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compost to improve my soil, sprinkling it around newly planted bulbs and divided perennials. And with the cost of gardening forever on the increase I'll save a small fortune on bags of soil improvers and compost from the garden centre.

to wildlife is enormous, especially at this time of year. It provides year-round shelter for a wide range of wild creatures, and in autumn its flowers and berries feed wildlife far later than most garden plants.Last year I spoke to Richard Reynolds, author

is provided in a bird bath and large terracotta saucers on the patio, and I don't use any pesticides around my garden at all.But to be organic you do still need to control pests to prevent damage to both edible crops and ornamental plants. So when, in the last

, the 'magical material' - compost. "I never feed my plants, I feed the soil". Great advice.Well, with a list of jobs running to several pages by the end of Carol's programme, I certainly had a busy weekend planned. Her infectious enthusiasm rubbed off and I

I have just ordered a whopping great pile of manure. A couple of weeks ago we finished cutting everything back and hunting down any perennial weeds that were hiding beneath the plants in readiness for mulching: had it not snowed we would have

compost in the bin to feed all the hungry plants. And wait for that horrible business of 'winter' to be over with.PSTo grow pumpkins you need a sheltered, sunny position and rich, moisture-retentive soil. Sow two seeds 2.5cm deep in a 5cm pot in late

hedgehog makes it into my garden at night, and they love to feed on slugs.However, gardeners who treasure their hostas (and other plants) know all too well just how much damage slugs and snails can do at night. I'm keen to garden without resorting

of this Chelsea perfection in my own garden. But then it wouldn't be mine. I like my scruffy, battered, half-eaten plants. I like the fact that there are caterpillars available for the birds to feed their chicks with, though I could do without the pigeons

read more on the subject here). The theory is that the thiacloprid is absorbed via the roots into the plant's sap, pollen and nectar, and that anything that feeds from it can die. Thiacloprid is active for up to three months and imidacloprid can last

In the current climate of price rises and frozen salaries we're all looking for ways to save money. Fortunately, many garden plants help us to cut costs by producing new seed for free. All we have to do is spot the opportunities, then collect