Spring has definitely sprung – hurrah! This is the time of year that everything starts getting busy again and gardeners’ to-do lists get longer – weeding, sowing, mowing, and much more.

It is also often a time of moving into a new home, or even into a first home, and the excitement of starting to garden for the first time! If you’re new to gardening, head online to The Local Answer’s website to find my archive of articles. I’ve shared loads of tips over the years, so this could be a good place to start on your gardening journey.

Sow sunflower seeds

We have had such a long winter that everyone is raring to get going. What nicer way to see off the winter than to start growing sunflowers? April is a good time to sow them, and it’s a lovely activity to do with kids, as they can keep an eye on their progress as they grow.

Plant seeds in a 9cm pot and provide a little bottom heat just to get them to germinate. Keep them inside on a windowsill or in a greenhouse, and tie them up to a cane as they grow. They can be put outside as soon as the chance of frost has gone and either planted into the garden or repotted into a 15cm pot.

April is also a good time to plant evergreens, both hedging and specimen shrubs. Plant into well-prepared soil which has had organic matter added, as well as a handful of general purpose fertiliser. Keep watered, especially in dry spells as we move into warmer weather.

Make use of your kitchen compost

Sow some runner beans as the soil warms up, making a wigwam of bamboo canes for the beans to twine up. The cultivar ‘White Lady’ is very pretty if you fancy white flowers for a change.

I make a hole before I sow the beans and empty my compost from the kitchen in there – a few days’ worth of peelings, coffee grounds, compostable tea bags, etc. I then sow my beans on the top on a layer of soil the usual depth, and this helps keep the moisture in, which the beans so love.

Inspect plants for aphids

Mild weather means that aphids start to appear. They suck the sap from tender young growth in plants and can excrete a substance called honeydew, which causes sooty mould and plant viruses. Keep inspecting your plants to nip an infestation in the bud!

Caught early, you can just squash aphids between your fingers (wear gloves if you’re squeamish!). Alternatively, you could apply a systemic insecticide to ornamental plants, which is absorbed by the plant and poisons the aphids as they feed on it.

I personally choose not to use such chemicals because these can also eliminate beneficial insects and, as everyone knows, insect populations are declining. Attracting ladybirds and hoverflies by planting single flowers (those with one layer of petals, which are easier for bees to pollinate) rather than double varieties (fancier flowers that are more frilly and can be hard for bees to access) can help.