Pass a sharp spade through wet grass and into soggy mud. Turn 90 degrees to make a T and give it a waggle. Ease the bare roots into the slot and firm in with boot heel. One down, 1,199 to go.
The Blackdown Hills are veiled in murk and there’s no let-up in the steady drizzle, but the community farm volunteers have turned up in waterproofs and wellies, and are cheerfully getting stuck in. We have 230 metres of hedge to plant, and there’s no time to lose. It will take about five years until it resembles something like a hedge.
