NorthernLily

16/06/2026

No‑Dig Gardening meets Garden on a Roll at NorthernLily Community Garden Update…

When we met Antony last year, we loved how simple his idea was, a garden designer in a box. You tell him your soil, space and style, and he sends you a full border kit with a biodegradable planting plan so you know exactly where everything goes.

People waste so much money on plants that don’t suit their garden conditions. This takes the guesswork out.

We wanted to try it the no‑dig way, so Antony drove to us (a whopping 4 hour journey each way!) with a kit designed for our heavy clay soil and to attract pollinators.

We created the border together- cardboard layered over weeds/grass, watered, plants placed by number, and compost around the plants. No backbreaking weeding/digging, no disturbing soil life just straight to planting 🪴

Good design + no‑dig = borders that thrive 🪴

15/06/2026

14/06/2026

Loved seeing this little hummingbird hawk moth visiting the trough in my yard-en today!

Even the smallest spaces with some native plants (in this trough red campion Silene dioica plants) you can bring all sorts of wildlife in and it’s fascinating watching these beautiful creatures enjoying the nectar.

What have you seen visiting your balcony, ground floor, yard or garden this week?

13/06/2026

The National Trust Sky Gardening Challenge is a nationwide initiative encouraging people living in flats to transform balconies, window boxes, and small outdoor spaces into green, wildlife‑friendly mini‑gardens.

Today was the last in our series of balcony gardening workshops ‘urban farming’ 🥒🥔🥗🌶️🍅

We spent the day sharing how even the smallest spaces can grow some of your food. From growing what you want to eat, to choosing the right plants and understanding the conditions they like growing in.

Everyone created their very own potato pots, strawberry window boxes and potted tomato plants to nurture at home🪴

It’s been a pleasure to meet so many beginner gardeners from across Greater Manchester all keen to learn and give growing a go!

12/06/2026

Why we let some patches of nettles grow in the community garden

Nettles aren’t just “weeds” they’re one of the most valuable plants you can keep in a wildlife‑friendly space.

🦋 A nursery for butterflies
Nettles are the preferred larval food plant for butterflies like the peacock, small tortoiseshell, comma and red admiral. They lay their eggs on the leaves, the caterpillars feed safely, and they have a sheltered place to pupate before emerging as butterflies. A simple nettle patch can support whole generations of pollinators.

🐞 A haven for ladybirds
Ladybirds absolutely love nettles — and you can often find one on almost every leaf. They’re not just cute; they’re hardworking predators that keep aphids under control and protect our veg beds naturally. No chemicals needed, just good habitat.

🥬 A free, nutrient‑packed food plant
Nettles are rich in vitamin A, vitamin C, iron, calcium and protein far more nutritious than many leafy greens. Young tops make a brilliant spinach substitute, and once cooked they lose their sting completely. Soups, pestos, curries, breads… they’re surprisingly delicious.

Do you let some nettles grow in your garden?

11/06/2026

We had the best time joining Housing 21 for their Neighbour Day event in Chadderton 🌿

We brought along our herbal tea + herb propagation workshop to share with residents.

herbalist shared how different herbs can support everyday wellbeing, and everyone got to taste a range of blends before creating their own herbal tea bags to take home 🫖

And the mint… oh the mint!
Banana mint, strawberry mint, after‑eight mint and more, a full mint medley that had everyone enjoying a sensory experience and got everyone excited to learn how to propagate and take home different varieties to grow along at home 🏠

Propagation is such an easy, joyful skill to learn, and sharing cuttings is one of the simplest ways to spread a little green magic through a community 🪴

11/06/2026

Most schools across the UK still use pesticides to manage their grounds.

Children absorb pesticides more easily through their skin. Playing in areas treated with pesticides increases their exposure to some very toxic chemicals.

The most commonly used pesticides in schools are herbicides (weedkillers). They are applied to control plant growth on paths, playgrounds, sports pitches and fields. On some surfaces they are used in combination with other pesticides to control fungus and moss.

There is a growing movement pushing to move away from using herbicides to manage these spaces. Whole towns, cities and even countries have succeeded in making their complex patchwork of urban spaces pesticide-free. In comparison, school grounds are relatively simple.

We have teamed up with Natural England and the Department of Education to feed into a short, freely available course ‘Managing School Grounds for Biodiversity’. Read more here: https://www.pan-uk.org/managing-school-grounds-without-pesticides/

We also have a practical policy for schools to use in order to phase out their use of pesticides: https://www.pan-uk.org/pesticide-free-schools/

Do get involved by sharing these links with your school’s headteacher, governors, groundskeepers or maintenance staff.

We’d love to hear from you if your school goes pesticide-free!

10/06/2026

09/06/2026

Grown-Harvested- Weighed - Shared and some even some left over to store for future social meals 🥘

That’s 25 kilos of , chemical‑free goodness right here 🥬🧅🧄

Red & white onions, garlic and cabbages stacked like treasure - food grown by our community, for our community 💚

This is what local food resilience looks like: hands in the soil, skills shared, harvests feeding people.

And if you’re booked onto our National Trust Sky Gardening Challenge Urban Farming Workshop this week, we’ll be teaching you how to grow food in even the smallest spaces, so you can enjoy homegrown goodness on your balcony garden 🪴