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Theresa Talbot who presents the new series of The Beechgrove Potting Shed sent me a few words ahead of the programme on Sunday.

Theresa Talbot
Bruised. Battered. Bewildered. I think we all feel in need of a little tender loving care after the long cold winter, and our gardens are no exception. The bitterly cold weather, torrential rains and heavy snow have taken their toll on most of our precious plots, and that's why I'm itching to start the brand new series of The Beechgrove Potting Shed this Sunday 6th March. The programme will be jam-packed full of helpful advice on how to get your garden into tip top condition for spring.

Nicola Singleton is one of our regular expert guests in The Shed, and she popped down to Glasgow this week to cast her eye over my own city garden, which really is looking terribly dejected and neglected. But the ever positive Nicola refused to be beaten by my lopsided hedge, the flowering which doesn't (flower that is!) and the climbing rose that quite frankly looks as though it needs a stair-lift to get it even a few inches off the ground. But even in the bleak aftermath of winter, there's much to look forward to: the delicate crisp white snow drops are making way for the mouth watering crocuses, and as we scraped back some of the dead foliage in the borders, we could see the tips of the breaking through the soil, ready to burst into colour with their magnificent blood-red blooms come May. Oh, I'm there already!!! But back to the job in hand. According to Nicola, most of my problems can be sorted fairly quickly with a good clean up, cutting back any old scraggy evergreens; clearing the borders of dead leaves and making sure any weeds that dare to make an appearance are dealt with quickly.
After that it's plain sailing apparently. Nicola's given me a list of jobs to tackle which you can listen to this Sunday, and follow my progress as the months wear on. But don't get too relaxed as you're next! We're calling on new gardeners to get in touch and let our experts come and get their hands dirty on your plot. So if you don't have a clue and could do with some sound advice then stick the kettle on and we'll pop round to help you get started as part of our new 'Get Gardening' slot. Although I must warn you, once you get bitten by the gardening bug it'll turn into a mild obsession. But what a way to get fit, get outdoors and stay healthy.

You can contact us by email us. And do get in touch if you think your school, community centre or local allotment has an interesting story to tell. We just love hearing from you. Regulars to the programme will know it's not just the experts who are happy to part their knowledge and wisdom of all things green. Our listeners are a veritable mine of information, and each week will often call in to share their top tips, or even solve a problem which has stumped the panellists the previous programme! Last season I was amazed at what we covered in The Shed; everything from growing sweet-corn in to the secret of keeping exotic Orchids, and I'm sure this series will be no exception. I look forward to hearing from you on Sunday, when Carole Baxter and David Mitchell will be on hand to guide us into spring.

Speak soon......Theresa x

The Beechgrove Potting Shed with Theresa Talbot returns to ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Radio Scotland from Sunday 6 March