If, like me, you’re new to the world of gardening and don’t quite know how to keep your garden flourishing in uh, less than ideal conditions, you’ll be relieved to hear that it doesn’t take too much work at-all.

Gardening maestro and all-round greenfingers Alan Titchmarsh has revealed that to keep your garden flourishing through these frosty months, all you need is  a garden fork and a little bit of gusto.

Writing for The Mirror, Alan spoke about our gardens in the UK this year and said: “You’ve sat on it, played games on it, cut it back every time it has tried to grow. There’s been summer drought to battle with and then torrential rain stopped it growing, started it up again, and generally gave it a bit of a beating.”

He added that while it is fine to leave our lawns as they are, there are things we can do to help them ahead of spring.

All you need is a garden fork...

How to keep your lawn healthy in winter

If you haven’t mowed your lawn, do that and cut it to no lower than one inch. After that, just give it a healthy rake using either a manual or automatic raker, both are great.

Then, he said: “Spike the entire area. You can do this with a garden fork, stabbing it into a depth of 4in every 6in or so across the lawn and wiggling it about. Alternatively, you can hire a lawn aerator, which will remove small cores of soil that can then be brushed or raked off.”

This will give your soil room to breathe and your grass the opportunity to flourish as the cold sets in.

If you’re feeling extra productive, though, there is one more thing you can do.

Alan suggested filling sandy or dry soils with potting compost, which retains moisture and provides a rich envinronment for grass to grow in spring.

He added:“This step is especially important for keeping your lawn in good condition as it gives the roots a better foundation to take hold.”

Happy gardening!