We've only bean and dung it!

On a sunny Saturday in June, five Goodgymers, including Jason and David from Bristol, potted up to the walled garden at Newton St Loe for a session involving manure, weeds and a lot of broad beans.

We are regulars at the site. It is being transformed into a haven by the charity Grow for Life for people with anxiety, depression and isolation. They learn gardening and horticultural skills in a peaceful environment that can help them build confidence and perhaps even get jobs or set up their own businesses.

Whenever we visit we are astonished at the progress on the garden and this time was no exception. Summer had come with flowers in bloom across the site, the heady aroma of sweet peas, the pungent smell of sage and more. It seemed everywhere was bursting into flower and it was very much the safe, peaceful place that Grow for Life dreamed of.

It is, of course, the result of a lot of hard work, which brings us to our task. Our first job was to tackle some magnificent broad bean bushes. Planted last October, they had already produced a number of crops.. We had to harvest the remaining beans (except for one bush that was to be left) and then strip down the rest of the plant to form a green layer in the compost section we helped create last time we were in Newton St Loe. Secateurs at the ready, I've never put so much effort into preparing greenery for a compost heap - nor have I tried a raw broad bean before. Encouraged by Grow for Life's Wayne - it wasn't bad at all.

Then came a wheelbarrow trip to the stables next door to collect some horse manure to form the brown layer to the compost pile. Wayne was very excited that his previous pile was 70 degrees - allowing the compost to do its compost thing I suppose.

We rounded the session off with some serious weeding at the north wall. A useful tip from Wayne - weeds are the plants we don't like the look of.

We didn't go home empty handed - a posy of sweet peas and a handful of broad beans went down very nicely.

Thanks to Goodgymers Emily, Sarah, David and Jason plus Grow for Lifers Chris, Joel, Jane and Wayne.