I joined a group of around a dozen of my colleagues from Guardian News and Media at the Centre for Wildlife Gardening, a little oasis tucked away in East Dulwich with the aim of helping the London Wildlife Trust (LWT) tidy up some raised beds, learn about foraging, wood stain chairs and tables and make a lasagna bed.
After some introductions and the compulsory mug of tea and biscuits, it was quickly clear that some members of the group were keen to get on with the renovation of the garden furniture, so they cracked on with their task while the rest of the group toured the site.
We learned about what goes on in the different parts of the garden (not surprisingly the baby toads found lurking underneath a rotting log are a particular hit with schoolchildren), the work of the LWT and the challenges of persuading inner city teenagers to learn about wildlife.
Karis Hockey of the LWT is keen to introduce more foraging to the activities at the centre, so we shared knowledge about finding wild food in urban environments, including picking, cooking and eating haws and elderberries, and the medicinal benefits of ribwort plantain.
Then we armed ourselves with tools from the shed and got gardening, clearing a raised bed, collecting calendula and nasturtium seed for resowing next spring and planting onion sets and elephant garlic.
The volunteers learned about no-dig gardening, what a lasagna bed is and how to spot a tasty leaf at 10 paces, while Karis gleaned advice on mulching, crop rotation and foraging from Guardian staff. She said she felt as if she'd "had a birthday party today" - I guess that means she really enjoyed the afternoon!
