Community Resources

Gardening & Composting Supplies | Kitchen Scrap Collection & Recycling Information | Rainwater Harvesting | Soil Testing | Community Partners & Food Related Organizations | Friendly Businesses | Interesting Info, Gardening Education, ect.

Gardening & Composting Supplies

Where to buy soil

Look for soil containing Sea Soil or Earthbank fish compost to ensure the soil has enough nutrients. If the soil you purchase does not have this, you will need to supplement nutrients (i.e. with compost or manures) to grow annual vegetables sucessfully.

Small Quantities (in plastic bags):

Grocery stores (during spring and summer)
Any nursery or garden centre (e.g. GardenWorks, Dig This, etc)

Large Quantities (truck loads):

Integrity Sales and Distributors: 2180 Keating Cross Rd, Saanichton, BC V8M 2A6, 250-544-2072
Peninsula Landscape Supplies
Tuf Turf: 4060 Blenkinsop Rd, Victoria, BC V8X 2C2, 250-721-5300

Where to get local seeds

The Compost Education Centre carries a wide selection of seed grown and saved here on site, by Full Circle Seeds and by Metchosin Farm seeds. Save on mail delivery fees and come find your seeds at our retail shop at 1216 North Park.
Full Circle Seeds
Metchosin Farms
Salt Spring Seeds
Sannich Organics Seeds
BC Eco Seed Coop
Borrow seeds from the Victoria Seed Library
Buckerfield’s
Integrity Sales and Distributors: 2180 Keating Cross Rd, Saanichton, BC V8M 2A6, 250-544-2072
Garden Works – CEC members get 10% off all purchases at Garden Works
The Local General Store

Where to buy quality wood chips

Sooke Soil and Landscape these folks have a variety of products including hardwood chips available and can deliver

Where to buy worms

We maintain a list of worm breeders in town – please call (250-386-9676) or email (office@compost.bc.ca) to get their names and phone numbers.

Where to buy compost bins

The Compost Education Centre
If you can’t make it into the Compost Education Centre, green cone food digesters can now be purchased online through our distributor.
Eco Living Bokashi is carried at many retailers in Victoria, Saanich and Sidney
Cowichan Compost Bokashi
The Hungry Bin is a larger scale vermicompost system available for order from Vancouver
Speedibin is a Vancouver Island company supplying metal cube bins
Pacific Composting Co

Where to get manure

If you travel down West Saanich Rd you will find lots of farms that have bags of manure for sale at the ends of their driveways
Rumour has it that you can take a bucket to the horse drawn carriage tour operators in James Bay towards the end of their working day and collect horse manure
UsedVictoria always has lots of listings for all varieties of manure

Straw in bales or in smaller bagged quantities

Where to get hardware cloth

Castle Building Supplies (sold by the foot, 36″ wide)

To learn more about using hardware cloth in compost bin designs and rodent prevention visit our Fact Sheet Page

Pallets for building a three-bin composting system

Victoria Bindery/First Choice Books: These folks are compost enthusiasts and hold onto pallets for folks who want to use them to build composters. 2817 Quesnel St, 250-383-6353. Call ahead to request pallets, they are open Monday-Friday.
The Pallet Bible is a great guide to finding, inspecting and dismantling pallets for all your building needs

Click here to learn how to make a Three Bin Pallet Composter System

Kitchen Scrap Collection And Recycling Information

Information on the CRD Regional Kitchen Scraps Strategy

Tools, FAQs and updates on the CRD website

Kitchen Scrap Collection Info by Municipality

Yard/Kitchen Scrap Collection Services

Community Composting: for yard waste pick up only
Residential and commercial kitchen scrap pick-up service
Find out more about the CEC’s Neighbourhood Composting Program here.

Information on Recycling

My Recyclopedia: A-Z database about what can be recycled in the CRD and where to go to do so

Rainwater Harvesting

Van Isle Water: This local business sells cisterns and rain barrels and their staff are incredibly helpful and knowledgeable. 461 Dupplin Rd Victoria , (250) 383-7145
Capital Regional District: Their website includes lots of informational brochures and guides
City of Victoria: Lots of information as well as listings of rain gardens in Victoria
CANARM (Canadian Association for Rainwater Management): A resource for education, awareness, training, and connectivity for various groups and individuals involved in the rainwater industry

Soil Testing

MB Labs: soil testing for fertility and contamination
Healing City Soils: a project of the Compost Education Centre – free soil contaminant testing

Community Partners and Food-Related Organizations

Growing Together A group of people and organizations from across Coast Salish Territories coming together to support communities in growing their own food. This website is full of useful gardening and composting information and videos.
Fernwood Neighbourhood Resource Group
Fernwood Community Association These folks run the allotment gardens that the Compost Education Centre shares space with. Contact them to get on the garden waitlist.
Capital Regional District Core funding for the Compost Education Centre is generously provided by the CRD
City of Victoria Check out their growing in the city programs which includes information on Community Gardens, Farm Stands, and Boulevard Gardening Guidelines.
LifeCycles Project: Cultivating community health from the ground up by connecting people, the food they eat and the land it comes from
CRFAIR these folks promote healthy and secure food systems, they also put on the annual conference: “The Good Food Summit”
The Good Food Network A group of community organizations that are all working toward healthy accessible food in the Capital Regional District
Indigenous Food Systems Initative Indigenous-led food security organization; this organization offers grants

Friendly Businesses

Hatchet and Seed Edible landscaping and permaculture consulting
Organic Gardener’s Pantry Quality Organic fertilizers and microbial inoculants
DIY Fungi Mushroom workshops and spawn
Van Isle Water Great source of rainwater harvesting info, rain barrels and all your rainwater collection needs
Mason St City Farm Urban market garden and nursery, also our pals and neighbours
Tsuga Arboriculture Steve Ford is a fantastic arborist

Interesting Info, Gardening Education, ect.

Linda Gilkeson and her books, online mailing list, workshops, courses, and plethora of online local gardening wisdom
Oregon State University Extension Service, has an abundance of free gardening information
3 Free Ebooks from Gaia College detailing Practical Tips, Products and Soil Testing for Organic Gardeners
Dishing the Dirt: The Saskatchewan Waste Reduction Council put together this comprehensive guide to different composters, all with photos and thorough reviews. It is an incredible resource!
Another gem from the Saskatchewan Waste Reduction Council, this is an online quiz to find your perfect compost system.
Don’t forget to check out the Compost Education Centre’s free factsheets

Have a resource or service you would like to see on this page? Tell us about it below!