Muck & Magic

Last week we had our first open day of 2013 and it was a real success. My day started early with an appearance on BBC Radio Sheffield's Breakfast programme with Georgey Spanswick. I'd never been on radio before and it was a real treat. Georgey was a great host who completely put me at ease and was a good laugh.

Then it was on to the open day, which a lot of people had put great efforts into putting together. There were two workshops on composting - beginners & advanced - that both attracted about a dozen people. I wasn't aware there was so much to composting but everyone seemed completely engrossed. As I was involved in the volunteering side of things I couldn't sit in but as a group we've gained some valuable knowledge which will help in seasons to come.

Composting is all about improving the soil and that's what our volunteers were doing too. Of course we're all volunteers but a volunteering marathon arranged by Sheffield University provided 11 extra pairs of hands for those jobs you never quite get round to.

We have a soft fruit area and the area in between the rows of fruit had become overgrown with weeds. This was actually good soil and our volunteers cleared the soil of weeds and topped up some of our beds with it to make them ready for planting. Once cleared we began filling the area with fresh wood chippings to help keep down the weeds. Eventually these will rot down and the whole process will start again. It sounds easy when written down but this involved a lot of shovelling and barrowing of both soil and woodchips.

It's heavy work and all of our volunteers can say they earned the hearty vegetable stew on offer for lunch. We finished the day tired but with a great sense of achievement at the transformed patch of Lotti. There's more to come on 16th March - see the website for details. By then I know we'll be itching to start planting just as soon as the frosts stop. When they do we know we'll be ready.