GROW YOUR OWN FOOD - GROFUN

Do you ever regret that you don't grow your own vegetables? Our small garden is rather overgrown with rambling flowers and weeds. The edible crops are just white wild strawberries (much tastier than wild red ones), very healthy rhubarb, sweet cicely (which is good cooked with rhubarb as you need less sugar) and other herbs. We would need drastic action to grow vegetables, and so far I have not been brave enough to start.

The July edition of Birmingham 13 (actually labelled June but don't let that deter you from buying it) has an article by Shabdam Bailey-Bond about GROFUN, which means Growing Real Organic Food in Urban Neighbourhoods.

"The idea is that each participant contributes 10 hours of labour or more - (the social bit takes over after a while, as we begin to enjoy each other's company and feel like a group. Then there are the excellent shared lunches, a great temptation to attend, as each week they get bigger and better!)

In return for this a day is spent preparing and planting and, in many cases, transforming each person's back, or front, garden, or yard. It's amazing what about 10 people can do to a garden in a few hours! As a result there are many before and after photographs, even a short film, not to mention appearances on "Gardener's World". Yes, some of us became stars for a moment! We had seed swaps, seedling swaps, master-classes in composting and weeds, in pricking out and planting and a lot of fun."

Shabdam invites Moseley residents to build on the experience of the Kings Heath GROFUN group, and start a group in Moseley. This should provide me with the push I need to clear the weeds and some of the flowers in our garden, and get ready for next year. I have already made a little start by buying six, bushy bean plants which I have planted in window boxes on our bay window.

Moseley residents should get in touch with susmo@moseleyforum.org.uk if you wish to join a Moseley group. Other readers can check with GROFUN about joining, or starting, a group in your area.