At this time of the year and onwards you should have plenty of green garden waste available. Put this waste to good use by making a compost heap – they are easy to start and maintain. Select a spot in your garden for the heap which should be on grass or bare soil, not on concrete or tarmac, because liquid is released during the composting process and needs to soak away. After each layer of waste you put on the heap, soak it with water and then add some compost accelerator (available from garden centres and DIY stores). Cover the heap with an old piece of carpet or something similar to keep the moisture in and excessive rain out. Turn the heap over with a fork every two weeks. It will make wonderful compost – the perfect plant food and soil improver.

Make sure you have a good mix of tough stuff (such as woody prunings, paper and straw) and soft stuff (such as grass and kitchen waste). Aim for about one-third tough stuff to two-thirds soft stuff. Keep adding waste to the compost heap as and when it becomes available. You may have heard that compost heaps get hot but don’t worry if yours doesn’t – heaps built slowly don’t heat up but they still produce good compost. But remember that the composting process is likely to take some months after which time the bottom layers should look like rich, dark soil and will smell sweet.

When handling the waste materials or compost always:
Keep cuts and any broken skin covered;
After handling any compost or waste materials, wash hands well with soap and running water;
Use waste of plant origin only but this can include manure from vegetarian pets only (eg rabbits and guinea pigs).