GET INVOLVED

Book a Child & Youth Workshop

Looking to bring hands-on environmental education into your classroom? Look no further than our workshops for children and youth!

Book a child and youth workshop in your classroom, or come visit our teaching gardens! We offer a variety of programming for learners from preschool to grade 12. Inquire about the possibility of French composting workshops for immersion classes from kindergarten to grade 8!

Accessibility Information

Our educators aim to make our workshops accessible and enjoyable for students with diverse needs. Get in touch if you have students who may benefit from accommodations so that we can best prepare for your workshop. For information about accessibility on our site during visits, see here.

Testimonials

“It was very apparent that the kids and their parents thoroughly enjoyed the program. The day after the program I had one little guy, who attended the program, ask me to find him books on composting as his family were going to build a compost!”

“I liked how experiential the tour was for the children. The facilitator was skilled at maintaining the children’s attention and keeping them interested.”

“Elora was very interactive, engaging, and fun! She noticed when the children needed to move and was willing to respond to many questions, comments, and student inquiries!”

Spring Plant Sale – May 9th, 2026

Save the Date! The Spring plant sale will be held on May 9th, 2026 from 10am-2pm. The plant sale will take place in Haegert Park (1202 Yukon St.) one block from our site on North Park street. Bring a blanket or a picnic so you can enjoy the music in the shade of the giant…
Save the Date! The Spring plant sale will be held on May 9th, 2026 from 10am-2pm. The plant sale will take place in Haegert Park (1202 Yukon St.) one block from our site on North Park street. Bring a blanket or a picnic so you can enjoy the music in the shade of the giant Sequoia tree. Entry by donation. No one turned away from lack of funds. Dogs welcome.

The Spring Organic Plant Sale features local farmers offering a wide variety of organically grown vegetable, flower and herb seedlings to get you off to a successful start this growing season.

What you can look forward to:

• The largest selection of organically grown heirloom tomato varieties all in one place for easy shopping

• Organically grown vegetable starts from arugula to zucchini

• Native plants for your low maintenance garden

• Perennial edibles like berry bushes and other fruiting shrubs

• Medicinal herbs like English lavender, chamomile and yarrow

• Culinary herbs like Genovese basil, dill and chives

• Companion plants like marigolds, sweet cicely and comfrey

Accessibility Information

The sale will be happening in Haegert park which is grassy and slightly sloped, there are curb cuts at various entrance points to get into the park.

Visitors can park at the Vic High parking lot between Gladstone Avenue and Grant St. The parking lot is a 200m walk from Haegert Park.

Thank you to our sponsors:
- Hatchet & Seed
- LADR Landscape Architects
- Biophilia Collective
- Country Grocer
- Cold Comfort
- Habit Coffee
- Patagonia Victoria
- The Private Network
- Zero Waste Emporium
- Chek News
- West Coast Seeds
The Compost Education Centre is located on unceded and occupied Indigenous territories, specifically the land of the Lekwungen speaking people—the Xwsepsum and Songhees Nations. These nations are two of many, made up of individuals who have lived within the porous boundaries of what is considered Coast Salish, Nuu-Chah-Nulth and Kwakwa’wakw Territory (Vancouver Island) since time immemorial. At the CEC we seek to respect, honour and continually grow our own understandings of Indigenous rights and history, and to fulfill our responsibilities as settlers, who live and work directly with the land and its complex, vital ecologies and our diverse, evolving communities.
August Organic Plant Sale: Saturday, August 17, 2019

Missed the window in June and July to seed your winter vegetable garden? Not to worry, we’re hosting our 8th annual August Organic Plant sale so you can still have fresh greens and herbs throughout the winter! The plant sale will be held Saturday, August 17th from 10am to 1pm on the street outside the…

Missed the window in June and July to seed your winter vegetable garden? Not to worry, we’re hosting our 8th annual August Organic Plant sale so you can still have fresh greens and herbs throughout the winter!

The plant sale will be held Saturday, August 17th from 10am to 1pm on the street outside the CEC (1216 North Park Street). Gardeners can expect to find a wide selection of plants for fall and winter growing and harvest including kale, broccoli, cabbages, collards, arugula, cold hardy lettuces, herbs like cilantro and parsley, and many others. Local, organic farmers are:

Ravensong Seeds

Saanich Organics

The Compost Education Centre

Metchosin Farm

Cam Kidd with Perennials, and Mushroom Spawn

Haliburton Farm

and more!

