Homemade or bought in compost or any other humus rich material, well rotted manure, soil improver, composted bark... anything that will add good organic matter.

id also like to add that blood ,fish and bone pellets as well as 50 bags of stable type manure you get at most garden centers did my garden the world of good as you can see in my photos

If you live near enough, well rotted manure can usually be obtained from stables or farms free if you bag it up yourself. Add used compost from pots, run the lawn mower over autumn leaves and use as a deep mulch over the winter. Even lawn mowings are useable if you keep the heap for a couple of years - too slithery before that, though you can even mulch with fresh ones if you're desperate and add a bit of nitrogen in the spring. Keep a small gap between it and the plants though.

I use blood, fish and bone too, Youngalice, and some pelleted chicken manure, because a lot of plants don't like too rich a soil, and you'd have to let the manure rot down well for a year or so before you added it to your soil. i also add lawn mowings in small quantities and dig them instraight away, then they help to break up the soil, too. Hope we've all given you food for thought!! Annie

I'm sorry, Youngalistair! I called you Youngalice in my last answer to Jules. I do beg your pardon! Got the wrong specs on, probably!1 Annie

If you live near the coast collect the seaweed from the beach, you local council will be grateful and leave in a heap for a week or so to leach the salt out then dig this in - wonderful stuff!

Leaf mould.