till and plant their three plots within a week. The rest of us just

, like programming the central heating, putting up shelves, plugging in the DVD player. One Christmas I was handed a spade and told to "kill the rats in the compost bin". My mum has two plastic compost bins next to each other, and the lone rat (as

The world of gardening overflows with obsessions, such as giant vegetables, lawns, compost, cacti and many others.One of the most extreme gardening obsessions is the art of bonsai. I was always a bit dismissive of this particular obsession until I

I've been spring cleaning. The greenhouse, of course, not the house. Somehow the lure of the compost and seed trays was much greater than that of the vacuum cleaner and duster.Our heavy clay soil has been sodden and unworkable, so the greenhouse

the situation. Suffice to say that some of that rabbit reappeared in the kitchen a couple of hours later.Yesterday I was wandering back from the compost heap minding my own business when there was rustling in the undergrowth and out shot … a muntjac. Harrumph

point brought home to me recently when I was bowled over by the efforts of children from my local primary schools.I'd been called in to lend my support to judge a Compostable Garland Competition, and what a difficult job it was. Clearly these school