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Monty Don has urged gardeners to take on one easy job this month if they want their outdoor spaces to thrive.

In his May blog, the Gardeners' World star said making homemade compost is one of the best things people can do for their gardens - and it's far simpler than many realise.

The TV presenter and author encouraged households to transform everyday kitchen scraps into what he described as "black gold", saying homemade compost is "better than any product known to man". As well as boosting plants and soil health, the process costs nothing, making it an easy and budget-friendly way for gardeners to improve their plots this spring.

He wrote: "Compost is the alchemy of a garden, turning waste into black gold and we should compost every scrap of garden and kitchen waste.

"The secret of making it reasonable quickly is to have a good mix of matter high in nitrogen (green) like grass clippings and drier material (brown) that is high in carbon and then to aerate it often by turning it. This does not have to be a major operation - just forking through it will help a lot.

"The point is to get oxygen into the heap which in turn feeds the bacteria that eat the decomposing material and convert it into compost which will then enrich your soil with essential bacteria, fungi and nutrients better than any product known to man."

If space is limited in your garden, there are plenty of compost bins available that neatly contain waste as it breaks down, helping turn it into nutrient-rich compost ready for use.

According to BBC Gardeners World Magazine, compost is a natural and effective way to boost garden health. It enriches the soil with nutrients, supports stronger plant growth, and can be used as a fertiliser, mulch, or soil conditioner.

Gardeners, as we now know, can create their own compost by recycling kitchen scraps and garden waste in a compost bin, where the material gradually breaks down into nutrient-rich compost ready to use around the garden.

Compost bins come in different shapes, sizes, and prices, so there are options to suit both large gardens and smaller outdoor spaces. The experts offer a guide to the Best Compost Bins in 2026 here.