With us just past the official start of autumn, signs of change in our gardens are becoming all too apparent. How can you best prepare for the next season?
Is your garden ready for winter?
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What are you growing in your hanging baskets this year?
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It’s Easter, spring has almost sprung, and that can only mean one thing: a trip to the garden centre. So what grand designs do you have for your garden and your hanging baskets or pots this year? (more on hanging baskets…)
in Food & Drink
What are you doing with your excess garden-grown fruit?
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A fine spring when apple trees were in blossom and insects were busy pollinating, followed by plenty of rain to help the fruit swell has led to a bumper harvest this year. And don’t I know it.
in Food & Drink, Travel & Leisure
How often do you water your tomatoes?
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Nothing beats the taste of home-grown tomatoes, but are you watering your plants frequently enough? (more on watering tomatoes…)
Is your garden ready for a drought?
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It might not be the case everywhere, but in many parts of the country it seems we could be heading for a drought. So how can you make sure your garden doesn’t suffer? (more on drought warnings…)
in Shopping
Have you tried an Aldi or Lidl ‘special buy’ appliance?
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Pop into Aldi or Lidl for your weekly shop and you might spy a tempting ‘special buy’ piled up in a corner. Both stores have a tradition of selling cheap gadgets for a limited time. Some of these products have impressed us – but what have your experiences been at home?
in Home & Energy, Sustainability
Have you been tempted by this artificial grass craze?
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Thinking of swapping your grass for the synthetic kind in a bid to get your lawn looking green and immaculate? Or do you think these gardens are gaudy and unnatural?
How can you spot a bag of dodgy compost?
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If your car starts to misfire, you might suspect the fuel. But if your seeds won’t germinate or your seedlings fail to grow and thrive, you may blame your lack of green fingers. But what if the fault lies with a bag of dodgy compost?
How do you keep pigeons out of your garden?
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Most of us welcome birds in our garden, but wood pigeons, though they look attractive, are often a pest. So what measures have you taken to keep ‘em off your cabbages?
in Home & Energy, Shopping, Travel & Leisure
Plants by post: can we put problems to bed?
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Buying plants online or by post can be a frustrating process. You shared your problems, and we’ve been campaigning to get companies to improve – so has anything changed?
Multipurpose and all-purpose compost – spot the difference
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Is there a difference between ‘multipurpose’ and ‘all-purpose’ compost? Surely there must be, or why have two different types advertised?
Do you think there should be best-before dates on compost?
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Using old compost won’t do your garden any favours, but sadly, we’ve found a lot of it for sale on shop shelves. It’s time to introduce best-before dates on compost – and now B&Q’s investigating the idea…
What unwanted items have you found use for in the garden?
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My mother was a notorious skinflint and I think I’ve inherited the gene. Why pay for a plantpot saucer when a plastic food container will do? Why buy plant ties when old tights do a much better job?
Has an expandable garden hose caused you problems?
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Watering the garden? It can be a real pain using an old-style hosepipe that can be heavy, gets tangled, kinks, leaks or even splits. Which is why I bought an XHose – one of the whizzy stretchy, expandable hoses.