Lucky are they who have a greenhouse or anywhere in the house that’s bright, especially this time of year when seedlings are teeny-tiny. The only space I have for seedlings is my kitchen window which faces north-east, just about the worst possible angle for light.

You can buy special plant-lights but they’re stupidly expensive and are invariably designed to highlight two exquisite pots in a hipster’s living room. By the end of March I’ve got a kitchen table full of somewhat less-attractive pots and trays.

Seedlings stretch towards the light, which makes them scrawny, leggy and eventually they just keel over, so, inspired by those shiny windscreen sun protectors for cars, I made my own light reflectors.

It’s pretty simple stuff – the side of a large cardboard box, covered in tin foil – but it does the trick. It reflects almost as much light as it receives and voila! No more leggy seedlings craning towards the light!

By mid April every window in the house has its own pots + reflector. The downside is that I’m living in the dark behind all that cardboard popped up by sundry clothes racks but it’s a small price to pay. Literally – it cost a roll of foil from the pound shop five years ago.

Half an hour, some foil, Copydex and cardboard – your plants will thank you. Blue Peter, eat your heart out.