So far in February, we have been covering our raised beds with leaf mulch – full of worms! We don’t plough our soil, instead we use a mulch to add organic matter, feed the worms, fungi, and bacteria, and kill off the weeds while keeping roots in the soil, and keeping warmth and moisture in the beds. We’ve also been doing some landscaping, reshaping our main flowerbed and putting some second-hand railway sleepers down to create a seating area for mindfulness with our trainees on their weekly garden days and the people United Response support.
On a lighter note, we found a worm inside a twig, head poking out one end and bum out the other. The worm actually pooed on Leo which is an absolute honour seeing as worms poop out solid (…or liquid?) gold in terms of organic gardening. Finally last week we hosted a group of students from south Devon Steiner school. We made charcoal, planted oak saplings using a mycorrhizal root tea from the soil at the base of a big old oak and mulched with our own wool. We planted salad seeds, added leaf mulch to the polytunnel and chitted potatoes in the garden.
We’re all really excited and energised by the sun, warmth and flowers – daffodils, primrose, crocuses, bulbs of all kinds, cherry blossom and budding trees, not to mention wild garlic! Let the foraging begin!
Annie Emery – Ambios long-term volunteer and Garden Facilitator
