Our most recent Land Army trip on Thursday 24th May took us once again to Glebelands in Sale, where we worked alongside the growers Alan, Charlotte and Adam – and Susie the dog!
We undertook a variety of jobs, starting off with preparing the beds in the polytunnel where the basil is to be planted later this week. We began by digging out the dreaded horsetail, or ‘Devil’s Finger’ as it was known to one of our volunteers, and weeding the borders.
After a delicious lunch of home-made soup, bread and plenty of tea, we were given a tour of the site by the growers. We saw hundreds of tiny basil plants, fledgling cucumber and courgette plants and rows and rows of broad beans and colourful salad leaves. We also saw the beginnings of Glebelands’ first attempt to grow watercress at the site, which could make an exciting addition to their crops.
Then it was back to work in the polytunnel, shovelling and spreading compost on the beds, to increase the fertility of the soil and get the basil off to a good start.
As we came to the end of this slightly smelly task, the sun had finally decided to come out, so we headed outdoors to end the day with hoeing and weeding the lettuce, coriander and beetroot beds.
The Land Army will be heading out again in the near future, so if you like the sound of a truly satisfying days work, meeting new people and learning about how food is grown on a commercial scale, then get in touch.