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as an excellent green manure when dug back into the soil. In lawns, use a weedkiller such as a 2, 4-D-based herbicide in spring or early summer, when growth is at its most vigorous. Repeat throughout summer where necessary. Apply in cool, moist, calm conditions

Around the gardenLift dahlia tubers or protect those left in the ground Sow sweet peas now Collect seeds and berries from shrubs and flowering plantsFlowersLift and store carrots Pot up herbs to bring under cover for winter useSow green manure crops over bare areas

. Luckily, they don't need staking.Summer-fruiting raspberries, on the other hand, produce fruit on the previous year's canes. Cut these canes down in autumn after they have produced fruit, leaving the new, green canes to fruit the following year. Summer

with green manure, with Monty DonMaking your own compost binImproving your soilBrowse plants by soil conditionsBrowse a variety of hardy annual plants

perennials such as couch grass or ground elder.Cover your bin with carpet to keep it warm and to help speed up the composting process.Improving the quality of your soilVideo guide on making compost, with Chris BeardshawImproving your soil with green manure

Autumn is upon us; leaves are tumbling gently down to provide excellent composting material (I am particularly keep on those leaves that fall into the chicken run as they are then mixed up with chicken manure and therefore provide a double whammy

I've always been fascinated by algae. These simple organisms take so many forms. Some are accurate indicators of water pollution, and some, like the blue-green alga spirulina, are a brilliant source of vitamin B12. But right now they've gone too far

. Silty soil is smooth to the touch. It rolls into a ball easily, but won't keep its shape as well as clay soil.Silty soilAdvice on preparing and improving soilImproving soil with green manureMaking a soil sievePreparing the soil blog

, they don't bother too much about how the 'delegated to' get the job done.So, last week in the same spirit, I devolved responsibility for the compost heap to my husband. I explained the basics of how to build a heap (twiggy sticks at the bottom then green

you give them a very thick mulch of manure or compost. In the spring, take the compost away and spread some slug pellets over the crown, then recover with a bit of compost to save new shoots from the ravages of slug damage.Cosmos is another good