No need to register for this event but feel free to call our office at 250 386 9676 or contact us via email at office at compost.bc.ca if you have any questions.
Village Vibe: Summer Solstice Garden Party

Village Vibe

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

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…

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!
May 11th: Spring Organic Plant Sale, 10-2pm

The Compost Education Centre (CEC) is hosting our 16th annual all-organic spring plant sale! The event is on Saturday May 11th, 10am-2pm at the CEC demonstration site at 1216 North Park Street. The Spring Organic Plant Sale features local farmers offering a wide variety of organically grown vegetable, flower and herb seedlings to get you…

The Compost Education Centre (CEC) is hosting our 16th annual all-organic spring plant sale! The event is on Saturday May 11th, 10am-2pm at the CEC demonstration site at 1216 North Park Street. The Spring Organic Plant Sale features local farmers offering a wide variety of organically grown vegetable, flower and herb seedlings to get you off to a successful start this growing season.

What you can look forward to:
• The largest selection of organically grown heirloom tomato varieties all in one place for easy shopping
• Organically grown vegetable starts from arugula to zucchini
• Native plants for your low maintenance garden
• Perennial edibles like berry bushes and other fruiting shrubs
• Medicinal herbs like English lavender, chamomile and yarrow
• Culinary herbs like Genovese basil, dill and chives
• Companion plants like marigolds, sweet cicely and comfrey
• Live music!

2019 VENDORS:
Saanich Organics

Metchosin Farm

Growceries

Mason Street City Farm

Ravensong

Organic Gardener’s Pantry

Haliburton Farm

Crooked Fir Farm & Nursery

Community Garden Growers

Cam Kidd

The Compost Education Centre
Winter VS Summer Growing

Winter vs. Summer Growing
Troubleshooting Roots in Your Compost Bin

Though composting can be a pretty basic process once you understand the fundamentals, there’s bound to be a few hiccups along the way. In this video, Site Manager and Adult Education Coordinator, Alysha Punnett, shows us how to tackle the invasion of wandering roots in a compost bin.

Though composting can be a pretty basic process once you understand the fundamentals, there’s bound to be a few hiccups along the way. In this video, Site Manager and Adult Education Coordinator, Alysha Punnett, shows us how to tackle the invasion of wandering roots in a compost bin.
How to Apply Vermicompost (Worm Castings) To Your Veggie Bed
August Organic Plant Sale; August 18th from 10am-1pm

Saturday, August 18th, from 10am-1pm Missed the window in June and July to seed your winter vegetable garden? Not to worry, we’re hosting our 7th annual August Organic Plant sale so you can still have fresh greens and herbs throughout the winter! The plant sale will be held Saturday, August 18th from 10am to…

Saturday, August 18th, from 10am-1pm

Missed the window in June and July to seed your winter vegetable garden? Not to worry, we’re hosting our 7th annual August Organic Plant sale so you can still have fresh greens and herbs throughout the winter!

The plant sale will be held Saturday, August 18th from 10am to 1pm on the street outside the CEC (1216 North Park Street). Gardeners can expect to find a wide selection of plants for fall and winter growing and harvest including kale, broccoli, cabbages, collards, arugula, cold hardy lettuces, herbs like cilantro and parsley, and many others. Local, organic farmers are:

The Organic Gardener’s Pantry

Ravensong Seeds

Saanich Organics

The Compost Education Cetnre

Metchosin Farm

and more!

No need to register for this event but feel free to call our office at 250 386 9676 or contact us via email at office at compost.bc.ca if you have any questions.
Spring Organic Plant Sale

The Compost Education Centre (CEC) is hosting our 16th annual all-organic spring plant sale! The event is on Saturday May 12th, 10am-2pm at the CEC demonstration site at 1216 North Park Street. The Spring Organic Plant Sale features local farmers offering a wide variety of organically grown vegetable, flower and herb seedlings to get you…

The Compost Education Centre (CEC) is hosting our 16th annual all-organic spring plant sale! The event is on Saturday May 12th, 10am-2pm at the CEC demonstration site at 1216 North Park Street. The Spring Organic Plant Sale features local farmers offering a wide variety of organically grown vegetable, flower and herb seedlings to get you off to a successful start this growing season.

What you can look forward to:
• The largest selection of organically grown heirloom tomato varieties all in one place for easy shopping
• Organically grown vegetable starts from arugula to zucchini
• Native plants for your low maintenance garden
• Perennial edibles like berry bushes and other fruiting shrubs
• Medicinal herbs like English lavender, chamomile and yarrow
• Culinary herbs like Genovese basil, dill and chives
• Companion plants like marigolds, sweet cicely and comfrey
• Live music!

2018 VENDORS:

Saanich Organics

Metchosin Farm

Growceries

New Mountain Farm

Mason Street City Farm

Hatchet & Seed

Ravensong

Saanich Native Plants

Organic Gardener’s Pantry

Crooked Fir Farm & Nursery