3. Go green
It is surprisingly simple to give up the use of artificial pesticides and fertilisers. Invest in a compost maker, and take the time and effort to use it. Collect leaves in the autumn, bag them up and in a year or two you’ll have rich leaf mould to add to your soil. Pests are a trickier matter. You can try the old favourites such as beer traps for slugs, but these days there is also a range of natural insect predators on sale that can make the job easy. Nematodes sprinkled onto the ground can help suppress slugs, for example.

4. Encourage the children to start gardening
One of the simplest ways to get the kids out in the garden is to give them a set of their own tools and a small area of the garden as their own. Suggest a variety of plants that they could try. And you could always encourage some healthy competition – such as growing the largest cabbage, carrot or sunflower. Or even install a bog garden and introduce some frogs and toads!

5. Be more adventurous!
Go on, be daring! There are a whole range of exotic Mediterranean or sub-tropical plants that can survive in our English gardens and thanks to a growing number of seed suppliers and nurseries, it has never been easier to get hold of them. Plants such as palms, bananas, cycads and tree ferns can survive all but the coldest winter, and with a little protection such as straw or cardboard, you can give them enough of an edge to get through the coldest spell. Find a sheltered, sunny spot in your garden and you could turn it into a tropical paradise!

6, Spend more time in the garden
Now you’ve committed to making the most of your garden with these resolutions, it’s vitally important you reap the benefit of the hard work they entail. Make sure there is always seating outside so that you can pop out at a moment’s notice when the sun’s shining. Metal or treated wooden garden furniture is best – you can leave it outside come rain or shine. Invest in some garden lights so that you can appreciate your plot at night as well as during the day. And don’t keep your garden to yourself – why dine indoors with friends when the weather’s good.