MATHEW and Julie from Billingham have just noticed that they have some rather large tadpoles, with well-developed back legs in their garden pond.

They were surprised as they have a few goldfish in the pond and assumed that the spawn they had in March would have been eaten by the fish. The pond is also home to plenty of dragonfly and they had heard that the larva are carnivorous creatures and would also have made a meal of it.

They want to know what, if anything, they can do to help the tadpoles thrive, and if there is any way of encouraging the frogs to return to the pond after they have grown up.

YOU are quite right in assuming that the goldfish would eat the frog spawn. It is a delicacy they really enjoy, but, to the frogs’ advantage, they lay so much spawn that there will usually be at least a handful of survivors come summer. Dragonfly larva are destroyers of any other living creature in any pond. They really do look and act like little monsters. Once again, survival of the species relies purely on numbers.

However, the situation for the tadpoles worsens with their own developing maturity. Once they have got to the stage where their back legs are fully formed, they turn from vegetarians into cannibals. In order to stop them nibbling on each other you can throw in a handful of cat biscuits, but make sure you don’t overdo it and pollute the pond. Gradually get a feel for how much they can comfortably eat in a day (which will be no more than a scattering on an average pond).

Frogs do naturally tend to return to the pond of their birth. However, contrary to popular belief, they do not live in the pod, but roam around on land within the vicinity. They usually only take the watery plunge during mating season.

The frog does need to be able to escape from the water, or else it will drown due to exhaustion. With this in mind, try to make sure that one part of the pond is shallower, or has some stone steps allowing them to crawl out.

Failing this, a ladder made of a small plank of wood, or netting will suffice. A bit of vegetative cover means they can do this more safely, out of sight of the vast array of predators that are just waiting to pounce on them.

Jobs this week

MAKE sure that petunias and surfinias in hanging baskets are dead-headed on a daily basis. Don’t just pull the flower off, but nip it just behind on the stem. This stops them forming seed heads and encourages further flowers to form.

PUT a support in place near delphiniums so that it’s already there before they get to the stage where they need it. This way you don’t have to delve into the clump to add it, and therefore avoid potentially damaging the plants.

PLACE straw underneath strawberry plants so that the forming fruit does not touch the floor, avoiding rot, slug and mice damage.

■ Brigid also presents a gardening and the great outdoors show every Sunday from 11 am to 2pm on BBC Radio Tees (95FM).

Gardening questions can be asked by emailing brigid.press@bbc.co.uk, ringing 01642-225511 on the day, or texting 07786- 200995. Written questions may be sent to Lazy Dayz Plant Centre, Farm Road, Houghall, Durham, DH1 3SG.