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.Move the worm bin to a frost-free place during winter, as worms may die if left outside.More on home compostingHow to build a compost binFollow Chris Beardshaw's advice on making compostRead Adam Pasco's blog on worm composting all year round

to use as liquid feed.Every gardener should try and make all the compost they can, and I currently have six compost bins (including a 3-bay New Zealand bin) and three worm bins on the go. Every scrap of kitchen waste is composted, and by this I mean

Make last-minute pickings of fresh flowers for the houseSpread compost on to flower beds for worms to work in over winterCollect fallen leaves showing signs of blackspot from around rosesFork compost into borders, but take care not to spike emerging

on their own to make perfect compost. Most piles have too much nitrogen, especially if the main source is from grass cuttings and kitchen waste - the result is an evil-smelling sludge. Equally, an excess of carbon will significantly slow down the composting

throughout the festive season.Work off Christmas excesses by digging over bare areasPlace cloches over tender plantsSharpen blades on garden toolsAround the gardenMake last-minute pickings of fresh flowers for the houseSpread compost on to flower beds

It may have been a lousy summer for growing many crops but the wet weather bodes well for my compost.It's always 'alright' rather than 'wonderful', unlike the stuff I make at work, which is always lovely: friable, richly dark and full of worms, just

instructions from the magazine.)Conveniently, there's a bucket of sludge sat in my garden at the moment, which I haven't got around to doing something with. Partially decomposed kitchen waste, I removed it from the overflowing compost bin to make space for a

and the weeds will grow through regardless!So, if I'm ever asked for a gardening tip for a new gardener it would have to be mulch, mulch, mulch. Home-made compost costs you nothing, so make as much as you can from kitchen and garden waste as well as leaves

taken down by worms to improve the soil. At this time of year, when perennial plants are putting on such a burst of new growth, I also make sure they don't go short of water. Adding a liquid feed a couple of times a year also helps.It has been

's croquet lawn - although they reappeared in the herbaceous border. Come to think of it, I was probably put down on his parliamentary expenses!On the plus side, the soil in molehills is excellent for making your own potting composts.