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Use sturdy untreated boards to create productive beds, checking for splinters and lining the sides to protect the wood.

Balance greens and browns in a covered bin or heap, turning regularly to keep the compost sweet and crumbly.

Plant hardy salads and early carrots under cover, venting the polytunnel on sunny days to avoid overheating and disease.

Build a simple wooden frame with an old window, then harden off young plants before planting them in open ground.

Connect a water butt to your greenhouse downpipe and use a watering can or drip line to keep beds evenly moist.

Encourage frogs and birds, use copper tape around pots and set beer traps to reduce slug damage without chemicals.

Ferment tomato seeds in water, rinse and dry them on paper, then store peppers and tomatoes in cool conditions.

Layer cardboard and compost to suppress weeds, then plant directly into the bed without turning the soil over.

Sow hardy lettuces, rocket and mizuna in autumn, protecting them from frost with fleece or a polytunnel cover.