Sharon is Community Outreach Manager for Natural World Products
She works extensively across Belfast with social enterprises and charities to develop community gardens.
As we have now passed the halfway mark of 2025 (the summer solstice or longest day), most gardeners will find they have the bulk of their annual crops planted in the veggie patch.
SO far in 2025 in West Belfast alone, around 50 tonnes of New Leaf peat-free compost has been donated to the following community gardens: Gairdín an Phobail, St James’ Community Farm, Colin Community Allotments and Colin Men’s Shed. Gairdín an Phobail is a community garden at Whiterock Leisure Centre run by dedicated volunteers on a Wednesday and Friday. They have used their donation of compost to top up beds, fill new planters and work on their tree nurseries to support the Black Mountain Rewilding project. It has also been used to support the many youth groups who attend Gairdín an Phobail. Running the community garden and supporting local community projects in an area of multiple deprivation requires a lot of resources mostly made up from donations. The compost helps to preserve their budget to continue to support the community needs.
IN November 2022 I had the idea of transforming an unused Colin allotment plot using our own compost (from Natural World Products) and the 'No Dig' method of gardening to see if this would reduce weeds and showcase how well veggies can grow in the compost.
SPRING has finally sprung, having passed the equinox on 20 March and the 31st marking the changing of the clocks.