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Last year I had a great crop of chillies. I was so pleased with them that I couldn't bear to throw the plants on the compost heap when they'd finished fruiting. So I saved my favourite two to overwinter indoors as an experiment in chilli endurance

attentive to plants, especially those in pots, baskets and growing bags. If compost is allowed to dry out plants soon suffer, and then the damage is done.Working gardeners away from home all day need to adopt growing plans that take the strain out

This morning we went for a walk first thing as the sun rose through the autumn mist. The fields were heaving with young partridge, a small mouse looked impertinently at us from the compost heap, a flight of ducks got up from the pond and the trees

There's a spider the size of a gardening glove in my compost bin. It obviously gets a good living in there, feeding on the flies, woodlice, beetles and earwigs, the remains of which can be vaguely guessed in its untidy sheet of a web. I wouldn

I just can't resist getting my fingers into compost in February. I know it's too early really, as there is frost on the grass and the days are still short. But now we're getting the odd splash of sunshine, between the ice and gales, I'm eager to get

One of the most efficient ways of recycling kitchen waste is to use a worm bin. These purpose-built containers house a colony of brandling worms, which consume fruit and vegetable waste, producing a nutritious worm compost.As well as producing a

What's the point of having a compost heap unless it's to breed fruit flies. That's the way my entomologist's mind works. During the summer great clouds of them billowed up every time I dumped the kitchen waste. They got in my eyes and hair

with the added grass cuttings, helps to accelerate the composting process.More on leaf mould and compostingHow to build a leaf heapFollow our video guide to making leaf mouldChoose plants for autumn colourHow to build a compost binPractical guide to making garden

level and pile on a deep layer of compost to prevent frost penetrating the ground and reaching the tubers.This has worked well in the past, although dahlias that are left outdoors are slower to get going in spring than those started off in the warmth

their fleshy roots spreading out of control.Nettles as soil indicatorChopped nettles act as a natural activator and speed up the decomposition process in compost heaps. For the best results, make sure the nettles are thoroughly mixed with lots of different