Category: Organic Gardening

This new factsheet will walk you through: How to build the best soil;  what time and money you’ll need; easy & productive plants to grow; and how to care for your plants throughout the growing season.

All factsheets are free on our website and onsite thanks to funding provided by the CRD.

Click here to read the factsheet

2023 Seeds are here!

January 13, 2023

2023 seeds are $4.75, pick them up at our retail space at 1216 North Park St.

Annual Veggies

Arugula, annual; Arugula, sylvetta; Beets, Winterkeeper; Broccoli, Purple Sprouting; Carrot, Berlicumer; Kale, Siberian; Leek, Unique; Lettuce, All Weather Blend; Lettuce, Arctic King; Lettuce, Hot Weather Blend; Mixed Mustards; Peas, Sugar Snap, Pole; Spinach, Giant Winter; Squash, Waltham Butternut; Summer Squash, Trio of Summer

Herbs

Basil, Genovese; Parsley, Italian Flat Leaf; Cilantro Sorrel, French

Flowers

Nasturtium, ALM; Mix Sunflower, Mixed; Sweet Pea, ALM Mix

Tomatoes & Peppers

Sweetie (cherry, indeterminate), Matina (medium sized, indeterminate), Ardwyna Pepper

August Organic Plant Sale Wrap up & Thank yous

August 10, 2022

Wow, what a great turn out for the plant sale last weekend! A massive thank you to every person who came out to buy plants, connect with community, and celebrate the CEC’s 30th birthday with us.

These fundraising events are paramount to the operation of our year-round programming which connects many people, young and old, to composting and ecological gardening education.

A special thank you to all the volunteers who wheelbarrowed HUNDREDS of plants from our demonstration gardens to Haegert Park.

And we’d also like to thank our generous event sponsors who made the growth of this year’s sale to a market event possible: Country Grocer, Paper Heart Films, Root Cellar, Chek Media, Hoyne Brewing, Cold Comfort Ice Cream, and Vancity

Happy planting, and remember—you can always call our hotline if you have any composting or gardening questions! 250 386 WORM (9676) 

Annual August Plant Sale + 30th Birthday Party

July 14, 2022

The Compost Education Centre (CEC) is hosting our 11th Annual August Plant Sale! This event features local farmers offering a wide variety of organically grown annual overwintering vegetables and perennials to keep you eating through the winter. And to celebrate our 30th birthday as an organization we’ll also have live music, cake, artisan vendors, an e-bike raffle, a bean counting contest, and more!

The plant sale will take place for the first time in Haegert Park one block from our site on North Park street. Bring blanket or a picnic so you can enjoy the music under the giant Sequoia tree. Entry by donation or free for CEC members. Dogs welcome.

There will also be a Parent-Child workshop ‘Composting 101’ taking place during the sale, so bring the whole family and learn about composting while you’re here!

Worm Poop Centennial Project

August 25, 2021

It is with much gratitude that we launch the Worm Poop Centennial Project! This project is in partnership with the Victoria Horticultural Society who is celebrating 100 years of hands-on gardening education. Through the VHS’ generous donation we are able to give away 100 worm bins to interested non-profit and educational groups when they book a worm composting workshop with us. Get in touch with Elora, to learn more about this initiative at [email protected]

On the rainiest of rainy days, a few brave souls got together to build a sweet raised bed out of rotting wood, green garden waste and compost.  Hugelkultur is German for “hill culture” and it’s a great way to use rotting wood’s capacity to store water to your advantage.  The quick and dirty: lay rotting logs in a line, add brush material on top, then a layer of nitrogen-rich green materials, then soil, then compost, then soil, then plant!  Of course there’s more to it than that, check out our Site Manager’s more detailed blog post about it here.  Huge thanks to Vic High’s garden club who provided the site for this little hugel demo and who helped with the build!

August Plant Sale: Vendor List, & COVID Protocols

August 6, 2020

August Organic Plant Sale
Saturday, August 8, 10am-1pm
Vendor plant list (some vendors missing):
Compost Education Centre

Saturday, August 8th, August Organic Plant Sale

July 10, 2020

For more information on vendors, location, COVID protocols, and winter garden plant starts click here!