Can I keep my pond clean of the green?

How do I stop algae from forming in a pond? – Neil, Winchester DAVID: Try to keep the pond clear of soil, debris, fertilisers and anything else that may add nutrients to the water.

Pond dyes reflect UV light away from the water and liquid barley straw extract is ideal if you have a small pond.

For a DIY option, float a mesh bag of barley straw on the pond – about 50g per m2 of water surface area – and replace it when it turns black.

Add lavender to the bag to make it even more effective.

Put your green-fingered hands together and give a huge round of applause to the winner of our brilliant Cultivation Street 2017 campaign.

After a record number of entries, and some tough deliberations, judges awarded the first prize of £10,000 of National Garden Gift Vouchers to the Shettleston Community Growing Project, in the urban heart of Glasgow.

Supported by the Sunday Mirror, the competition has highlighted incredible civic pride the length and breadth of Britain.

But it was the Shettleston project that pipped other regional winners to lift the grand prize.

Volunteers took over contaminated waste ground and turned it into a productive growing space – along with a tranquil area to be enjoyed by all ages.

Father-of-four Kenny McCubbin, 52, a children and families worker, said: “We’re absolutely over the moon, it was totally unexpected.

“We thought we were just a normal community garden, the same as everyone else. We’re amazed and humbled.”

Delighted Kenny added: “I’d like to thank the judges and everyone involved in Cultivation Street and the Sunday Mirror.

TIME