Hugelkultur!

March 22, 2021


hugelkultur 1
Watering the layers so the wood soaks it up and saves it for drier times!

 

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!

hugelkultur
It might not look like much now, but that thing’s gonna grow some great food!
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We’re open for sales & online workshops! Click here to learn more.

May 27, 2020


Screenshots of Chris teaching a sheet mulching tutorial
Chris teaches an online sheet mulching tutorial

The Compost Education Centre office is currently closed, but staff are on site for contactless sales Wed-Sat, 10am – 4pm and we have instructional workshops online at various times (check our Eventbrite page for more details).

 

We sell composters, composting accessories, online workshops, memberships (which include a free workshop and 10% off at select local shops), seeds and native plant knowledge cards.

 

Give us a call, 250.386.WORM (9676), to place your order and arrange a pickup time at our gate

 

As always, feel free to peruse our fact sheets for info about everything from best practices for urban gardens to how to DIY your own greenhouse.

 

Regretfully, we do not sell worms or compost from our site currently.

Compost on!

#growyourownfood

#composteducation

#COVID19

 

Posted in Blog, News

June 22nd, 11-3: Summer Solstice Garden Party

May 30, 2019


Join the Compost Education Centre on June 22nd from 11-3pm for our Summer Solstice Garden Party, a satellite event of Fernfest, located in the Teaching Gardens of the Compost Education Centre in the heart of Fernwood!

Chock full of awesomeness, the Summer Solstice Garden Party, which is part AGM, part community celebration and part silent auction, is sure to deliver the goods during a packed weekend. Heck, with all the fun things going on around the city, we might as well call it a city-wide Summer Solstice Festival!

At the Compost Education Centre, located at 1216 North Park, we will hold our Annual General Meeting from 11-12. Here, members in good standing can vote on issues important to our organization and learn about the CEC’s extraordinary accomplishments in 2018. AGM attendees are automatically entered to win a door prize, and also receive a free meal ticket for our afternoon bbq in the garden! (Yep, we’re bribing you to show up for an important meeting.)

Following the AGM, at 12 and 2pm, our Site Manager, Kayla, will lead interactive site tours. Not gonna be here at 11 for our AGM, or not familiar with our site? Never fear, volunteers at Fernfest’s Field of Dreams will be waiting to guide folks to our Teaching Gardens, and signage around the neighborhood will point you in the right direction. During these 30 minute Site Tours guests will learn through sight, smell, touch and taste about our Teaching Gardens and multifaceted educational programming.

From 12:30-2:30 we’ll be serving up bbq eats and ice cold drinks by donation; simultaneously we will be hosting our annual silent auction in our Strawbale Classroom. Auction items are comprised of donations from an array of local businesses, from swanky restaurants, to useful gardening supplies, and those much needed self-care gift cards!

So come, celebrate the fruits of our garden (and our labor), relax and visit in the garden with good music, good food and good company while supporting the Compost Education Centre’s commitment to accessible education, environmental sustainability, and, undoubtedly, composting. Whether you’re a longtime friend of the Compost Education Centre or a first time visitor we would love to have you!

Posted in Blog, Events, Featured, News

How to Apply Vermicompost (Worm Castings) To Your Veggie Bed

August 2, 2018


Posted in Blog, Featured, News

Spring Soil Prep by Alysha Punnett

April 5, 2018


Read the article here.

Posted in Blog, Featured, News

New Factsheet: #17 Understanding Compostable Plastics

July 12, 2017


#17 Understanding Compostable Plastics

Posted in Blog, Events, Featured, News

Organic Pest Management by Alysha Punnett

July 6, 2017


Alysha Punnett wrote an excellent article published in the Village Vibe about organic pest management.  Check it out here!

Posted in Blog, Events, Featured, News

Fall Organic Plant Sale: Saturday August 26 @ 10AM

June 29, 2017


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Posted in Blog, Events, News

Compost Ad Challenge: snap, enter, win

May 17, 2017


Get ready to see the see the Compost Education Centre’s message rolling by you soon! Our message of composting and conservation will be advertised on the side of BC Transit buses in Victoria during the month of May. To celebrate our mobile messaging, we’re running a photo contest. Keep you eyes peeled (heh heh) for our ad on a bus when you’re walking, cycling, or driving by and then (carefully) take a photo or a selfie with the location and bus number and submit it to us. Each entry will be entered into a draw to win a $100 Whole Foods gift card.

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Posted in Blog, Uncategorized

Last Chance Green Cone!

May 17, 2017


Due to manufacturing price increases, our Green Cone Digester price will rise on June 1st to $180.00. We currently have 20 Green Cones in stock at our old price, $165.00, or for members, $148.50 so get ’em while you can!

Thank you so much for your continued to support of the CEC and for your understanding, please feel free to email us at [email protected], if you have any questions.

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Posted in Blog, Featured, News