Welcome to my potting shed! This is the column where I’ll share all my gardening hints and tips – and I’ll try to answer any queries you may have.

Q Can I start peas off in my greenhouse and then plant them outdoors once the weather warms up? – D Watson, Armadale.

A Yes, and the best way to grow them is in a length of plastic guttering that’s been split down the middle. Once they are ready to go out you then slide the plants and compost out of the tube and into a shallow trench.

Spread a mulch of compost around

shrubs and trees to lock in moisture and provide nutrients.

Q Can I grow Nomocharis bulbs in ordinary garden conditions? My garden is east-facing. – Clare Milne, Tillicoultry.

A If your garden has moist, acidic soil and dappled shade, then the answer is yes. It is possible to grow these beautiful Himalayan flowers in Scotland.

Keep winter bedding performing at its

best by picking off dead leaves and flowers and feeding the plants.

Q I grew chives from seed last summer to make an edging for my path, but they never produced any flowers. – Heather Fraser, Montrose.

A If you sowed them quite late in the season then they probably weren’t sufficiently mature. They should produce flowers without any problems.

Dig up and divide clumps of snowdrops

as the flowers fade and replant in moist, humous-rich soil.

Q I held on to my bedding geraniums through the winter. What’s the best way to grow the cuttings? – Andrew Frew, Inverness.

A Use a mix of compost and vermiculite and keep the cuttings moist but not waterlogged. Remove all but the top leaves and, once rooted, keep somewhere warm and bright, but out of direct sunlight. Harden off really well before planting out after the last frost.

Check forced rhubarb regularly,

harvesting stalks while young and tender.

Q My carrot crop was decimated by carrot fly. Is there any reliable method of beating this pest? – Mr L Stephens, Aberfoyle.

A Growing carrots in raised beds and covering the crop with fleece can all help to keep the roots out of the reach of carrot fly. Try to sow the seed very thinly, or use pre-seeded tape, as its the scent released during thinning that attracts the flies.

Begin watering tender agapanthuses

that have spent the winter under cover.