As frosts go it’s dahlia planting time

them regularly throughout the growing season. clippings and potting mix from containers of store-bought plants.

I recently pulled a whole lot of weeds off the top of Mt Sod and it’s become a rich, dark, crumbly mix that is wriggling with worms. Speed up this process and prevent weeds from growing in it by covering your pile with black polythene.

If you can’t be bothered digging, make a lawn lasagne, which is the permaculture method of sheet mulching. Wet your mowed lawn thoroughly the day before (the organisms that convert the layers into soil won’t work without water), then the next day, lay down a weedsuppressing sheet of cardboard or newspaper (eight sheets thick), hose that down, then add layers of mulch, manure, compost and straw.

Allow the lasagne to break down for around six weeks before planting directly into it. Plant small plants directly into the top level of soil and dig down and make a planting hole in the cardboard or newspaper for larger plants. composting).

The action of turning provides more oxygen to the decomposing material and disperses the oxygen-fuelled microbes and other beneficial organisms which turn waste into compost.

Compost can be ready in as little as three weeks in summer to six weeks in winter. Compost tumblers are also rodent proof (woo-hoo!), which means I’ll be able to extract the compost without fear of seeing any pink tails, plus this also means that you can compost small amounts of food waste such as meat or fish or bread,which will break down quicker in the heat of the enclosed drum.

The heat also breaks down weed seeds and disease pathogens. Using a tumbler involves a lot more organisation and commitment than cold composting, so I’m a wee bit skeptical about whether a compost tumbler fits with my gardening personality.

For starters, to create enough heat you need to add all your composting materials in one go. It’s also crucial that you get the balance of carbon and nitrogen right.