Our Spring Update

The North Earth of England is the focal point of activities for Enrich the Earth. We are evaluating all that is happening in the region and will share our results widely, so others can copy successes and learn from mistakes. Our Project Director Simon Blackhurst shares what we’ve been up to so far, and what’s coming next.

Support for gardeners 

We know that many gardeners want more guidance in choosing the perfect soilmate for their plants, and would like help in composting their garden and food waste.   

That’s why we have developed a range of point of sale materials aiming to help gardeners move to peat free gardening, by making more informed choices when purchasing growing media from store. The resources have been produced In consultation with three different types of garden retailer, ranging from a small family-run nursery to a large destination garden centre with a café.

The materials include a takeaway leaflet, posters and table-toppers for the café. In addition to providing immediate hints and tips, these materials take people to the Enrich the Earth website for more context and advice on growing. 

We are hoping that this additional independent source of authentic information will prove of value to customers. We have aimed to use compelling and simple language alongside a colourful and striking design. Our independent evaluation agency will help us to assess which approach works best, helping us to refine our materials and share our findings with others.

Community Gardens 

The North East is home to a thriving network of Community Gardens. These community hubs provide accessible green space to people in their local area, giving them an opportunity to meet others, learn new skills and grow food. Many of these gardens are keen to learn more about how they can grow plants sustainably which will help them to operate more effectively and provide inspiration for visitors.   

To meet this demand we have partnered with Garden Organic to provide high quality composting training and supporting information. We have three gardens on-board so far. These sites are all preparing demonstration composting areas, with supplied equipment, signage and literature at each site. We are offering technical and practical support to each garden, with the hope that we are setting them up for successful composting events to pass on the knowledge to all who are interested. We aim to help each garden train 10 volunteers and spread the composting message to a further 100 households locally.

By the end of the year the ambition is to support ten community gardens, train 100 master composters and actively engage with 1,000 local gardeners. Our confidence is high, as we already have a waiting list. 

Compost trials  

We are determined to demonstrate that green waste from local authority sites can be used as part of a peat replacement compost mix. To prove the concept, we’ve been testing our green compost produced at Durham County Council’s Joint Stocks site.  

Using green garden waste collected from the local area and the magic that is natural decomposition, we’re excited to include this material in the formulation of our new Enrich the Earth growing media. Other raw materials for the formulation have been sourced and will be blended to make a final product in the coming weeks.

The new growing media will be used at three North East trial sites. These are:

• Scotswood Community Garden, where it will be used for potting on annual ornamentals.

•  Halls of Heddon, for potting on Dhalia and Chrysanthemum cuttings.

• Go Local Food, for seed sowing of vegetables. 

The formulation will be peat free and tested against a number of controls, including a peat-based and peat-reduced professional product. 

The growing trials for Scotswood Garden and Halls of Heddon are starting in early April and will continue for approximately 6 weeks. GoLocal Food will sow seeds in our formulation and we’ll follow that process from seed to field. The results and final report will be circulated during June/July, but we’ll keep you updated on progress. 

More questions about Enrich the Earth? Check out our other blogs for more news on the project, or subscribe to our mailing list.