This is traditionally the weekend that kicks off the gardening season. Hold on, though — before you splurge on new plants at the garden centre, you should view the array of potential purchases as you would a whole packet of Creme Eggs. Although it’s tempting to have a big blow-out, exercising restraint now will pay off in the long run.

Instead, use the long weekend as an opportunity to work off any Easter-egg-induced calories while you do the gardening equivalent of sorting out your kitchen cupboards. Dull, perhaps, but the results should make it worthwhile.

As April can be a cruel month, it is too early to be thinking of sowing tender annuals unless you have a greenhouse, warm windowsill or a propagator — if the soil is cold, they just won’t germinate. This includes vegetables such as French beans, as well as flowers for the border. The same goes for planting out the more tender specimens suggested by Rachel de Thame on page 48, as they can be zapped by any late frost, too. Leave these tasks until at least the end of the month until all danger of frost has passed.

Perhaps the biggest job to get down to immediately is getting the lawn into shape. By now the grass is growing well and should have had at least one cut; leave it any longer and the blades will start to go yellow at the base, where they have been deprived of sunlight. Tidy up the edges to prevent the grass creeping into the borders; edging shears or a half-moon cutter should do the trick.

It is also a good time to remove perennial weeds, such as dandelions, from the lawn, as they are still small and won’t leave too large a hole. Likewise, if you didn’t get round to doing it in the autumn, use a scarifier to remove moss and dead. These can be hired by the day from the garden centre or a DIY shop. Going over the grass with a garden fork, stabbing it into the ground and rocking it from back to front to make holes, will aerate the soil, allowing water, air and nutrients to penetrate down to the roots.

If there are holes left where you have removed moss, weeds and thatch, you can reseed them, raking over the area to form a seed bed. Sow at a rate of 1oz per yard, then rake, water in and protect from marauding birds with chicken wire.

If the lawn is looking tired, give it a dose of a controlled-release fertiliser when the soil is moist. This should also help the grass win out over the moss and weeds. Garden-centre shelves are groaning with fertilisers — make sure you choose one that is formulated for use in spring rather than autumn. If you prefer organic fertiliser, the Organic Gardening Catalogue has a good range.

This is also a good time to tackle the borders, as annual-weed seedlings will be big enough to differentiate from those of annuals you want to keep. If you leave the weeds until later in the season, they will flower and set seed, thus repeating their cycle. Hoe their tops off or pull them out.

Perennials such as dandelions, couch grass, thistles, ground elder and nettles need to be pulled out, roots and all. This is easiest to do while the soil is soft and their growth is young and tender. There are several specialist tools on the market for this task (see below for details of suppliers).

While you are in the border, cut back last year’s dead growth on perennials to ground level so that the old stalks don’t accidentally poke you in the eye. This also tidies them up and makes room for new growth. If any perennials have grown too big for their space, they can be divided now. It is also a good time to move any shrubs that were planted in the wrong place last year.

After you have weeded, tidied and divided, consolidate your efforts by mulching to at least 2in thick — in other words, spreading a blanket of shredded plant material over the soil. When you are using an organic mulch, rather than, say, decorative gravel, it not only suppresses weeds by depriving them of light, but reduces the need for watering by preventing evaporation from the soil. The mulch will give the soil a better texture as the worms pull it downward and feed the soil. In turn, this will feed the plants and save you having to do so later in the season — a win-win situation, even if it does take a bit of effort now.

Don’t forget to weed between the stones in paths or patios; it doesn’t need to be too rigorous, as having some self-seeded plants, such as Mexican daisies, come through the cracks can be charming. Dandelions and couch grass, on the other hand, just look scruffy. A fair amount of debris, including fallen leaves and mud, will also have collected over the winter. This should be swept up if you have not yet done so.

Moss and algae may have grown on paths and other paving, which can make them slippery in wet weather. This can be knocked off with a pressure hose, provided there isn’t a hosepipe ban in force in your area. Make sure you have good drainage, though, or you will be exacerbating the problem, as the water will collect. Pressure washers are available from hardware or DIY shops, or can be hired by the day. Alternatively, use a detergent such as Brinton Patio Magic or Algon to clean the stones. You can also use these detergents on metal garden furniture that has been left out over winter and is now covered in green mould.

Finally, oil any wooden furniture that you don’t want to fade from its original colour. Once it is dry, it’s time to sit down and crack open another Creme Egg.

Tools: Bulldog, 01279 401572, www.bulldogtools.com; Harrod Horticultural, 0845 402 5300, www.harrodhorticultural.com; Joseph Bentley, 01652 661920, www.josephbentley.co.uk. Patio cleaners: Algon Organics, 01257 262620, www.algonorganics.com; Brinton, 0800 012 1500, www.brintonproducts.co.uk. Organic Gardening Catalogue, 0845 130 1304, www.organiccatalogue.com

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