AS I write this I can see my fingers moving over the white computer keyboard. I cringe as I catch glimpses of the encrusted coating of brown dirt.

If I try and type faster, maybe I won't notice it as much. It's not all bad though. It does remind me that I have done an honest day's work out in the gardens. I am not sure that the cashier in the local supermarket would agree though.

I popped in on my way home from work, laden with soil. One look at my mud covered top and 'not yet scrubbed' hands and my basket supplies were whisked through the scanner at the speed of light. They came whizzing down faster than I could pack them, crashing into a pile at the end of the counter.

It's at times like this when I wish I had done a doctorate or something so that when I handed over my credit card it could give me an alibi. It could tell them that my hands might be dirty but that I am still intelligent, solvent, worthy of being in a supermarket queue and someone who works hard for a living.

The funniest time though was three winters ago when I was actually followed round the aisles by a young man brandishing a floor mop. I almost felt like popping back in as soon as I had finished my shopping on the pretext that I had forgotten something.

My fingers are so filthy because I have been digging up and splitting the comfrey beds in the compost area at Nature's World. Comfrey is one of those wonderful plants that, when it decays, it forms a fabulous odorous ooze that contains all the mineral and chemical requirements that plants need to be able to grow healthily. It makes a very good natural, organic and cheap all round plant food. We grow masses of the plant and either throw the leaves straight into the compost bins, or mix them with rainwater in water-tight barrels to make a liquid feed.

It is best to split it up at this time of year because the crowns are still small and are not yet in full growth. The leaves are still supple and soft, and don't have their covering of prickly hairs which can irritate the skin. There is also still enough time for the plant to build up sufficient energy to show off its bee-enticing flowers.

So, comfrey earns its keep by not only being attractive and beneficial to the pollinators, but also because it can put something back into the garden. On top of this, it has many herbal properties. The most well-known use is as a healer of bruises. It seems to draw out and disperse the build up of escaped blood in the tissues. I can remember many a time going to school with a few comfrey leaves strapped to my shins after a particularly rough and rivalrous hockey match.

The one thing it doesn't do though is remove dirt from under the fingernails. I am now off to have a very long soak in a hot bubble bath so that next time I visit the supermarket I can hold my head high (and my hands out of my pockets).

* Get ready for a brand new, exciting local gardening programme. Brigid has been chosen to present Radio Cleveland's new two-hour slot. Ask About Gardening starts on Sunday, March 9, at midday, following the Stewart McFarlane show. Assisted by producer Paul Anderson, Brigid's show aims to cover as many horticultural topics as possible with regular special guests, competitions, flower features, virtual garden make-overs, book and magazine reviews and much more.

Published: 01/03/2003