If you want to grow healthy plants, the best thing you can do is to provide them with healthy soil in which to grow and one of the best things to improve the condition of your soil is compost.

Compost will benefit the soil and consequently the plants growing in it in many ways; it does provide some nutrients to growing plants but its main job is to provide humus. Humus acts like a sponge in the soil (or rather, millions of tiny sponges), holding air, moisture and nutrients in the soil. It will improve the structure of poor soils by binding fine mineral particles such as sand, silt or clay into larger aggregates, which will improve aeration and drainage. It will improve coarse, sandy soils by increasing the moisture and nutrient holding capacity.

Compost can be purchased ready to use if you need some in a hurry, or you can make your own ... a great way to recycle your garden waste and improve your soil.

Compost is produced by millions of micro-organisms, mostly bacteria and fungi, having a feast in your garden.

The basic ingredients for compost are:

Organic Material which could include leaves, grass clippings, plant stalks, vines, weeds, twigs and branches. Compostable food wastes include fruit and vegetable scraps, coffee grounds, eggshells and nutshells. Other compostable materials are hair clippings, feathers, straw, livestock manure. Seaweed or seaweed extract is very beneficial as it provides micronutrients.

Materials should NOT be composted if they promote disease, cause odours, attract pests, or create other nuisances. These include meat, fish, poultry, dairy products, foods containing animal fats, human/pet feces, weeds with developed seed heads, and plants infected with or highly susceptible to disease.

Materials that should be composted only in limited amounts include wood ashes (a source of lime), sawdust (requires extra nitrogen), plants treated with herbicides or pesticides (the chemicals need time for thorough decomposition), and black and white newsprint (composts slowly, so it should comprise no more than 10% by weight of the total pile).

Nitrogen to get things cooking, this can include animal manures, urine and/or blood and bone.

Water which you add to dry ingredients as they go in but stop it getting too wet by covering with a plastic sheet or lid.

Air added by turning the compost and not letting it become too wet.

Time nothing you can do here but wait, the composting process can take 3 - 6 months depending on materials used, air and water levels in the heap and outside temperatures.

There are different types of compost bins available. One type of bin is made of recycled plastic, which sit on the ground. Some have a door near the base so compost can be removed from the bottom while fresh material is being added to the top - very useful for small gardens. Others come mounted on a stand with a lid at each end for easier removal of compost and a handle to make turning easier.

You can make your own compost bin by recycling an old garbage bin or large drum (cut out the base), building a bin from bricks, timber or wire mesh around a few stakes or you can even make compost in a plastic garbage bag.