COMPOSTING is the perfect way of reducing waste, recycling organic matter and reusing spent plants, and every allotment should have at least one bin or dedicated space.

I inherited my dedicated composting space from the former tenant of my plot and it is perfect.

It has wooden sides and a roof of corrugated iron and is divided into two sections, with one side left to cook slowly untouched.

Compost is usually ready in six to nine months’ time. But it can be just a simple heap of waste in a corner of the plot. Bought plastic compost bins speed up the process as they generate more heat.

Making your own compost also saves you money as it is free fertiliser for the soil.

On to the compost heap at the allotment go grass cuttings, annual weeds and disease-free spent plants.

The dead organic matter will decompose naturally. It is not a good idea to put diseased plants on the pile as you could be spreading the problem.

Because of the problems of potato blight over the last few summers, I don’t put spent potato plants on the pile, but save them for the green waste bin at home to be collected fortnightly by Wiltshire Council. This gets heat treated so any blight spores get zapped.

To make a good compost of a soft, crumbly texture you need a good mix of woody and green material.

Shredded cardboard (not the shiny kind), paper or straw make good substitutes for the woody material and are easily available.

When the heap is full, I cover it with a couple of flattened cardboard boxes and leave well alone.