JANE and Richard Gibson went out foraging the other day and ended up discovering more than they anticipated.

Punnets in hand, they moseyed around the narrow paths and lanes which criss-cross the steep slopes of their Shaftesbury home and chanced upon a gateway on Breach Lane with hedges just beyond which were particularly well hung with glistening blackberries. The couple are experienced allotment folk so when they hurdled the gate their intention was to just harvest what they needed and not be greedy. Jane took up the story.

"We only came out to pick some hedgerow fruit but then we saw a track and signs of activity. It led to a shed which looked interesting and busy. We nosed around, wrote down a website address and looked it up when we got home. That's how we discovered Shaftesbury Home Grown."

In fact, Shaftesbury Home Grown is 18 months old. Steered by expert gardener Nick Crump, it has developed from a series of meetings between locals who want to grow food for themselves and others as an alternative to buying it in supermarkets.

Aided by grants and steered by a committee, this serious not-for-profit business is based between St James and Enmore Green.

Their website, www.shaftesburyhomegrown.org.uk encourages people to, "Find A Feast In A Field Near You!" That's Jonathan's Field, named after the forward-thinking landowner with whom the committee has agreed a five-year lease.

Clive Warwick has been integral to the progress of Shaftesbury Home Grown. I cycled over to meet him last Sunday.

As I pedalled across bumpy turf, the Vale Of Little Dairies – that undulating spread of lanes and hedges, woods, streams, hills and intimate dips which paints such a pretty rural picture across North Dorset – stretched out like a comfortable patchwork quilt. By a large square of cultivated ground, Clive and Robin Walter, friends and neighbours, were re-arranging the solar-powered electric fencing. During a pause, I asked Clive what had done well.

"Potatoes have been a big success and we've sold quite a lot," he said. "We grew Mona Lisa and Accent. People have been complimenting us on the taste. Mange tout has been good. In the shops you get pods, which are mangy and bitter. Here, ours have been big, thick and tender. Broad beans were a really good seller early in the season."

As with most community projects, more volunteers are always needed. Diana Harris, another stalwart, echoed the sentiments of the hardy half-dozen I met when she said, "More willing workers are always welcome." If you fancy a go, then visit Jonathan's Field on a Friday or Sunday. You'll find details in the list of Top Ten Tasks at the side of this page.

Seasonal work includes tidying up the growing space, lifting and storing roots crops and preparing soil for future sowing. Pigs need daily attention. Beehives receive specialist care and plans are afoot to introduce a flock of chickens.

Mike Brookman is a maths teacher at Port Regis School and has been hands-on since January. He's also the website mastermind.

As Mike pulled then showed me a cabbage from beneath a pest-proof mesh covering, a bargain at £1 per kilo, he reported proudly that the website receives more than 200 visits per week.

Last Sunday was Jane and Richard Gibson's first working morning with Shaftesbury Home Grown. Jane said, "We've only been here a couple of hours and we've got three jobs already!" Richard leaned on his stick and observed thoughtfully that what impressed him most was the "size, organisation and vision."