Horticulture and Conservation

If you sometimes have time to spare and you enjoy gardening or outdoor work, art and craft work, or carpentry and general handiwork, or have an interest in wildlife and conservation then you may be interested in becoming involved in our horticulture and conservation project We have a 3½ acre field in Knowle (look here for location) where plants can be grown organically in a sheltered, pollution-free environment with the guidance and support of our workers, Andy and Vicky. In addition to growing plants and crops in an environmentally friendly way, we also try and encourage wildlife to the site. At present we have ponds (with dragonflies!), together with a wildlife meadow and a small wood. Work includes: sowing and potting on seeds, pruning hedges, planting out crops, harvesting crops, building leaf mould and compost bins, maintenance of the site, and, of course, a bit of digging! Work is carried out by individuals according to their individual skills/abilities/interests - you won’t have to carry sacks of compost if you’ve got a bad back!. We have buildings (with heaters!), potting sheds, greenhouse and two polytunnels to work and shelter in during bad weather. There is tea and coffee making equipment and a toilet. The project is open on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 10-30am – 3- 30pm. A women only session is held on tuesdays from 11pm to 2pm. There are buses from Solihull to Knowle (contact us for details) or we can provide transport from our office in Faulkner Road leaving at 10-00am.If you would like to be involved in any way or you would like more information, please contact us here at Solihull Mind, or just come to the field on one of the days we are open.