I’ve never been to a school that keeps chickens or that actively composts, so my Saturday immediately had a novelty of its own. I estimate that about 15 people besides Steven, the course leader, stood around in various layers of clothing at ten that morning, sizing up what we were aiming for by the end of this particular course on perennial food gardening. From what I could establish we had a collection of perennials ranging from a sweet chestnut tree down to a collection of herbs; we had access to a large quantity of compost, some wood chip, cardboard, and a small heap of topsoil. We had a lot of tools. We had good weather. We had one small girl and one dog. Steven suggested we sort out the plants into size and growing behaviour categories. After this we volunteered for different jobs – bringing the compost and the topsoil, slicing the grass off the floor, digging holes, loosening the soil, putting the kettle on, digging a grave and filling it with varying states of compost. Before the planting got underway it was already time for a brew and Kerry had graciously provided not only Bourbons but also Ginger Nuts, so we sat around outside and chatted about various sensible topics. We also got to sample a tasty Birch tea that Steven had brewed with leaves from the school’s parade of Birch trees. After tea time we drifted apart again, setting to various tasks of tree planting under Steven’s knowledgeable supervision. Linda and I named our tree Pete or Petra (both of us being too polite to sneak a peek under its skirt). We learned how to plant this tree effectively by watching what the more sensible participants were doing with their trees. Lunch was a fabulous affair, with a large buffet of delicious food, including one very popular chocolate cake. Again, we sat around outside and danced a slow drowse of conversation, a most comfortable and enjoyable activity. By the end of lunch we were starting to run over slightly, so Steven herded us on a tour of the plot for us to talk about the treasured lives we’d been preparing for our plants. He talked about the best planting arrangements to employ, which parts were edible and how they benefited the human body. I should have taken notes. After this we had to finish planting the smaller perennials, give them a bit of water and tuck them in with some wood chip. The end came all too soon – in fact I sneaked off before everyone had finished wrapping up. I was very pleased with the experience I’d gained through my participation in the course, but it was the company of the group that made the day so enjoyable. It was comforting and stimulating to be amongst a wide variety of friendly, intelligent people who all had a positive attitude to share. I felt very welcome, despite being a total novice among a bunch of pretty well-seasoned diggers. Besides all the gardening stuff, people were interesting and pleasant to talk to, and they gave me a lot of hope for a future that can sometimes seem pretty overwhelming in its uncertainty. Good show, Transition Derby, and thanks for having me on board for this one. I hope to be involved in future excursions.
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Written by Dave