Allotments aren't gardens: they don't have to look good. The point of the plot is to grow your own veg, fruit, herbs, flowers (hopefully not a bumper crop of weeds). Allotmenteers have traditionally been inventive re-users of all kinds of materials. And we're happy to comply - it's cheaper, for one thing. So far our creative repurposing includes:

Pallets: our compost bin is built of five pallets, found by the bins on a local industrial estate

Tatty old shower curtains: the waterproof(ish) lining for the lid of the compost bin

Metal supports from a linen basket: a 'climbing frame' for plants to grow up

Mini plastic bottles: little containers like those for supplements, probiotic drinks, or small drinks bottles make great caps for bamboo canes, to stop you poking your eyes out when you bend down too close to one.

Empty bottles: embedded bottoms up in the soil around the beds, these make a neat and attractive edge. Ours are coming from our local pub where, as you'd imagine, they're a commodity they're not short of. One of our plot neighbours says this stops the spread of weeds along the ground, but I just think it looks good.

And last but not least: the nettles that grow in the hedge bordering the allotments are becoming 'weed feed' - just throw handfuls of nettles into a lidded container with water, leave to steep until it stinks, then use to water your plants. This brew is rich in all kinds of minerals and nutrients that plants need. And there's nettle soup - just substitute handfuls of fresh nettles for dried in this recipe.

Here are some ideas to reduce, reuse and recycle for your home