#no dig

Riri explains that she lost her eyesight more than 30 years ago but she never had the courage or confidence to walk down her street on her own, as there are no footpaths. But when she heard that Farm It Forward had set up at the end of her street she took the plunge to walk down there. “I met Manu and that’s how it all started,” she says.

“When you can’t see, you tend to stay indoors a lot,” Riri says, “but this will get me out.”

To create two no-dig patches, Manu and Jude first lay down some cardboard across the whole area to help suppress weeds. The sticky tape and staples have to be removed first. Next, they build two long rows of compost and soil mix to form the raised no-dig beds, leaving a pathway in the middle between the beds that they then cover with mulch.

At the end, two wicking beds are made up and planted out.

When the work is complete, the team invites Riri out to help her explore her new gardens.