People 'should sort out garden sheds in preparation for spring'

17:11:20 29th November 2010

People should sort out their garden sheds now so that when spring arrives and it is time for gardening again everything is in order.

This is according to gardening enthusiast Jennie Macfie, who wrote in a piece for the Herald Scotland that gardeners are often frugal people who hoard bits and bobs to aid them in their potting and planting.

She recommends people have a clear-out to make sure that only essential items remain in the shed.

"The next task is to clean all the tools you won't be using again until spring. Clean off all the soil with wire wool or a scraper, then rub household oil into all the metal parts," Ms Macfie added.

She went on to say that the unpainted wooden handles of tools should be rubbed with linseed oil to preserve them.

Last week, gardening commentator Graham Porter wrote in his weekly tips column in the Huddersfield Examiner that people should take advantage of one of the year's last sunny days to throw out old compost, broken pots, faulty tools and worn-out gloves.